Digital Promise today announced the launch of three League Learning Collaboratives (LLCs) for the 2024-2025 school year. Led by superintendents and guided by Digital Promise, learning collaboratives are virtual learning opportunities that bring together League of Innovative Schools members across role types and focus areas to tackle shared challenges and priorities around a particular problem of practice related to the Digital Promise Challenge Map.
The three topics of the learning collaboratives include High School Redesign, Student Voice and Engagement, and Digital Equity. In all, school and district leaders from 59 school districts across 22 states will participate in one or more learning collaboratives for the 2024-2025 school year. A full list of participants can be found on the League’s webpage.
League leaders choose the learning collaborative in which they want to participate based on their needs and interests and meet regularly to engage in peer-to-peer learning, co-create solutions, and share best practices.
We recently sat down with the facilitators of each collaborative, all of whom bring extensive experience leading initiatives in their districts around their particular problem of practice, to learn more about each topic.
Below, they share insights into why each of these topics is so timely for district leaders and what makes the learning collaborative model a particularly useful one for addressing shared education challenges.
Dr. Julie Mitchell, Former Superintendent, Rowland Unified School District (California)
Tell us a bit about your learning collaborative and the topic you’re exploring. Why are you so interested in this topic?
Julie Mitchell: The Student Voice and Engagement Learning Collaborative is focused on bringing students to the forefront of discussions, decisions, and changes in public education. For too long, students’ voices have not been prominent—or in some cases, present at all—in decisions and discussions about school processes, policies, and procedures. We hope to change that narrative by equipping schools and districts with practical ways to give students a seat at the table with leaders, staff, and other adults.
Michael Nagler: I believe that information is ubiquitous and ‘content is dead,’ so we need to completely rethink the use of time, place and pace in high school. Participants in the High School Redesign Learning Collaborative realize that our current education system doesn’t work for every learner. Together, we will explore new and innovative ideas for addressing this issue by increasing student engagement in ways that foster a love of learning.
Nathan Fisher: I personally recognize the potential of technology as a tool to revolutionize education, safety, healthcare, and civic engagement, but only if everyone has an equal opportunity to use it. Unequal access to technology can limit opportunities for individuals and communities, which can hinder success across educational spaces, career opportunities, and even impact one’s civic participation. Ultimately, my vision is to create a more just and equitable society where technology elevates everyone, not just a select privy few. By working together through collaborative efforts, I believe we can make this vision a reality.
Dr. Michael Nagler, Superintendent, Mineola Public Schools (New York)
Why is now an important time for districts to address this topic?
Nagler: We know that Generation Z is experiencing the world in a much different way than most of their teachers, largely due to new and emerging technologies. The pace of technological advances isn’t slowing down; it’s our responsibility as education leaders to ensure that schools keep pace.
Baron Davis: If we don’t address the reality that our high schools aren’t preparing students to meet the demands of our changing society and economy, students in the United States won’t develop the necessary skills and abilities to succeed in the future global workforce. This means that, in the very near future, our students may not be globally competitive. That is a huge issue, and we should feel a sense of urgency to address it.
Fisher: Digital equity is crucial now because technology is an essential learning tool, but not all students have equal access to it beyond our schools. This digital divide can disadvantage students from marginalized communities, leading to inequities in learning opportunities and academic outcomes. It’s imperative to address this issue by ensuring that all students have access to technology and the skills needed to use it effectively.
Mitchell: Students are highly capable and very interested in having a voice in their school experience. They want to shape what their learning and social environments look like and provide. We (the adults) need to give them a seat at that table and listen.
Dr. Nathan Fisher, Superintendent, Roselle Public Schools (New Jersey)
What work have you led at your district around this topic?
Fisher: In my school district, we provide devices like laptops and/or tablets to students who lack their own; offer free-enabled devices to families in need; conduct digital literacy training to equip students, staff, and families with essential skills via the Superintendent’s C.A.F.E (Community and Family Engagement); assess and expand existing technology infrastructure and practices to identify areas for improvement; and partner with community organizations to provide additional technology support and resources.
Mitchell: As a former superintendent, student voice has always been very important to me and the work of the district. Students at Rowland Unified School District have helped to develop school policies around the dress code, homework, grading, extra and co-curricular activities, school meals, bell schedules, and course offerings. Students were also integral to developing our district strategic plan and provided direct feedback to me as the superintendent.
Nagler: To truly prepare students for a rapidly changing world of work, my team knew that we needed to transform the structure of a typical school day. We created Synergy at Mineola High School with this goal in mind, which is an “alternative offshoot” of our high school designed to mirror the types of flexible learning and self-directed spaces that our learners will encounter in college and future workplaces. Synergy reimagines the high school experience by putting time, pace, and space into the hands of the students to give them agency over their own learning.
Davis: During my time as superintendent of Richland School District Two, I led the development of the Richland Two Institute of Innovation (R2i2). We offered courses that aligned with the Education 4.0 framework, including Advance Manufacturing, Next Energy Engineering, Supply Chain Logistics, and Coding.
Dr. Baron Davis, Senior Advisor, Digital Promise; Former Superintendent, Richland School District Two (South Carolina)
What are the critical questions and challenges that you will explore and address in this learning collaborative?
Davis: Shifting mindsets of district and school leaders will be one of the biggest challenges to address in the High School Redesign Learning Collaborative. Making a shift from a content-based learning experience to a skill- and ability-based one will not only take effort and commitment from leaders, but it will also require addressing long held beliefs about what constitutes an exceptional educational experience and how it is measured.
Fisher: The Digital Equity LLC will address questions including, “How can districts create policies that promote equity and inclusion? How can districts ensure that all students and staff have equitable access to technology? What are the essential skills and how can districts integrate them into our curriculum and professional learning? How can districts ensure the sustainability of their efforts over time?”
What do you hope that League members will gain from this learning collaborative? What would “success” look like?
Nagler: Our hope is that participating members can share and gain best practices around reimagining the high school experience and perhaps collaborate on mini projects among and between districts across the country.
Fisher: It is my hope that League members will come out of this learning collaborative feeling pumped about digital equity and equipped with practical tools to make a real difference in their districts and communities. I want everyone to have the same opportunity to be successful in the current digital era, no matter where they come from. Success for all of us means seeing more scholars leveraging technology, learning new skills, and becoming more digitally savvy.
Mitchell: Success for our participating members can be defined as simply increasing the amount of ways in which students are genuinely included in discussions that lead to decisions or changes in policies, procedures, and processes that impact them.
Why is the learning collaborative model effective for addressing this topic?
Davis: The learning collaborative model allows for catalytic leadership by creating a supportive environment in which like-minded, committed individuals can collectively address a problem.
Fisher: In previous experiences, it has been impactful for me to bring together individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences. Learning collaboratives foster collaboration, shared learning, and collective action, and provide a platform for participants to learn from one another, share best practices, and build capacity. Additionally, this collaboration will help build partnerships between a host of stakeholders across the country representing various organizations and districts focused on digital equity.
Mitchell: Problem solving is often best done collaboratively, alongside thought partners with whom you can share ideas and support one another in your learning. The learning collaborative is just that: a supportive, collegial space aimed at helping colleagues to learn something new and implement real change.
Are you an education leader who is interested in learning more about the professional learning opportunities available to League of Innovative Schools members?
*League members had the opportunity to explore the new Digital Equity Framework at the League Fall 2024 Convening in Lindsay, California, which served as a launchpad for the Digital Equity Learning Collaborative.
