The Stages of Innovative Change

Change isn't coming as it is already on our doorstep. Granted, this has been the case for thousands of years thanks to either discoveries such as fire and cultivated crops or inventions that led to the creation of electricity, manufacturing, and expeditious travel. No organization or system in any field is impervious to this fact when one looks at a myriad of disruptive forces at play in society. In the case of education, the choice is to either adapt or evolve in ways that lead to improved outcomes aligned to teaching, learning, and leadership. Just because something worked in the past doesn't necessarily mean it is still an effective strategy now.

The desire or imperative to change depends on a combination of perspective, culture, and achievement. Neither is more important than the other, in my opinion, but all are informed in some way or another by results. Hence the pursuit of innovative practices to usher in needed change. More often than not, there is a will to innovate through the pursuit of new and different practices that aim to improve what our learners and we do inherent in our respective position. Just because we try something different doesn't mean that we or the practice is actually innovative. This is proven or disproven by a tangible result in the form of qualitative or quantitative evidence. To debate this fact takes away from the real power that innovation can have in education.

Now let's focus more on the process of innovative change. It begins with one person and his or her actions to move the needle on a specific practice. As I always say, don't expect others to do what you have not or have been unwilling to do yourself. Now don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic and needed start. However, change in the context of an entire school, district, organization, or system relies on moving the masses so that all learners, staff, or stakeholders benefit. Herein lies both the challenge and the opportunity inherent in the process. In Digital Leadership (2nd Edition), I provided the following image that highlights six common stages that schools work through in order to successfully implement innovative change that impacts the entire culture.

Status Quo

The rationale that leads to both a conversation and a need for change begins here. It is here where the most dangerous phrase in education typically rears its ugly head – That's the way we have always done it (TTWWADI). What results is either a sense of comfort (i.e., high test scores) or fear (what if we try something different and it doesn't work). In both cases, the pursuit of innovative practices either stops or never even begins. Acknowledging that the status quo is holding your system back and that something has to be done differently to improve outcomes gets the ball rolling.

Struggle

News flash – many people don't like change as the status quo presents cover from failure. With any new idea or strategy, there will always be a sense of personal and collaborative struggle. It's the latter that the majority of our energy has to focus on. Moving towards systematic transformation requires an understanding that the journey is rarely easy and seamless. The struggle is also defined by what seems like never-ending challenges such as time, money, support, infrastructure, inadequate professional learning, mindset, and colleagues who fill either the role of antagonist or naysayer. The struggle is real people, and to scale change, you must be prepared upfront.

Dissonance

The stage is characterized by a lack of agreement typically defined by inconsistencies between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs. Dwight Mihalicz provides this great synopsis on the importance of this stage.

Discord is all around us. And conflict in organizations is nothing new. Why is conflict so pervasive in most organizations, to the extent that some organizations are dysfunctional by any definition? And yet employees tolerate the conditions. This has to do with the concept of dissonance. Dissonance has less to do with conflict and more to do with understanding how and when conflict incites change, and what needs to take place for change to happen seamlessly. 

Dissonance only comes into play when the system breaks down unpredictably and doesn't work. In this state, people are no longer willing to put up with it because there is now unpredictability with results causing discomfort, prompting the desire to change.

The main takeaway here is to embrace dissonance and use it as the fuel for innovative ideas.

Innovative Idea(s)

The foundation is now set for the stage where an innovative idea or strategy can be discussed, implemented, sustained, and evaluated for success based on a tangible result. When developing or presenting an innovative idea, keep these questions in mind:

• Why will it improve what you or your learners do as well as the culture? 
• How do you (or will) know it has led to an improvement? 
• How do others determine if it has led to an improvement? 
• What is needed to scale the effort(s)? 

Assimilation

In this stage, the innovative idea becomes absorbed into the very fabric of a school or district's cultural DNA. It isn't about one educator, classroom, or isolated practice. The idea takes form and is both embraced and implemented at scale. The key point here is while it is great to experience success at the individual level, real change that impacts the majority is assimilated across all aspects of teaching, learning, and leadership.

New Status Quo

The final stage is what the end goal of any innovative change effort should be, and that is the creation of a new status quo. It is at this point where you can hear and see through multifaceted evidence that new and different has actually led to a better result. What this ultimately looks and feels like will vary from school to school or system to system, but the fact remains that the change effort has been embraced and sustained.   

