With the emergence of digital credentialing and platforms to support learners and workers with entering and traversing the increasingly skill-based education and workforce ecosystem, Learning and Employment Record (LER) technologies have been identified as a promising solution for individuals to share and access their learning- and skills-data and…

This study explores the ways in which teachers in Puerto Rico are currently increasing their effective use of technology for their instructional practice through expanded access to professional learning opportunities and supports. The aim of this study was to gain insight about the effectiveness and impact of professional learning supports for…

Micro-credentials for educators offer an important opportunity to strengthen professional learning at scale. Accessed and awarded online, micro-credentials leverage an online technology platform to provide educators competency-based, on-demand, personalized, and shareable opportunities to demonstrate and be recognized for their professional…

This report represents another installment in our Learning and Employment Records (LERs) series, where we explored the unique challenges and opportunities that learners encounter when familiarizing themselves with LER technology. As the paradigm shifts towards skills-based hiring and career advancement gains momentum, it becomes imperative for…

Learning and Employment Records (LERs) require careful, deliberate design to ensure that workers benefit from their adoption and use. If designed without the inclusion of individuals who are most marginalized in the workforce, LERs could reproduce existing inequities in the talent pipeline. Digital Promise collaborated with workers in frontline…

This paper points to teaching policy issues that need to be addressed if micro-credentials are going to spur the transformation of professional learning that researchers call for and teachers seek. The paper also documents what a growing number of states and districts, as well as the nation's largest teachers' union, are doing with…

This landscape report explores the impact of earning micro-credentials on the social mobility of rural learners. Through four in-depth case studies, we show how earning micro-credentials may lead to credential attainment, workforce entry, promotions, and/or economic improvements (e.g., salary increase, prioritizing learners impacted by poverty),…

Digital Promise and Global Education Exchange Opportunities (GEEO) established a partnership in May 2020 to support and expand educator professional learning and use of technology in Puerto Rico through coaching and micro-credentials. Together, the organizations identified an opportunity to address the gaps in coaching structures and pilot a…

Educator micro-credentials present a unique opportunity to link professional learning to practice. Through each competency-based credential, educators demonstrate application of their learning. School districts are seeing the value of embedding micro-credentials in existing professional learning pathways to promote educator agency, recognize…

Teachers earn credentials at the beginning of their careers, but they learn new skills every day. While teachers are recognized for the time they spend in formal professional development settings, they often do not have the opportunity to demonstrate the full breadth of what they have learned, including in informal contexts. To address this,…