Last month, Digital Promise and Remake Learning hosted the 2019 Education Innovation Clusters Convening (#EdClusters19) in Pittsburgh, bringing together nearly 100 educators, entrepreneurs, funders, researchers, and community stakeholders from more than 20 cities and regions across the U.S. to accelerate innovation in education and advance equity and excellence for every student.
Education Innovation Clusters are local communities of practice that work together to support innovative teaching and learning in their region. Together, partners form a network that is uniquely positioned to design, launch, iterate on, and disseminate breakthrough learning practices and tools.
Though EdClusters are grounded in local ecosystems, the annual convenings allow these regional networks to forge connections, share best practices, collaborate on solutions to shared challenges, develop resources, and set agendas for the future–all face-to-face.
Made possible through the generous support of The Grable Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, #EdCluster19 centered around the following topics:
#EdClusters19 kicked off with site visits to the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies 6-12; the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – East Liberty; the University of Pittsburgh: Community Engagement Center – Homewood; and Assemble, a community space for arts and technology.
Kicking Off #Edclusters19 with site visits! @DigitalPromise pic.twitter.com/EIHpIJ9ieU
— Malliron (@Malachashi) September 24, 2019
Participants at #EdClusters19 experienced interactive and engaging stops to see community building, inclusive innovation, and multi-sector partnership in practice.
Kicking off the annual #EdClusters19 meeting at @assemblepgh. #makerspace #leds #nametags #yourpersonwhy TY! @remakelearning @DigitalPromise (@eduvateri in the house) pic.twitter.com/UuT6AzA80d
— Dana Borrelli-Murray (@DBorrelliMurray) September 24, 2019
2nd stop on the #EdClusters19 site visits: Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies, focused on the digital fabrication lab powering classes, clubs & student-led businesses including Purple Eagle Ventures, a student-run, grant funded business lab built to fund & mentor pic.twitter.com/zIXKE6EZa4
— Grant Knowles (@GrantLearns) September 24, 2019
Across academic, philanthropic, and civic sectors, local leaders are creating awareness and access to meaningful, equitable learning experiences for young people and their families — both in and out of school.
.@carnegielibrary is the #spacetobe for young people in Pittsburgh in the #remakelearning network. Thanks for hosting us for #EdClusters19 pic.twitter.com/wnlsqF97YG
— Cricket A. Fuller (@CricketFuller) September 24, 2019
Last site visit: #Homewood @PittTweet Community Engagement Center. Saw two out-of-school time spaces, one school, and one higher education instution on our whirlwind tour of our local learning ecosystem today! #RemakeLearning #EdClusters19 pic.twitter.com/kAuMgdbQ5B
— Sunanna Tara Chand (@SunannaC) September 24, 2019
#EdClusters19 also heard from regional voices, such as Remake Learning Director Sunanna Chand, who explained how their network leverages working groups that address challenges through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.
Kicking off #EdClusters19 in Pittsburgh, a city of builders and makers. pic.twitter.com/vP2dBwGN9F
— Odelia Younge (@Odelia_Younge) September 25, 2019
Keynote speaker and member of the Remake Learning Council, Dr. Temple Lovelace underlined equity as essential to the network’s work and asked how innovation might disrupt institutional inequities and accelerate true equity across networks.
Loved @drlovlace’s fantastic #EdClusters19 opening keynote on “Why Equity Must Matter”! Such great work happening at @duqedu and @remakelearning! @DigitalPromise #Letsdothework pic.twitter.com/chNxqF7iOh
— youngmoo (@youngmoo) September 25, 2019
Programming also included a Remake Learning Community panel moderated by Sunanna Chand with Taliya Allen (1Hood Media), Tylor Hart (Pittsburgh Public Schools), Asia Mason (Pittsburgh Public Schools), Chase Patterson (Urban Academy of Greater Pittsburgh), and Debralyn-Woodberry Shaw (ELIE Circle), who shared their expertise and experiences building equity across traditional and non-traditional learning environments.
In a @RemakeLearning Community panel with @SunannaC, we’re hearing from @1hood’s Taliya Allen, Tylor Hart and Asia Mason from @PPSnews, Urban Academy’s @KChasePatterson, and @ELIECircle’s Debralyn Woodberry-Shaw about the network’s progress and plans for the future. #EdClusters19 pic.twitter.com/H9SRvzIuad
— Digital Promise (@DigitalPromise) September 25, 2019
On the Tuesday evening of the convening, Digital Promise and the Grable Foundation welcomed Pittsburgh educators for a learning showcase of Digital Promise-supported work in the region. The reception provided an opportunity to recognize the powerful placed-based collaborations creating and sustaining positive changes in education in Pittsburgh.
#Microcredentials, #LearnerVariability, #MakerLearning, and @dpvils were just a few of the Digital Promise teams showcased at this evening’s event. We’ll be back here tomorrow with more from #EdClusters19! pic.twitter.com/Prvx9RLbd2
— Digital Promise (@DigitalPromise) September 24, 2019
To highlight the work of EdClusters further, Digital Promise formally launched Innovation Portfolios for Education Innovation Clusters – a rich, multimedia platform to share first-hand accounts of innovative ideas, programs, and practices. Innovation Portfolios make it possible to showcase the innovation happening within EdClusters in an interesting, accessible way – both to people inside and outside of our networks. Hosting partner Remake Learning was the first to share their work and stories.
To explore the Innovation Portfolios, go to portfolios.digitalpromise.org.
Returning to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the location of the 2015 EdClusters convening, #EdClusters19 provided an opportunity to celebrate and reflect back on the past five years of the national network – looking at the growth of individual regions and considering how the collective has evolved together.
The future of EdClusters is electric with possibility and excitement. Regions and organization around the country are approaching the work at hand with revitalized focus, specific aims and agendas, and intentional efforts toward designing for equity and dismantling inequity.
The 2019 convening is a reminder of the collective power of networks – of the village – to drive incremental and incredible change. We look forward to continuing the conversation and work together.
Check out the #EdClusters19 hashtag on Twitter to see more from this year’s convening!
