“Education is made for students. “There is no one who knows better than us what students need.” — Angélica Martínez, 2023 Graduate, Sunnyside Unified School District (AZ)
Historically, research institutions, educational entrepreneurs, and technology developers have led the research and development (R&D) of educational programs and tools. The distance between “consumers” (students and families) and “creators” (product developers) has been wide, contributing to an R&D process largely uninformed by those most affected by the unequal conditions.
Since its inception, the Digital Promise Center for Inclusive Innovation (CII) has focused on bridging that gap by engaging educators, students, families, and communities in co-leadership, co-research, and co-design of educational solutions.
To be clear, community organizations have led proximity-focused efforts to transform education for many years. The CII is focused on investing in developing R&D capabilities to enable educators, students and families to create solutions with researchers and developers to sustain the work.
Our work is based on the following provocation:
“What if the solution to inequalities in education lies in fundamental changes (in mindset, in proximity, in collaborations) and, ultimately, in collaborative research and the development of powerful and equitable learning with the most affected?”
In years of collaborating on inclusive innovation, we have seen crucial mindset shifts, fostering proximity and collaboration, resulting in novel solutions centered on the voices and leadership of students and families who have been historically and systematically excluded. .
We now share the stories, solutions and results of this work in our article. A new narrative: how unlocking the power of R&D through inclusive innovation can transform education. Through the words of superintendents, district leaders, teachers and students involved in the Inclusive Innovation model, and by showcasing the solutions they have co-created, we demonstrate the principles that drive the work, the resulting changes in R&D and the solutions and results that have emerged.
The principles
We often talk about the importance of including student and community voices in R&D, but methods for doing so tend to focus on gathering feedback, which limits the contribution and role of students and families and their influence on educational solutions. Effectively focusing R&D on students and the community requires engaging in new ways of thinking, collaborating, and creating—that is, developing muscles that allow true co-research and co-design to take shape with those not traditionally included. nor formally trained in R&D, but whose crucial expertise is based on their lived experiences means they have a legitimate place in the process.
The core of inclusive innovation is a set of six principles: four practical principles that guide the daily process of engaging in R&D and two impact principles that guide results. Additionally, we have developed a set of principles and capabilities aligned with each principle to create the conditions for mutually beneficial engagement.
The shifts
There is no better expression of the changes occurring than the Teaching is My Favorite Color initiative, which involves three districts in southwestern Pennsylvania and focuses on recruiting and retaining a diverse education workforce led by educator Deshanna Wisniewski. Dr. Michelle Miller, superintendent of the South Fayette (Pennsylvania) School District, describes the role of district leaders in this work:
“Humility is one of the most important characteristics of superintendence, especially in Inclusive Innovation. Superintendents must be listeners and learners to have the ability to sit back and let others lead. “It’s important for leaders to get out of the way and simply be there to support labor advocates.”
This is one example of many in our article that demonstrates how those with traditional power (leaders, researchers and solution developers) emerge from Inclusive Innovation and adapt to support the leadership of teachers, students and families in the R&D process . These changes we have documented have resulted in the dissolution of barriers between districts and communities, the participation of district leaders in shared leadership, teachers and parents working as collaborators to solve challenges, and the co-creation of learning experiences by the students.
This R&D approach can offer a new way for schools and communities to collectively advance as partners in supporting student success.
The solutions
Inclusive innovation influences the ideas and concepts that emerge as solutions. As a result, the solutions are not typical products or tools. Because they are designed by those who face barriers to teaching and learning, they reflect how educators can meet the needs of students. Examples include:
Travel maps exemplify phases of Inclusive Innovation and how work progresses through the R&D process, from the first phase of building trust and relationships in Connect & Commit to expanding solution implementation in Sustain & Scale. Below is an example journey map of the effort in Middletown City Schools to increase the number of Black male educators through their Admiral Squad initiative.
The emerging results
Research to capture, analyze and document results involves an ongoing process to understand both qualitatively and quantitatively the impacts of the work. We focus on understanding the changing mindsets, power dynamics, and relationships that result from co-leadership, research, and design, as well as progress toward community-defined outcomes that emerge from solution implementation.
To date, solutions created by districts, students, and communities have resulted in:
- More than 800 students, reflecting a uniquely diverse student population, enrolled in our inclusive cybersecurity pathways initiative across 10 school districts: 25 percent female, 12 percent with learning differences, 43 percent free or reduced lunch, 54 percent students of color.
- A 15 percent increase in student participation and completion of social studies research papers inspired by student-created writing activities designed to increase student confidence, interest, and writing skills.
- More than 40 teachers participated in student-led mental health professional development in one district and in efforts to begin expanding the model within and beyond the district.
- A 25 percent increase in hiring of black male educators in one district.
We invite you to learn more about the Inclusive Innovation journey by reading our whitepaper and joining us as we collaborate with the League of Innovative Schools and districts across the country to bring the power of R&D to schools and communities.