Innovation is a collective endeavor geared at not only individual but, more importantly, system improvement.  Research can be used to inform and influence the process but does not need to drive it. What is important is to show how innovative practices can, and will, improve our work.  Evidence that illustrates efficacy helps move innovation from an isolated practice focusing on small pockets to scalable change that impacts an entire culture. Start small, but think and plan for big while referring to the stages presented above. 

Innovate with a purpose, but make sure the venture extends well beyond an individual level. In the end, it's not about how much you innovate in education, but the resulting impact of the changes on the collective. 

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Where is Your Learning Culture?

There are many factors that inhibit change. In some cases, comfort is the enemy of growth. We teach the way we were taught or lead the way we were led. Now I am not saying that this is bad per se, but the bottom line is whether or not the practice is effective. The same could be said for the status quo. Doing what we have always done might seem like a sound path forward if the results you are judged on are good or increasing. Herein lies one of the most prominent challenges schools and educators face, and that is perceived success based on traditional metrics and methodologies. 

Achievement is great, but it is one piece of the puzzle. How the structure and function of a learning culture lead to improvements in achievement and outcomes is where change efforts should be focused. This leads to the point of my post. Where is your learning culture? Think about this question in the context of the world where your learners will need to thrive and survive. Will they have not just the skills, but the competencies to succeed in a world that is in constant flux? 

New jobs and fields require learners to be both dynamic thinkers and doers where they have the competence to think in complex ways and to readily apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired. Even when confronted with perplexing unknowns, learners can use extensive experience and expertise to create solutions and take action that further develops their skills and knowledge. As I have written in the past, we are well into the 4th Industrial Revolution characterized by automation, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and disruptive innovation. Seismic shifts in the society and the world of work compel us to take a critical lens to our practice, as improvement is a never-ending endeavor.

So how do we begin to transform culture? The journey starts with being honest about where you are in order to chart a path forward to get to the place you want to be. Reflection is a powerful tool for growth. Take a look at the image below and reflect on it for a minute or two.

Image credit: Awaken Group Revolutions

Where does the culture of your school fit into these categories, and why? Think about what needs to happen to make needed shifts to practice that aligns with the 4th Industrial Revolution. Success, in terms of achievement only, can, at times, be a mirage. A learning culture should best prepare kids to meet the demands inherent in the new world of work. The first leg of the process is being honest about where you are.

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It Won't Work...Or Will It?

When we look at various aspects of society, there is always an innate desire to improve through innovation. However, there seems always to be impediments to this process. Perhaps it is the little voice in your head that says any new idea or strategy is a waste of time, as it has no chance to succeed. Maybe it is the collective voices of colleagues pushing you to abide by the status quo and not rock the boat. Throw in fear, complacency, or a myriad of other excuses and the pursuit of innovative practices either wane or never transpires. You will never know what could have been if you don’t take the chance to try something new. Don’t just take my word for it. Check out all of the innovations that people thought wouldn’t work below.

Pretty interesting right? At one point, all of the ideas above were deemed crazy or doomed to fail. Each has been a disruptive force that has changed how people watch movies, book hotels, listen to music, access information, get assistance, store files, or get from one place to another. Many lessons can be learned from past innovations that have reshaped culture and society. For starters, you need to believe in an idea or strategy that might be obscure or shunned upon now. Sure, it might not work, but history has taught us that some of the greatest successes of all time resulted from failure. Always base any decision to try something new on the premise that is it better for your learners and will ultimately improve professional practice.

Another element to consider is moving beyond the misconception that innovation in education has to do with technology. I often look at two ideas that were implemented during my time as a principal that had very little to do with tools or gadgets and everything about improving either school culture or the learning experience for our kids. From a cultural end, we developed learning academies, a school within a school model, to move away from an environment where we continued to do what we had always done. The result was three distinct academies, open to all learners regardless of GPA or label, where they not only pursued a distinct area of study of interest to them but also ultimately graduated with ten to fifteen more credits than the state of New Jersey required.

Grading is another entity that is ingrained in many schools and districts. Some have gone so far as to get rid of grades, which in my opinion, is both innovative and disruptive. Sometimes learning is devalued by a number or letter. We tackled the grading culture when it became apparent that we were failing too many kids. After looking at the research and forming a committee, a new policy was put in place. The result was a 75% decrease in failures over three years, increased achievement gains, and a graduation rate that was one of the tops in the state. Both the academies and grading example are not to say that technology doesn’t play a role. The true innovative nature of tech isn’t to tool or program, but instead how the teacher uses it in a way to improve learning outcomes for all kids.

