Giving Compass' Take:

• The Learning Accelerator details an action plan for school districts looking to innovate: Create a culture of communication, know your audience and seek evolution (rather than revolution).

• How might this strategy apply to funders in the education space? In what ways can we be better communicators?

• Here are five more ideas for education innovation in 2019.

Schools across the country are transforming education by embracing innovation and breaking out of the traditional paradigms of time, place, and pace. Teachers are blending in-person instruction with technology to differentiate lessons, using real-time data to personalize learning and allow for mastery-based progression, and they are incorporating student choice and agency into instructional decisions. It is not easy, nor simple work, but these innovative practices are the pathway to meeting the needs of all learners  ...

School districts that develop thoughtful communication plans do more than just push important information out to their stakeholders. These districts build a culture of engagement, transparency, and trust that is critical for innovation both to take hold in the classroom and to be sustainable and scalable across many schools. Poor communication can lead to unmanageable expectations, confusion, and opposition to change.

A strategic communication plan should always focus on the districts’ overarching vision and mission. If you are like most districts, you have many different priorities to juggle, but they should always connect back to your district’s goals for student success. Otherwise, there is a real risk that introducing technology-driven learning will be seen as “just another initiative,” and therefore will be either received with confusion, apathy, or derision.

Read the full article about innovation and communication in education by Kira Keane at The Learning Accelerator.