Distinctive Schools, a network of high-performing charter schools in Chicago, Minnesota and Michigan, offers an example of how to create and operate a personalized learning system. It relies on a definition of personalized learning developed in 2014 by educators from 16 schools and representatives of a number of nonprofit and advocacy organizations.

Personalized Learning (2014 working definition)

Source: EdWeek

Distinctive then maps those definitions to its school model, which includes a strong emphasis on professional learning and social justice. Operating since 2011, Distinctive sees education as “the social justice issue of our time that can only be addressed by ensuring equity, access and excellence via school choice.”