As I have written in the past, innovation is more than an idea that purports to be new or better. The differentiator is that there is an actual result to substantiate a claim. When looking at the examples in the image, or the ones I provided, there is clear evidence that an idea morphed into something that led to improved results or even a new status quo. There should always be a willingness to innovate that is substantiated with significant changes to learning.

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Education for the 4th Industrial Revolution

“Don’t prepare kids for something. Prepare them for anything!”

I remember a world without the Internet, smart devices, mobile phones, 3D printers, and 4K televisions sets. After all, this was the world that many of us grew up in. There was an abundance of playing outside, reading, walking around the mall, going to the movies, and talking on the phone. Sure, we had our technology at the time, which now seems quite archaic compared to even the most rudimentary devices of today.  However, we were not connected even in the slightest bit when compared to the present. Rotary phones and face-to-face were the main, and really only viable, options available. Little did we know that we were in the midst of the 3rd Industrial Revolution and the dawn of the computer age was upon us. Disruptive change was upon us; we just didn’t know it back then.

Whether you like it or not, we are in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution and have been so for many years.  It has and will continue to, fundamentally change the way we engage with each other, work, and go through life. It is exhilarating as it is terrifying.  Take this view from the World Economic Forum:

We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society.

Tom Murray and I presented a call to action, highlighting the need to transform teaching, learning, and leadership in Learning Transformed to meet the demands and challenges inherent in the 4th Industrial Revolution.  In the updated edition of Digital Leadership, I took it a step further.  Improving upon and then building pedagogical capacity in ways that align to the competencies that our learners will need in a world that is almost impossible to predict is critical.   Rest assured, it is not as arduous an endeavor as you might think. The key to future-proofing education, and learning, for that matter, is to empower students to think and construct new knowledge while simultaneously having them apply what they have learned in relevant ways. More specifically, education has to prepare kids to be competent in the following areas:

• Critical thinking and real-world problem solving
• Relationship building (inter and intra-personal)
• Digital awareness and use
• Career and job-specific requirements

So where to begin?  For starters, it is vital to get everyone on the same page. The Rigor Relevance Framework provides the common vision, language, and expectations to help learners develop the competencies to succeed in the 4th Industrial Revolution. For more detailed information, you can view a series of posts on the framework HERE.

Now more than ever, the importance of education cannot be overstated. However, things do need to change at scale.  The status quo cannot be tolerated.  If schools continue down the same path as they have for decades, two things will happen. In one possible scenario, our students could begin to abandon them as they will find more relevant and applicable programs and information online.  The more likely outcome though is that they will not be adequately prepared for the new world of work.  In either case, both of these should be viewed as unacceptable.  Challenging the mantra of TTWWADI (that’s the way we’ve always done it) requires both a bold and fearless educator.  The good news is that we have many of these people in our schools. 

One thing I have learned from hundreds of classroom coaching visits each year is that innovative practices are present. I have been so inspired by teachers and administrators who have begun to embrace different and better pedagogical techniques aligned to the competencies listed above while also improving outcomes in the process.  The challenge is moving practices that prepare kids to succeed in the 4th Industrial Revolution from obscurity to more mainstream.  We must not be satisfied with isolated pockets of excellence. Even though they represent a great starting point and should be celebrated, it is essential to remember that every learner deserves excellence. 

Will the learners in your school be ready?

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The Relationship Between Failure and Success

In life, there are certain truths. One of these is that to succeed, many times, you must first fail. Obviously, this is not always the case, but if you are like me and many others, success doesn’t come easily or on the first try.  Learning to ride a bike is one of many great examples that proves my point.  The process begins with training wheels to build up confidence, get a feel for pedaling, and learning how to brake.  Watching a child zip around on his or her bike at this stage is exhilarating, yet an anxious experience because of what comes next. Then the real challenge and test of resolve begin when the training wheels are removed.  Anxiety on the part of the adult sets in while fear and self-doubt creep into the mind of the child.  I can vividly remember falling numerous times. In the end, though, each failure became a building block for eventual success.

