DC Experimenting With "Teach To One" Program

The Washington Post (10/15, Brown) reports that students at Hart Middle School, one of the "lowest performing middle schools" in Washington, DC, students are taking part in a program in which "nearly 200 preteens" are placed "in one large classroom space," where each "with the help of laptops and a few teachers" learns "math at his or her own pace. ... Pioneered in New York and expanding to other cities, 'Teach to One' puts a computer algorithm in charge of figuring out what each child needs to learn and do each day, a design meant to ensure that students master one concept before moving onto another." The Post quotes DC Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson saying, "If it works like we think it will, it'll be a game-changer," and adds, "This is the leading edge of the larger 'blended learning' movement that many reformers think could transform education in the United States, harnessing technology to help teachers deliver personalized lessons to every child."