Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) was recently honored with the District of Distinction award by District Administration magazine. The award recognized the Independent Learning Days initiative conducted by the district to expand learning options for students, particularly during inclement weather days, and to add professional learning time for teachers. For more,
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Districts of Distinction is a national annual recognition program created by District Administration magazine to honor school districts that are leading the way with new ideas that work. The award recognizes established initiatives that are yielding quantifiable benefits and can also be replicated by other districts.
“These districts all have developed exemplary programs to support students in their education and well beyond the classroom,” says JD Solomon, editorial director at District Administration magazine. “We hope our readers are inspired by the innovation of these honorees to create successful initiatives in their own districts.”
District Administration magazine honored 45 school districts as Districts of Distinction in its July 2018 edition. This is the eighth round of honorees for this national recognition program, which began in November 2014. To view a full list of honorees, visit
www.districtadministration.com/dod.
RCPS Independent Learning Days take two forms. On designated early release days, students are given assignments to complete at home in the afternoon while teachers attend professional learning. When inclement weather closes schools, students work from home on pre-planned assignments and discussions held online by teachers. This also means make-up days are no longer necessary.
The success of Independent Learning Days have been long in the making, starting with Learning Reimagined. The RCPS Learning Reimagined initiative began rolling out One-to-One technologies and school-issued laptops and devices for students more than four years ago. It also transformed the way teachers use technology. For more about the Learning Reimagined initiative at RCPS, please visit
www.rockdaleschools.org/learningreimagined.
For more information about Independent Learning Days, please visit
www.rockdaleschools.org/independentlearning.