The point of the bike story and countless others is that failure should not weigh us down and in turn, prevent or obscure a pathway to success.  To this day, my personal and professional lives are fraught with varying degrees of failure.  However, I know full well that I would be in a much different place today in both regards if I looked on these experiences as negative and constantly dwelled on them.  This is not to say that I never did both. Sometimes it is hard to get over the hump when we don’t believe in our abilities and ideas. In the end, though, it all comes down to mindset and learning from mistakes.

There is a distinct relationship between failure and success. William Arunda sums it up nicely:

“Failure is not a step backward; it’s an excellent stepping stone to success. We never learn to move out of our comfort zone if we don’t overcome our fear of failure. The most progressive companies deliberately seek employees with track records reflecting both failure and success. That’s because someone who survives failure has gained invaluable knowledge and the unstoppable perseverance born from overcoming hardship.”

To succeed, you must accept that the chances are you are going to fail first. We have seen this lesson time and time again from famous failures throughout history.  The relationship between the two imparts some valuable lessons, which can influence our behavior now and well into the future.  Below are some essential learnings from failure and success:

1. Determination is the fuel. You will get knocked down. The question is, will you get back up? Try and try again until you achieve the result you and others want.
2. Use failure as a valuable form of feedback, which can lead to improvement and ultimate success.
3. An agreement with ourselves to face fear head-on to tackle obstacles and challenges that are always part of the equation. Ignoring or shying away will always result in outcomes that are not favorable or acceptable in the long term.
4. Mistakes are opportunities to learn. The key is not to make the same mistake twice.
5. Consistent effort makes all the difference. 

There is a lot more that can be learned from this relationship.  After focusing at the individual level, it is essential to look beyond ourselves and towards the bigger picture.  System-wide success hinges on viewing change as a process, not an event. As the adage goes, there is no “I” in team.  Failure and success then become a shared responsibility where the “downs” are worked through, and the “ups” are collectively celebrated. In the end, we either sink or swim together in schools and organizations.  The choice is yours.  

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Digital Leadership: Leading Change from Where You Are | #DigiLead

A great deal has changed over the past few years not just in society, but also in education. Many of these changes are a result of the exponential advances in technology and the role these tools play in shaping both our personal and professional lives.  As a result, innovative practices emerged in many shapes and sizes. To answer the call of disruption, new thinking had to emerge. Back in 2009, I began calling for an evolved construct of leadership that would better serve schools in meeting the diverse needs of learners and stakeholders alike.  Below is my thinking on the topic that has resulted in the following iteration:

As times change, so must the practice of leaders to establish a culture of learning that is relevant, research-based, and rooted in relationships.  Digital leadership is all about people and how their collective actions aligned with new thinking, ideas, and tools can help to build cultures primed for success.  It represents a strategic mindset and set of behaviors that leverage resources to create a meaningful, transparent, and engaging school culture to prepare learners now and well into the future.

Over time I realized that the digital aspect was a supporting element and amplifier of what leaders in classrooms, schools, organizations, and districts do every day. Sure, there are some unique behaviors and characteristics, but for the most part, it is about identifying intended outcomes, applying an innovative lens, and arriving at them in better, more effective ways. What resulted was the formation of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate and sustain innovative change that aligns to the core work that already serves as the foundation for every school or district learning culture. The premise is to do what we already do better by working smarter, not harder. 

Order your copy HERE.

The time has come for a new edition of Digital Leadership.  I can’t begin to explain how excited I am about the finished product as I have woven in what I have learned in the field helping schools apply the concepts to bring about evidence-based results.  Practical and realistic, this version compels all educators to lead from where they are as actions - not title, position, or power – are the key to sustainable changes that lead to actual improvements validated by both qualitative and quantitative measures. Below are some specific highlights embedded in the new edition:

