Lisa Duty, Ph.D.

GenDIY trends are increasing their global reach. The desire for passion-driven project work, free agency and flex-time is resonating everywhere from India’s Shikshantar to New Zealand to South Africa and Brazil. Today’s young people understand something inherently that some adults do not: career learning, academic learning, social and global learning need not (and shouldn’t be) separate tracks from which to choose. If higher education has a future, it must be organized around projects and… Show more

GenDIY trends are increasing their global reach. The desire for passion-driven project work, free agency and flex-time is resonating everywhere from India’s Shikshantar to New Zealand to South Africa and Brazil. Today’s young people understand something inherently that some adults do not: career learning, academic learning, social and global learning need not (and shouldn’t be) separate tracks from which to choose. If higher education has a future, it must be organized around projects and personalization, experimentation and entrepreneurism, and purposeful just-in-time–not seat time–learning. Show less

innovateNJ is an important and prescient approach to how an SEA can catalyze innovation by focusing resources (time and money) to help cultivate and nurture an ecosystem to improve student outcomes within an innovative culture. Below is a brief introduction to the innovateNJ landscape, worthy of further exploration.

The Community Collaboration for School Innovation toolkit was created for districts as they begin the important work of shifting away from a community engagement model that centers around the district pushing information out, to a new model that encourages the district to pull in guidance from the community, and leverage that input to drive innovations. This new model is critical as school districts look for innovative and effective ways to meet the growing challenges facing public education in… Show more

The Community Collaboration for School Innovation toolkit was created for districts as they begin the important work of shifting away from a community engagement model that centers around the district pushing information out, to a new model that encourages the district to pull in guidance from the community, and leverage that input to drive innovations. This new model is critical as school districts look for innovative and effective ways to meet the growing challenges facing public education in the 21st century. Show less

Over time, community engagement has largely become a one-way mechanism for districts to push out information about initiatives and programs into the local community. Along the way, a small but widening gap has formed, separating the community from the school, often to the detriment of students and innovation. As the question of preparing students for independent adult life becomes increasingly complex, and the benchmark less static, the development of new education models like blended and… Show more

Over time, community engagement has largely become a one-way mechanism for districts to push out information about initiatives and programs into the local community. Along the way, a small but widening gap has formed, separating the community from the school, often to the detriment of students and innovation. As the question of preparing students for independent adult life becomes increasingly complex, and the benchmark less static, the development of new education models like blended and competency-based learning stand to benefit from empowered people, networks, and more open innovation. Show less

Innovation is increasingly translated as a mindset that demands we use all of our resources differently to solve the problems at hand. New organizations, communities, and tools are reshaping what it means to go to school, get a degree, or participate in the global economy. Today’s global education systems are not different in this respect— and they often struggle to respond to challenges of poverty, conflict, unemployment, or inequality. Despite often dire conditions, people around the world… Show more

Innovation is increasingly translated as a mindset that demands we use all of our resources differently to solve the problems at hand. New organizations, communities, and tools are reshaping what it means to go to school, get a degree, or participate in the global economy. Today’s global education systems are not different in this respect— and they often struggle to respond to challenges of poverty, conflict, unemployment, or inequality. Despite often dire conditions, people around the world are innovating, learning, and growing from every experience to find ever-better solutions to challenges at all levels of education in many environments. Show less

Ohio, like most states, would benefit from a more collaborative and systemic approach to creating new models that prepare students for the future, while decreasing the risks and costs of developing new models. This report points to opportunities to increase the likelihood of success, and raises some key questions that emerge beyond the face of the data.

This guide offers recommendations for developing and implementing an effective plan to adopt a blended learning model that focuses on accelerating student learning for college and career readiness. Version 3.0 reflects feedback from schools and districts, developments in the field and educational technology trends.

Building personalized learning systems means states need to reconsider their own ways of working and how they operate in the ecosystem they say they want to create. As we learn more about how best to build personalized systems of learning, adults need to take the ongoing opportunity to effectively design the education system that meets the needs of kids. The shift to blended learning portends that states need to become more collaborative, more iterative, and more student-centered in their own… Show more

Building personalized learning systems means states need to reconsider their own ways of working and how they operate in the ecosystem they say they want to create. As we learn more about how best to build personalized systems of learning, adults need to take the ongoing opportunity to effectively design the education system that meets the needs of kids. The shift to blended learning portends that states need to become more collaborative, more iterative, and more student-centered in their own work. As we plan for the future, we need to keep up with - and inspire - what's happening in our schools today. Show less

How receptive an organization is to new approaches will determine whether or not they succeed and, more importantly, whether ideas that prove effective will have a chance to spread to other parts of the system. This begs the question: What more could we do to help leaders across the education sector develop and sustain a culture of innovation?

A bold process to reimagine the structure and purpose of school. A multi-year strategy to “go blended” across the state. A new district request for proposal (RFP) inviting school teams to personalize learning experiences for students. Even casual water cooler conversations about how we might just reconfigure the existing time, talent and resources we have to create better outcomes for kids. What do each of these scenarios have in common?