Giving Compass' Take:

· Education Dive discusses innovation in the classroom and explains that although change happens at grassroot levels, it requires support from the top.

· How can lawmakers support education reform in their states? 

· Read about the grading system of the future. 

Because teachers are working on the front lines of education, they often have valuable insight into what is working —and what is failing to work — in the classroom. Research shows that empowering teachers to become leaders increases student achievement. Therefore, there is great value in giving teachers a voice in what happens in the classroom. Administrators can support teachers by using strategies that empower those teachers to succeed. The result is often an increase in student achievement and an improvement in teacher retention as well.

When it comes to efforts at true innovation, however, the problem sometimes lies in communication. Jordan Shapiro, writing for the Hechinger Report, noted this phenomenon as he discussed the use of new technologies at education conferences: “Afterwards, both teachers and administrators always approach me to share their enthusiasm for experimenting with new tools and teaching methods. The trouble is, each one seems to identify the other as an obstacle. Administrators want teachers to adopt new trendy methods, but they feel that teachers are resistant to change. Teachers yearn to be more creative, but feel it is impossible to do so within a rigid bureaucracy. Both blame the other, creating a gridlock that seems to obstruct innovation,” he said.

Read the full article about innovation in the classroom by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.