• A focus on efficacy: In the real-world of education results matter as well as how we arrive at them. Naturally then, this updated edition has research-based, evidence-driven, and learner-focused ideas and strategies that are innovative in nature that lead to observable improvements.  The last chapter of the book weaves all the concepts together while emphasizing the importance of efficacy in any change initiative. 
• Practical and realistic: Ideas are great, but they have to consider the realities and challenges that schools and educators face across the world.  They also need to align with the core work that educators engage in daily.  The key with this update throughout is for readers to either grasp new ideas and strategies to readily implement or look to improve what they might already be doing. 
• Evergreen: Many technology books are D.O.A (dead on arrival) once published.  The reason being is that technology changes so fast and tools come and go regularly. To account for this fact, I removed the majority of references to specific tools except for some of the most prolific ones such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. The point here is simple. Tools and products will change. However, the means to implement them to transform teaching, learning, and leadership will remain relatively stable.  This edition is written in a way to withstand the test of time. 
• Re-organized chapters and updated content: You will see not only new chapters but also revised headings and subheadings that are more reflective of the innovative practices that can be scaled in education.  I also re-organized some of the chapters by moving the ones focused on learning to the beginning of the book.  Based on the feedback I received on the first edition, I also beefed up content related to pedagogy. All in all, the new version has approximately 50% new content. 
• Built-in study guide: Each Chapter ends with 4-5 discussion and reflective questions that are meant to move readers more readily to actions. Be sure to share your reflections, questions, ideas, and successes by engaging on social media using #digilead.
• Fewer tools, more on leadership dispositions: As mentioned previously, tools will continue to change. That’s why you will see more of a focus on the dispositions of classroom, school, and district leaders that are necessary to initiate and sustain change. 
• Anyone and everyone can be a digital leader: It is important to understand that everyone has the capacity to lead from where they are. Some of the most impactful leaders I have worked with, or for, have been teachers. The new edition speaks to all educators and empowers them to leverage their specific role to usher in needed change regardless of title. 
• Updated and expanded research base – It is tough to deny how important this is. Research and evidence in support of ideas and strategies go a long way in building cultures of excellence that are defined by results.  What I hope has resulted is a scholarly piece of work that supports a practical and realistic pursuit of innovative change.
• Forward by Sugata Mitra: He is a luminary as far as I am concerned, and his research validates many of the ideas presented in chapters 5 and 6, which focus squarely on learning.  His “Hole in the Wall” experiments, begun in 1999, revealed that groups of children could learn almost anything by themselves given Internet access and the ability to work collaboratively. Imagine the possibilities when this learning is facilitated by amazing educators, something the new edition fleshes out.
• Pick and choose structure: Even though there is a sequential order to the book, it is written in a way that each chapter can serve as a standalone resource.  I wrote it this way so that readers can pick the most pressing, important concepts that they want to focus on to bring about needed change now.  
• Full color – I will be the first one to admit that this is not that important, but it does add a nice touch.  If you have the first edition, you will see a substantial increase in the number of images throughout the book. My hope is that these add much greater context to the ideas and strategies presented. 
• Digital resources – To add more substance and stay within a broad wordcount range, I scrapped the appendix from the previous edition.  At the end of the book, you will now see a section that has links to an array of digital resources such as downloadables, sample rubrics, standards alignment, and supporting frameworks. Since I control all of these links each will remain current.

If you enjoyed the first edition, I think you will like the updated version even better. I took to heart feedback I received over the years from readers as well as reflected deeply on my own writing to develop a resource for all, no matter where one is at with their educational career, whether it be in or outside of a school. Thank you for all that you do to support students, teachers, administrators, and other educational stakeholders around the world. My hope is that this new edition can serve as a resource to help you continue to meet and exceed the goals you set. 

Join the movement on social media using #digilead.

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Tap Into Your Full Potential

"Your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny." - Mahatma Gandhi

There are many elements to change. However, one of the most powerful is that of self-efficacy.  Almost everyone can identify goals they want to accomplish, accomplishments to achieve, or personal and professional aspects they would like to change. Here is where self-efficacy comes in. It plays a significant role in how goals, tasks, and challenges are approached and ultimately achieved.  To improve one's self; we must first determine where our practice currently lies. The next step is deciding where we eventually want to be. Success in this endeavor requires self-efficacy combined with a leap of faith. 

For self-efficacy to play a role in the change process, we must always be open to growth and improvement.  Without these, there is nothing for us to hold ourselves accountable for.  This is why it is so important that we are our own most prominent critic and make reflection a daily part of our routine. No matter who you are and what you do, there is always the opportunity to get better. The question is, will you pursue it?  Enter the Potential Matrix created by Mark Sanborn. It is not about achieving perfection as that is not a reality in the professional world. Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but nobody is perfect.  It is about how we can become better to evolve into the best iteration of ourselves. Here is a great description from Thinking Space. 

