Stanford Accelerator for Learning

We are delighted to welcome Professor Maisha T. Winn as faculty director of the Equity in Learning initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. Winn was previously a professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and co-founder and faculty director of the school’s Transformative Justice in Education Center. In her new role with the Accelerator, she will build on existing equity-focused practices, spearhead projects that address disparities in educational outcomes, and foster collaborations with community organizations and other educational institutions. “I think this is such an exciting time right now for Stanford and the GSE,” Winn said. “The Accelerator is a source of such innovative thinking for how we can solve really important issues that are impacting young people in the country, all over the world, and across silos and disciplines.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gFZmjUcz Photo credit: Christie Gimpel

There's one week left to submit proposals for the People Who Help Other People Learn (PWHOPL) seed grant! PWHOPL (pronounced PWAH-puhl) is a group that includes mentors, managers, section leaders, attending physicians, community health workers, tutors, early childhood education workforce, coaches, classroom paraprofessionals, and more – anyone who teaches but has not had the benefit of the thousands of hours of training that professional teachers receive. As part of our Adult and Workforce Learning initiative, the Stanford Accelerator for Learning seeks to fund research that leads to new understandings of how to use technology to support PWHOPL to be more effective at helping other people learn. The seed grant is open to Stanford faculty, students, research staff, and postdocs, and proposals are due July 15. Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gHYDy9uK

Recipients of the Accelerator's Generative AI for the Future of Learning seed grant include Stanford University faculty, graduate students, postdocs, and academic staff, with disciplinary backgrounds in education, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, literature, and medicine. Seed grant recipient Dorottya (Dora) Demszky, an assistant professor in education data science, has been inspired by the scholars' diverse perspectives and dedication to improving learning by building on teacher expertise. Subscribe to our newsletter for ongoing updates on the Accelerator's cross-disciplinary and collaborative work in AI and education: https://lnkd.in/ev9qrD8D In collaboration with Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)

As commercial generative AI technology evolves, researchers have studied its inability to generate African American English (AAE), in conversation with Black student communities. To address this deficit, Professor Adam Banks and his team are building a new model that will enable the use of generative AI for inclusive Black language pedagogies. Their research team is one of the recipients of our Generative AI for the Future of Learning seed grant program. They are building on the TwitterAAE and CORAAL models with their own data set called BlackRhetorics, using natural language processing transfer learning and dialect techniques to improve the tools for Black student research. Learn more about their project and the other awardees here: https://lnkd.in/gFsqzebn Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)

Working with a fast-developing technology like generative AI, recipients of the Generative AI for the Future of Learning seed grant lean on their scholarly community as well as resources from the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) while developing their projects. Assistant Professor Shima Salehi, a recipient of the seed grant, reflects on her work building a research-backed AI tool that helps students solve complex problems and the resources and community that have helped her team accelerate their solution. Read more about how the Accelerator supports seed grant recipients in their research and design projects: https://lnkd.in/gg53tf2X

As generative AI becomes widespread, it is crucial to ensure research and design solutions are developed to shape the future of this technology in education in an ethical, equitable, and safe manner. Through the Generative AI for the Future of Learning seed grant program, a collaboration with Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI), we support scholars and students across Stanford University who want to create innovative designs or conduct studies exploring how generative AI can be applied in new ways to support learning or investigate critical issues in learning contexts. Victor Lee, associate professor at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and faculty lead for AI + Education at the Accelerator, discusses the impact of this funding. Learn more about the program and the projects here: https://lnkd.in/g26CeDJ7 📹 Joe Sherman

“Inclusive practices are within the capacity of schools to do, but schools need to understand how important it is, make the time for it, and give educators permission to do it,” said Elizabeth Kozleski, faculty director of the Learning Differences Initiative of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. In inclusive schools, students with a range of disabilities and learning needs are provided with the support to be able to learn in general education settings, rather than self-contained special education classrooms. The Learning Differences Initiative has developed an innovative Research Practice Learning Partnership (RPLP) with Santa Clara Unified School District to demonstrate what inclusive schools can look like. The RPLP is educator-driven and collaborative, involving Stanford researchers, K-12 teachers, and school leadership. Read about the first two years of the program and successful collaborations to date: https://lnkd.in/giPsw9yr Photos: Joe Young

Like all people, learners with disabilities need access to learning opportunities that expand their ability to engage fully in life.  The initiative for Learning Differences and the Future of Special Education bridges the gap between research, innovation, practice, and policy to enable children with learning differences to thrive in their communities and beyond.  Led by Stanford researchers Elizabeth Kozleski and Ira Lit, we are designing inclusive solutions, preparing educators, and mobilizing knowledge to improve learning opportunities for students facing learning challenges. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gX3DUM7W This is the last post in our ongoing series highlighting the Accelerator's six initiatives. Here are the links to the previous five posts: 🧩 Early Childhood Learning and Development: https://lnkd.in/gHkWJVQ6 🏛️ Education Policy and Systems Change: https://lnkd.in/gZ_gKRZK 🌎 Equity in Learning: https://lnkd.in/gSH8TSha ⚡ Digital Learning: https://lnkd.in/gifMJdqF 💼 Adult and Workforce Learning: https://lnkd.in/gVRjq6vx Photo: Lisa Chung

Engaging Stanford students in developing learning solutions is a key part of the work of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. Last week, 16 student teams pitched early-stage edtech products at the Learning Design Challenge's Spring Quarter Pitch Event, competing for Research-to-Practice Awards of up to $9,000. The projects ranged from upskilling and reading platforms to innovative medical training and generative AI applications for personalized learning and productivity. The teams were composed of students from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Stanford University School of Engineering, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and School of Humanities & Sciences. Judges included Stanford faculty, Entrepreneurs in Residence at the Graduate School of Education, edtech venture capitalists, and founders from the StartX network: https://lnkd.in/gwkcUJ9Z 📸 Joe Sherman

The Stanford Accelerator for Learning is delighted to announce its newest seed grant. The Adult and Workforce Learning Initiative seeks to fund research that explores new ways to support those who mentor, manage, tutor, and coach, but are not formally trained teachers, to be more effective at helping other people learn. Selected projects will foster new understandings of how to use technology for rapid capability development for these People Who Help Other People Learn (PWHOPL), a group which includes but is not limited to section leaders, attending physicians, community health workers, the early childhood education workforce, and classroom paraprofessionals. The grant is open to Stanford faculty, students, research staff, and postdocs. Proposals are due July 15th. Learn more and register for an info session: https://lnkd.in/gvZFWfTm