About ITL Research

Education and political leaders in countries around the world have recognized the imperative to prepare their youth for the 21st century, a goal that many believe requires the fundamental transformation of educational opportunities together with the integration of technology into teaching and learning. But educational change is complex. It takes place within an ecosystem of influences that range from national policies, programs, and supports to local community contexts and school-specific professional cultures. As part of Microsoft’s commitment to education transformation, its Partners in Learning Program initiated the Innovative Teaching and Learning (ITL) Research project to contribute information and policy insights on where and how effective education transformation is taking place around the world.

ITL Research is a multiyear global research program designed to investigate the factors that promote the transformation of teaching practices and the impact those changes have on students’ learning outcomes across a broad range of country contexts.
 
New 2011 ITL Research Findings and Implications

ITL Research releases the findings from the 2011 analysis across 7 participating countries. The release includes the whitepaper by Michael Fullan on the implications of ITL’s findings for education systems.
 
Sir Ken Robinson on the role of policy in education [Video]

Download or view here (11MB)
 
Use ITL Research approaches in your local school today
In January 2011 Microsoft launched Partners in Learning School Research (www.pilsr.com) which provides individual schools with a free tool to measure their own innovative teaching practices, based on ITL Research surveys. The School Research tool offers:
i.    A set of simple and clear definitions of 21st Century skills
ii.   Examples of innovative teaching practices that integrate these skills in the learning process
iii.  Online surveys and reports that measure innovative teaching practices at individual schools (offered in over 30 languages)
 
Guiding Principles of ITL Research
  • Partnering with global and local education leaders such as UNESCO and local Ministries of Education, including them in the research design process to ensure relevance.
  • Openness: Sharing data and results openly with all research partners and with the broader academic education community
  • Contribute: As a result of ITL Research, Microsoft will contribute research instruments and tools to the public domain that schools and educators can use to monitor their transformation (again, in partnership with UNESCO, local ministries of education and other stakeholders).