If you’ve seen students brighten up after deciphering difficult problems or finally connecting dots, you know that learning is personal. Every classroom is full of students who bring their strengths, quirks and questions to the table. Personalized learning is when children meet where they are. They help each move forward in their own way at their own pace.
But to realize this vision requires more than new tools and curriculum. It requires bold leadership, willingness to take risks, and commitment to progressive and meaningful change. In most schools, moving from traditional teaching models to truly personalized learning means rethinking the role of the classroom, embracing new teaching strategies, and supporting teachers and students through an ongoing process of innovation.
Recently, Edsurge spoke Dr. Joe Mankuso and Shawn Ryan About how schools can move towards personalized learning with the help of technology. Mancuso, director East York School Districtleading a community of 2,300 students across five schools, bringing 36 years of public education experience. Ryan, president McGraw Hill School Grouphas spent 20 years in education technology, previously involved in education policy and worked as an intelligence agent for the US Air Force, providing a broad perspective on the future of learning.
Edsurge: Why did Eastern York school districts rethink their approach to teaching and learning?
Mancuso: When I became a director in 2018, I met with all the teachers and asked one important question. Do you think the district is progressive? The mixed responses led to deeper conversations about learning and educational preparation in the 21st century. We looked at trends in York County and Pennsylvania to consider what jobs existed and what students would need in the future to determine how schools could adjust.
This led to us Portrait of alumni And it focuses on modern classrooms. It meant a transition from teacher-centered to student-centered learning through professional development, curriculum, assessment and real-world connections.
I’m jokingly saying it started with visionary leadership, but I’m not the only one! When we shared our vision, teachers and leaders created it from the inside out. The most difficult thing was to shift. Now, six years from now, the task is keeping it up, bringing new teachers to a culture where student-centered learning is the norm.
What did you observe when you visited Eastern York?
Ryan: Spending time in the field and in the classroom with Dr. Mankso is truly important. my Professional development. What stood out was the district practices. They were full of data. I’ve seen it anywhere on the classroom bulletin board. This instruction was innovative. It combines all groups, independent practice, and small groups led by all local experts all in the same space.
Dr. Mankuso joked that it all started with leadership, but that’s absolutely true. I have observed four important things that I find useful to the district everywhere. Imagination of the future, professional courage to embrace change, organizational alignment, from boards to classrooms, student agency every classroom. Students understood what the district was trying to do for them. This connects directly to the student-centered.
How is technology used to personalize learning at scale? What does a typical day look like in the classroom?
Mancuso: We created different paths in the classroom around time, paths, paces and locations. Teachers had to do more than one thing at a time, so we found a way for them to “clone” themselves. What we expanded was the ability to do Automate differentiationreduces the burden of teachers doing everything manually. With the McGraw Hill Adaptive Platform in place, student data creates personalized learning pathways. Teachers receive real-time feedback, allowing them to instantly analyze class and individual progress and make data-driven decisions.
Teachers assign digital content tailored to each student. All students get what they need. The platform adapts to those struggling, supports grade level students, and challenges advanced learners. During class, instruction includes short full group time, followed by small group or individual tasks based on real-time data. Not everyone is doing the same task, and teachers can differentiate themselves on the spot.
Student Agency: Focused on voice and choice. Students can explain what they are doing and why. At the end of the day, teachers review learning data, provide digital feedback, and plan their next instruction. It’s a continuous cycle centered around students.
What does it take to move from traditional standards-based instruction to more competency-based, personalized learning?
Ryan: To fully realize large-scale personalized learning, students need to relax clock and calendar constraints so that they can move at their own pace, allowing them to master prerequisite skills before they can advance. This requires access to content at the grade level so that students can move up and down based on their needs.
However, access alone is not enough. Content cannot be digitized. It needs to be organized and integrated so that everything the student does informs the teacher’s views. The platform must handle heavy lifting. This will allow teachers to focus on providing high quality instruction. The best teachers are already intuitively personalised, but doing so at a wide range of performance levels is almost impossible without support.
Competency-based education defines competences, sequences them, and ensures that students do not move forward until the precursors are mastered. It sounds simple, but practicing it goes against everything we have inherited, even for students themselves. No one designed the American education system from scratch. It evolved through goodwill and shared beliefs. Working within these constraints requires creativity.
We operate within an accountability system where students are measured against fixed goals based on one variable (date of birth). It’s not the most efficient way to organize modern classrooms, but that’s the system we have. We circumvent that somewhat outdated paradigm.
To do this shift, you need to tell the story. Measure impact, share what works, and show others how to do it. That’s how change grows from grassroots to systematic. We are progressing. The key now is to maintain a strong feedback loop between the practitioners who use the tools and the teams who build them.
What advice would you give to school leaders considering similar transformations in your district?
Mancuso: First, we explore the latest research, particularly on brain-based learning. We now know more about how the brain works in reading and mathematics. It should inform our practices. I work with other directors to create the Central Pennsylvania Innovation Learning Hub, sharing ideas across the district. It’s important to ask: What is your neighbor doing? What can you learn locally? Instead of competing with each other, let’s support them. Ultimately, it is about improving the student’s experience.
Attract stakers early. I meet with my teachers at the beginning of each year to ask what is working and what is not working. Build a leadership team that believes in your vision and develop the ability to lead in a personalized environment. There is robust professional development. Small, iterative, provide coaching, analyze data, build a culture of risk-taking, and celebrate success. Consistent, lasting and patient.
We always ask: Why is it yours? If you don’t know why you’re doing something, it’s hard to know the direction. The importance of culture and conversation. They help you prepare for change and assess what you need to get there.
Ryan: We learn a lot about the future by listening to our school districts and visionary leaders. But you need to do two things at the same time. Innovate for future change while supporting current paradigms. That’s easier than that.
From a business perspective, we need to imagine the time, space and resources that are the dreamer’s rooms, empathize with educators and listen to their goals and challenges. That’s how you get both progressive improvements and big transformational ideas.
What educators and curriculum partners are doing is never truly complete. We will not reach the final form of education. Instead, they continue to advance, grow and refine. There are milestones, but most importantly, you can achieve them together along the way.