As we look at the matrix, we probably identify one quadrant which we prefer: perhaps you’re naturally an activist, in which case, ‘performing’ is probably your favored way of operating. If you only ever concentrate on performing, you may not be taking the time to reflect and see how you could operate even more efficiently. If you spend all your time reflecting and planning but never take action to learn new skills and try them out, nothing will change. To see more improvement and to release more potential, we need to step outside of that comfortable quadrant and explore the other areas too. 

You will see that improvement happens not only outwardly as we learn new skills and perform but also inwardly as we think and reflect. It’s about active experiences which we initiate and passive experiences to which we respond.

Our potential is often inhibited by a fixed mindset or an unwillingness to grow.  We often perceive our talents and ideas as not being all that great. I know this is how I viewed these for a long time, which inhibited my growth as both a principal and then as a speaker/author.  However, looking at where we put the most and least amount of time in the quadrants of the Potential Matrix, we can begin to unleash potential that we never thought was possible.  It is ok to not have a clear idea on any given day as to where we want to be.  This is my daily reality.  The key is never to be satisfied where you are. 

If we want to help those we either serve or work with unlock their potential, then we must do so ourselves first. Think about where you are and then where you eventually want to be.  Apply the same lens to your classroom, school, organization, or district. Then take the leap of faith; trusting in your innate abilities to improve in ways you never thought were possible.  Will everything always work out the way you want it to? Heck no! Just remember that each journey, no matter the result, provides an invaluable learning experience. 

There is no better time than now to tap into your full potential. 

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Innovation is More Than an Idea or Tool

What makes something innovative? There is no shortage of debate on this topic in the least bit. From articles to blog posts to books, that subject has been covered in great detail. One can look at numerous companies and develop his or her conclusions.  Take Uber and Airbnb for example. Each in their own right came up with a new and different idea aligned to technology with the goal of creating something that consumers would embrace while making money in the process. Not only did both of these companies disrupt their respective industries, but both have evidence in the form of users and revenue to validate that their solutions were genuinely innovative. The convergence of an idea, tool and strategy have led to ultimate success for both Uber and Airbnb.

In education, there is always an affinity to jump on board the latest tool or idea and automatically stamp the word innovation on it. Now, this isn’t to say that everything in both of these categories is representative of a better means to accomplish a task or to improve professional practice.  The key is the criteria that are used to make such a determination or claim.  Let’s first begin by evaluating the efficacy of both using the following questions:

• How are kids learning with technology in ways that they couldn’t without it?
• What observable evidence is there that an idea or strategy represents a fundamental improvement over what has been done traditionally in the past?

I, for one, don’t shy away from the fact that both research and evidence should be part of the conversation.  A mix of qualitative and quantitative measures goes a long way to validating whether or not something is actually innovative.  A push for efficacy benefits everyone who is championing better approaches to improve student learning and professional practice.  Whether to innovate or not should be driven by a challenge or problem that can be overcome in a way that leads to a better outcome.  Achievement can undoubtedly fall into one of these categories, but there is so much more to learning and kids than a score. When it comes to innovation, I see digital leadership and blended learning as two of many ideas, concepts, or strategies where there is research and evidence to support these innovative practices.  

Recently during a coaching visit at Sandshore Elementary School, a part of the Mt. Olive Township School District in NJ, I saw one of the best examples of innovation in practice.  As I was in a second-grade classroom, I saw an odd-looking contraption that I had never seen in a school before, but I also heard a voice coming from it. When I inquired as to what it was, Nicole Musarra, the principal, told me that it was a VGo robotic telepresence for a student who was unable to attend school for health reasons.  Below is a description of the device from the company:

For some students, attending school isn’t possible. 

Injuries, extended illnesses, immune deficiencies, and other physical challenges prevent a student from physically being able to attend school. School districts try to accommodate these special needs by working providing online courses, in-home tutors, special busing, video conferencing and more. But these are expensive and very limiting since students miss out on the classroom experience and social life that comes with attending school.  Now, they can participate in classroom discussions and share in the social aspects of locker-side chats, lunch period and moving from class to class.  VGo gets the student back to the traditional schooling environment by providing a physical device that replicates the student while away from school.  It is operated in real-time by the student (not the teacher or an aid), so they feel empowered with their independence.   VGo enables students to:

• Receive the same instruction as their peers
• Move around/between classrooms independently
• Socialize with friends in the hallways and at lunch
• Participate in a full school day with their classmates

It was purely amazing to see and hear this student be part of the class even though she wasn’t there physically. As the kids in class rotated from small group to stations so did the student who was at home. In addition to full participation during the lesson, the VGo device was able to move throughout the building so the student could go to gym, lunch, and move about the hallway with her peers. I learned that the kids in school would often dress up the robotic device to add a more humanistic element to it. The only limitation was that the VGo was limited in movement and functionality based on an available WiFi signal. This meant that the homebound student couldn’t go outside to recess. However, I suggested to the principal that hotspots be installed on the outside of the building to solve this challenge in the future. 

