Learning Point Associates and Partners Awarded Contract to Launch Online “Communities of Practice”

Washington, D.C.—Learning Point Associates, an affiliate of American Institutes for Research (AIR), and its partners have been awarded a $3.8 million contract by the U.S. Department of Education to create online Communities of Practice that will engage a broad range of audiences, including teachers and administrators, to use innovative technologies to transform and personalize teaching and learning.

The U.S. Department of Education’s goal in creating the 2010 National Education Technology Plan was to create a vehicle for the strategic application of technology throughout the education system in support of student learning and achievement.

Under the 36-month contract, Learning Point Associates and its partners—the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and small businesses Grunwald Associates and Forum One—will provide research, design work, content development and assessment, and launch for a series of online communities.

The online communities will offer technical assistance and create opportunities for dialogue on the use of technology for various audiences, including teachers, district-level policy leaders, education information technology professionals, education researchers, state and local data management personnel, and the special needs community.

The communities will help implement the recommendations of the National Education Technology Plan by advancing and leveraging the use of education technology to improve teaching, assessment, learning, and infrastructure in schools.

About Learning Point Associates
Learning Point Associates is a nationally recognized nonprofit education research and consulting organization with 25 years of experience working with educators and policymakers to transform education systems and student learning. The organization’s reputation is built on a solid foundation of designing and conducting rigorous and relevant education research and evaluations; developing and delivering tools, services, and resources targeted at pressing education issues; and analyzing and synthesizing education policy trends and practices. Since 1984, Learning Point Associates has operated the regional educational laboratory serving the Midwest—initially known as the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) and now known as REL Midwest. Learning Point Associates also operates the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, the National Charter School Resource Center, the Great Lakes East Comprehensive Center, and the Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center. For more information, visit www.learningpt.org.

About AIR
Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., American Institutes for Research (AIR) is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and workforce productivity. For more information, visit www.air.org.

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