On Monday, July 9th, teachers and administrators from 10 schools gathered to kick off a year-long journey in the Maker Learning Leadership Cohort. This regional effort convenes educators who are committed to maker learning and aims to amplify maker learning’s impact on student outcomes while making it more sustainable for schools and equitable for all students. Grounded in the lessons learned from a year-long pilot with a national cohort of schools and the development of the Maker Learning Leadership Framework, this cohort program is dedicated to professional learning, peer connections, and school transformation in the Pittsburgh region.
Facilitated by Digital Promise and supported by the Grable Foundation, the cohort is composed of teachers and administrators from the following schools:
“I feel that there is great power in working with different school districts,” said Dr. Stanley B. Whiteman III, the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, Technology and LEA at Duquesne City School District. “Unfortunately, our schools do not collaborate as much as they should. The opportunity to be a part of the Maker Learning Leadership Cohort will provide a platform for this to happen.”
In this program Digital Promise is collaborating with Remake Learning, a network of people and organizations in the greater Pittsburgh region that are committed to supporting engaging, relevant, and equitable learning opportunities for young people. Ani Martinez, Community Manager and Chief of Operations for the Remake Learning Network, shared her enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This cohort presents an opportunity to let the teachers in this region lead, innovate, and work as a team with their students, administrators, and community organizations. In the Remake Learning Network, we see opportunities flourish through collective work sustained by the deep and caring relationships in these learning communities, so it’s joyous to see what will be built from the strengths of these district teams.”
The work that these 10 schools began at Monday’s convening will continue through the upcoming school year via ongoing meet-ups (online and in person) and will culminate at the Digital Promise Challenge Institute in Monterey, California in July, 2019.
In addition to supporting the 10 schools in the cohort, this effort will inform updates and extensions to the Maker Learning Leadership Framework, which will serve to improve maker learning programs around the country. Share the Maker Learning Leadership Framework with schools near you, and sign the Maker Promise for future updates.
