Defining & Demystifying Innovation

An item from a K-12 blended learning organization.

Takeaways from the RIPEC K-12 Education Forum

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Join the conversation as we partner with communities to design and implement culturally responsive school change.

In This Week’s Issue

• Demystifying Innovation at the RIPEC K-12 Education Forum
• Spotlight: Family Experience Survey at Willett Early Childhood Center
• Consider a 2023-2024 Partnership with the Highlander Institute team

Demystifying Innovation at the RIPEC K-12 Education Forum  

Last Wednesday, our new Director of Program & Implementation, Michaelle Larracuente, was a featured panelist at the RIPEC K-12 Education Forum hosted at Johnson & Wales University. Michaelle joined speakers from The Learning Community, Rhode Island Career and Technical Education Board of Trustees, and Parents Leading for Educational Equity.

Panelists shared reflections on their own experiences with education innovation as students; how we might incentivize more innovation and informed risk-taking to benefit students and families; and the roles traditional public districts, charter schools, and CTE programs can play in piloting new opportunities and scaling innovative practices.

As Michaelle shared: “The most valuable win as a community is to demystify innovation. Strong school culture and adult learning are grounded in the alignment of mission and vision, an intentional action plan that engages all critical stakeholders, and ritualized time to collaborate and reflect on progress. Continuous small wins lead to long-lasting impact and positive change. Innovation is taking strategic and planned risks in service of the audiences we serve.”

Spotlight: Family Experience Survey featured in Willett Early Childhood Center Newsletter

Willett Early Childhood Center is one of our partner schools in Norwood, MA. This month, Principal Michael Baulier shared an update with parents and families through his school newsletter.

Earlier this school year, we invited families to complete the Family Experience Survey from the Highlander Institute to help us better understand how families are experiencing the Willett community. Thank you very much to everyone who completed the survey and/or participated in a focus group – your feedback is very much appreciated! I want to highlight a few data points from the survey:

The majority of families expressed that our community’s greatest strengths are:

• “My child’s teacher likes and cares for my child.”
• “At my child’s school, my child’s teacher will help me if I ever need help.”
• “I feel comfortable sharing my thoughts and opinions with my child’s teacher.”

The School Council reviewed our Family Experience Survey data and identified action steps to continue leveraging our community’s greatest strengths and working to improve our areas of growth.

Our upcoming Family Literacy Night, for example, is intentionally designed to provide families with an opportunity to be in community at the school while engaging in fun and informative literacy activities that can also be done at home. We are planning a “Countdown to Kindergarten” orientation for incoming students and families in June to promote connections among students and families and share information about Willett before the start of summer. We have added a school-wide family engagement priority to Willett’s School Improvement Plan to ensure this important work continues to move forward.

2023-2024 Partnerships 

If your strategic plan or professional learning roadmap elevates culturally responsive learning environments, Highlander Institute can help operationalize your goals! Did you know that we are an approved RI vendor for PK-12 School Redesign & Strategic Support services and a registered PD Provider in the Massachusetts DESE database? Let’s talk about how we can support your 2023-2024 implementation needs!

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