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Evaluating Purpose-Built Digital Curricula That Drive Outcomes: No More Trial-and-Error
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Presented by Pam Shaw, Director of K-12 Quality Assurance, Quality Matters; Dr. Michelle Barrett, SVP of Research, Policy, and Impact, Edmentum; and Tatiana Ciccarelli, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Edmentum
Moderated by Ross Romano, Director, Strategic Communications, Edmentum
Sponsored by Edmentum
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In an era of growing screen time concerns, K-12 educators face pressure to distinguish between passive, unproductive device use and purposeful edtech that accelerates learning. This edLeader Panel explores how to identify high-quality digital curricula and instructional tools—designed with research-backed principles, supported by evidence, and implemented with intention keeping the educator at the center—that can deliver measurable student outcomes with no need for overuse or misuse.
District, school leaders, and state leaders viewing this session learn to identify and implement digital curricula that complement core instruction, address diverse learner needs, and withstand stakeholder scrutiny. Discover what defines high-quality digital tools (rigorous standards alignment, adaptive personalization, educator integration), their proven benefits (improved engagement, attendance, skill mastery), and real-world applications that drive access and opportunity while maintaining academic rigor.
Key learning outcomes:
- Define high-quality digital curricula and evaluate vendor evidence using research standards
- Understand the key distinctions between purpose-built edtech and consumer tools
- Examine real district implementations showing how intentional integration of digital curricula amplifies, rather than replaces, the role and impact of educators
- Learn how to advocate for the resources that will best support your educators and students, and replicate success in your organization
This recorded edLeader Panel is of interest to K-12 school leaders, district leaders, education technology leaders, and state leaders.
About the Presenters
Pam Shaw is Director of K-12 Quality Assurance for Quality Matters (QM), the global organization leading quality assurance in online and innovative digital teaching and learning environments. She oversees the QM K-12 course-review process and served as Co-chair of the QM K-12 Sixth Edition Rubric Committee. Previously, she was an instructor with Illinois Virtual School, a QM K-12 Master Reviewer, and a QM course facilitator. Her face-to-face teaching background is in music education. Pam is Past-President of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children, Vice President of the Board of Education for Fremont School District 79, and Treasurer of the Chicago Gifted Community Center.
Michelle D. Barrett, Ph.D., is the Senior Vice President of Research, Policy, and Impact at Edmentum, where she leads Edmentum’s research agenda and drives innovations in learning and assessment design, both shaped by and shaping education policy. Guided by a belief that evidence must advance educational transformation, Dr. Barrett champions collaborative research and policy initiatives that empower educators and improve student outcomes at scale.
Dr. Barrett began as a middle and high school mathematics teacher and has held roles at the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, the Colorado Department of Education, CTB/McGraw-Hill, Pacific Metrics, and ACT. She serves on the industry council for the EDSAFE AI Alliance and chaired the inaugural IEEE Industry Consortium on Learning Engineering SIG on AI and Adaptive Technology. Dr. Barrett earned her B.S. from Stanford University, her M.Ed. from Harvard University, and her Ph.D. from the University of Twente, Netherlands. She also holds a graduate certificate in large-scale assessment from the University of Maryland.
With over 15 years of experience in education, Tatiana Ciccarelli currently serves as Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Edmentum. In this role, she collaborates closely with state-level leaders, offering strategic thought partnership to drive impactful educational outcomes. Her areas of expertise include data leadership, mathematics, and special education. Tatiana specializes in aligning assessment, curricula, and instruction to foster coherence across large-scale educational initiatives. Before joining Edmentum, Tatiana held multiple roles at NWEA, was a New York City Public Schools teacher, and was an Adjunct Professor at the City University of New York. A native New Yorker from a proud lineage of educators and school leaders, Tatiana brings a deep, generational passion for learning to everything she does.
About the Moderator
Ross Romano is a marketing, communications, and media leader who currently serves as Director of Strategic Communications for Edmentum. In this role, he oversees comprehensive strategy for all owned and earned channels, including corporate communications, web, content marketing, and social media.
Prior to joining Edmentum, he was the founder of the award-winning education consultancy September Strategies and Managing Director of full-stack edtech marketing agency MindRocket Media Group. In these roles and others over the past decade-plus, he has supported communications and marketing efforts and served as a strategic advisor for more than 100 companies and non-profits in K-12, and collaborated with countless school and district leaders. Ross is also co-founder of the Be Podcast Network, an education-centered community of 60+ series reaching more than 2 million educators globally.
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Edmentum believes that every student deserves the opportunity to thrive everywhere learning occurs—whether they seek to catch up, stay on track, or chart their own path. When you pair Edmentum’s comprehensive, research-backed learning acceleration solutions—including digital curriculum and courses, K-12 diagnostic-driven personalized intervention, and virtual instruction—with empowered and supported educators, you can change the direction of students’ lives. We partner with K-12 educators in all 50 states and 100+ countries worldwide to design, implement, and sustain the programs that deliver on this shared promise of learning acceleration for every student.
