Historically, research institutions, education entrepreneurs and technology developers have led the research and development (R&D) of education programs and tools. The distance between the “consumers” (the learners and families) and the “creators” (the product developers) has been wide, contributing to an R&D process largely uninformed by those most impacted by inequitable conditions.

Since its inception, the Digital Promise Center for Inclusive Innovation (CII) has focused on bridging that distance by engaging educators, students, families and communities in co-leadership, co-research and co-design of education solutions.

To be clear, community-based organizations have led proximity-centered efforts to transform education for many years. The CII focuses on investing in R&D capacity-building to enable educators, students and families to create solutions with researchers and developers to sustain the work.

To be clear, community-based organizations have led proximity-centered efforts to transform education for many years. The CII focuses on investing in R&D capacity-building to enable educators, students, and families to create solutions with researchers and developers to sustain the work.

Our work is anchored in the following provocation:

“What if the solution to inequities in education resides in foundational shifts — in mindsets, in proximity, in collaborations — and, ultimately, in the co-research and development of equitable, powerful learning with those most impacted?”

In years of collaboration on Inclusive Innovation, we've seen crucial mindset shifts, fostering proximity and collaboration, resulting in novel solutions centered on the voices and leadership of students and families that have been historically and systematically excluded.

Now, we are sharing the stories, solutions and results of this work in our paper, 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 engaged in the Inclusive Innovation model, and in showcasing the solutions they have co-created, we demonstrate the tenets that drive the work, the resulting R&D shifts and the solutions and outcomes that have emerged.

Read the full article about transforming education with R&D by Kimberly Smith and Viki M. Young at EdSurge.