The VGo device is a prime example of what innovation really looks like in terms of how it improves what the student is to do.  Without the device, the learning experience, and more importantly the relationships it helps to create, would not be possible. The example above checks all the boxes when it comes to the two questions I posed earlier in the post as well as a fundamental improvement in terms of outcomes. Innovation should not be a buzz word nor something that is thrown around in an attempt to add credence to an idea or strategy.  In addition to the most commonly associated words “new” and “better,” a third term should always follow – RESULT. The key to scaling innovation, in my opinion, is not just to tell how we are, or that we should be, pursuing innovative methods, but actually show the impact in terms of improvements to learning outcomes and professional practice. 

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Kid-Centric Schools: When There's a Will There's a Way

When I wrote Uncommon Learning back in 2015, the premise was to set the stage as to how we could create schools that work for kids. A good deal of the strategies presented came from what we successfully implemented at New Milford High School where I was the former principal. To get a better gist of the main focus areas check out my TEDx talk. As I have since transitioned from school principal to Senior Fellow with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), my work now focuses on helping schools transform teaching, learning, and leadership to create vibrant cultures that kids want to be a part of. Through the lens of an instructional and leadership coach, I have been able to see firsthand how schools across the country and world are implementing innovative change with this goal in mind.

There are many isolated pockets of excellence that all of us see or experience.  It is these examples that we can use to form the foundation as to where we eventually want to move towards. However, the goal should be sustainable changes that impact all students in a school, district, or system.  In the past, I have written extensively of how Wells Elementary in Cypress, TX has evolved into a prime example of what’s possible when teachers, building leaders, and district administrators work together to move from vision to action.  I encourage you to check out the numerous posts that showcase their efforts leading to efficacy.  It is now my honor to share some insights from a high school that has accomplished some equally impressive achievements in this area.

As a lead up to some long-term, job-embedded work with all schools in the Mount Olive Schools District in NJ, I had the honor of delivering a keynote to the entire staff on Learning Transformed.  After giving the message, I was able to visit with Kevin Stansberry, the High School Principal, and Susan Breton, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction.  Both of these leaders had been in the district for many years and were able to shed some insight as to where the high school was a decade ago and the innovative changes that had been implemented over the years since.  It was a fascinating story focusing on so many challenges that were in dire need of attention.  Quite frankly, that school resembled and functioned like virtually every other high school across the country. Then, changes were made. 

The prior superintendent, with overhwleming support from the Board of Education, was a genius when it came to finances and the budget.  Not only did Kevin and Susan emphasize this, but I saw it with my own eyes as I toured the building. More on what I saw in a bit. Through numerous revenue-generating programs and decisions, money began to flow into the facility and programs.  It is still flowing into the district today and I can’t wait to see how Robert Zywicki, the new superintendent and an innovative leader in his own right, leverage these financial resources to move the district even further. The premise of what was put in place is as simple as it is brilliant – put as many resources and opportunities into the hands of ALL kids to let them flourish.  

I was in awe by what I saw, and this says a lot as I spend so much time working in schools across the United States and the world.  Ove the past ten years Mount Olive High School has designed and built with relevant learning experiences and kids in mind.  As a parent, I would love for my kids to go there and I can’t even begin to imagine how proud the community is of what has been accomplished.  To give you some insight I will now share pictures of what I saw with some brief captions in an attempt to add context from a learning perspective.  

Professional TV studio

Science classrooms outfitted with dry-erase boards on the walls.

Giant-sized Scrabble board on a wall in the library for kids to play the game. 

Drunk-driving vehicle simulators that are used in PE/Health.

A room dedicated to a biological habitat focusing on numerous different ecosystems.  I loved seeing a giant tortoise that had free range of the entire room. Students use this room for turtle rehabilitation. How cool is that?