The League of Innovative Schools (League) convened in Washington, D.C. and Loudoun County Virginia last week for the biannual #DPLIS meeting, co-hosted with Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS).
Over the course of two and a half days, education leaders showcased their efforts toward advancing equity in their district and shared best practices around topics such as real world learning, social emotional learning, and culturally competent maker learning. Participants saw innovation in action while visiting schools working on project-based learning, computer science integration, and real world learning.
Attendees chose from four different strands that featured different LCPS schools.
- Project-based learning (PBL): Attendees saw how students engage in PBL as a vehicle for deeper learning, empowering them to solve authentic, challenging problems and make meaningful contributions to the world.
- Computer science integration: Participants saw integrated Computer Science, coding, and computational thinking in a coding immersion elementary school, integrated into the middle school curriculum, and at the Academies of Loudoun.
- Community Connections (Real World Learning): Visitors caught a glimpse of real-world learning experiences provided to students through the partnership between teachers/schools and community partners.
- CTO Strand: Chief Technology Officers and Director of Technologies experienced how LCPS’ secure data centers ensure stable and robust learning in a technology-rich community.
The League network was excited to welcome 14 new districts, making the League of Innovative Schools 114 districts across the country who tackle education’s biggest challenges within their districts and with each other. These districts were selected based on their demonstration of innovation in their district and their commitment to supporting marginalized students.
Following the meeting, League member districts will continue to engage in conversations about equity and supporting their most marginalized students. To learn how some League districts are engaging in this work check out these 10 Inclusive Innovation initiatives.
The next League of Innovative Schools convening will take place in Los Angeles, California with Compton Unified School District and El Segundo Unified School District on March 23-25, 2020.
Learn more about League members by visiting our district map and innovation portfolios, and keep up with the League by following @DPLeague and #DPLIS on Twitter.
