Giving Compass' Take:

• Chelsea Waite at EdSurge argues that school innovation practices are missing enough diversity and that diversity is necessary to transform the learning experience and drive better outcomes for students. 

• How can funders help to advance education innovation in local communities? 

• Here's an article on the pitfalls of word-of-mouth innovation in schools. 

Call to mind some of the dominant narratives about school innovation and chances are a fairly predictable picture emerges. It’s not hard to conjure up a charter school launched anew in California or perhaps Chicago with students working through personalized learning playlists in colorful and modular furniture—and plenty of technology.

But that’s hardly the full story. For many educators, the landscape of school innovation is widely varied. All across the country, schools of all stripes are developing nontraditional approaches to teaching and learning to better serve students. Some are wrapping social and health services around academics to ensure students have the supports they need to focus on learning; some are redefining metrics of success to include social-emotional competencies; and others are finding ways to allow students to earn credit based on learning experiences outside the classroom.

School innovation is living, dynamic and diverse—especially from the perspective of those engaged directly in it

These schools are located all over the country and their demographics are often as varied as the approaches.

Read the full article about school innovation by Chelsea Waite at EdSurge.