Posts by Getting Smart Staff
Equity & Access
What Makes Dual Enrollment Actually Work: Sustainable, Aligned Funding & Data-Informed Evaluation
The final installment of our four-part series with Britebound asks the questions most districts quietly avoid: where does your dual enrollment funding actually come from, and are you measuring what happens after a student leaves? This post explores how funding design can either anchor students to high school support systems or quietly pull them away, and why tracking participation numbers alone is no substitute for tracking persistence. If you are building or scaling a dual enrollment program, this one is worth the full read.
New Pathways
What Makes Dual Enrollment Actually Work: Robust Student & Family Support & Career Connection
The third installment in our four-part series with Britebound moves beyond course design to ask a harder question: who is responsible when a student struggles? This post makes the case that robust dual enrollment requires named staff, early drop windows, family scaffolding, and mentors who open doors to careers students have never had reason to imagine. For district leaders building or scaling concurrent enrollment programs, this is the support infrastructure blueprint you have been looking for.
New Pathways
What Makes Dual Enrollment Actually Work: Building Pathways Students Can Actually Trust
A student can earn a dual enrollment credit, feel proud of the work, and still discover a year later that it transfers nowhere they actually plan to go. Blog 2 of our series with Britebound examines what it takes to build guided pathways that genuinely count and postsecondary partnerships that share vision, budget, and responsibility rather than simply purchasing seats. For district leaders and intermediaries, this post offers concrete questions to ask and a framework for knowing whether your dual enrollment model is keeping its promise to students.
Equity & Access
What Makes Dual Enrollment Actually Work: Intentional, Coherent Design & Equitable Access
Dual enrollment promises a head start on college, but for which students? In the first installment of a four-part series developed with Britebound, Getting Smart examines what separates a well-designed dual enrollment model from a catalog full of disconnected courses. This post introduces two foundational principles, intentional design and equitable access, and offers concrete questions every district can ask about its own program. It is essential reading for leaders who want dual enrollment to be more than a line item.
Uncategorized
Can’t-Miss Education Conferences in 2026
Our team is incredibly fortunate to participate in and attend dozens of conferences around the world. These events offer opportunities to connect with educators, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of education. Whether you’re looking to deepen your knowledge in edtech, personalized learning, or school leadership, there’s something…
New Pathways
Experiencing What’s Next: The Common Wealth of the Commonwealth
Exploring Boston’s innovative learning ecosystems, pathways, and experiential learning models that prepare students for future careers
Learning Design
The Public Microschool Playbook: A New Actionable Guide for System Leaders
Announcing the public microschool playbook: a comprehensive guide to launching and sustaining publicly-funded microschools.
EdTech
Can’t-Miss Education Conferences in 2025
Explore top education conferences in 2025 to connect with thought leaders and discover innovations in edtech, AI, and personalized learning.
Learning Design
Here are our design principles. What do you think?
Getting Smart promotes equitable innovations in learning through values, goals, and design principles to ensure transformative education experiences.
Equity & Access
Banned Books, Critical Race Theory and Literacy at SXSW EDU
This year’s SXSW EDU conference had a consistent theme of culture, critical race theory and literacy.