League of Innovative Schools

Stories of Innovation

Photo of League Members walking away from a school building. Behind the League members is an inflatable of an eagle, the school's mascot.

From Florida to California, League districts embody what it looks like to constantly seek and adopt the most innovative approaches in education, all in the service of students. When we see, hear, and read our members’ stories, we see this innovation on full display.

Take a look at the incredible innovations that our members are leading.

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Digital Transformation in Rural Alabama

Over the past 15 years, Talladega County Schools (Alabama), has undergone a journey of digital transformation, thanks to a district-wide effort led by Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Lacey. From integrating computational thinking across classes and grade levels to making project-based learning (PBL) the norm, Talladega County is equipping its students to tackle real-world challenges in their day-to-day learning. Check out the story of Trenton, a student from Talladega County who, with the help of his STEAM teacher, helped to solve a problem facing a local steel company through technology he was already leveraging in his classroom.

Reimagining the High School Experience on Long Island

Eighty-five percent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been created yet. This statistic is front of mind for Dr. Michael Nagler, superintendent of Mineola Public Schools in Long Island, New York, and has in turn dramatically transformed how his district is redesigning high school to align with the workforce of the future. With this goal in mind, Synergy at Mineola High School was born, an “alternative offshoot” of the district’s high school which is designed to mirror the types of flexible learning and self-directed spaces that learners will encounter in college and their future workplaces. Synergy is designed to reimagine the high school experience, putting time, pace, and space into the hands of the students to truly give them agency over their own learning. For entrepreneurial high schoolers like Becca, the flexibility with time and pacing along with the freedom to pursue multiple interests allows her to thrive.

Growing Future Educators in Rural California

Under the guidance of Superintendent Tom Rooney, Lindsay Unified School District in California’s Central Valley has transformed over the past decade, thanks in large part to their shift to and deep focus on learner-led, performance-based learning, which puts learners in the driver’s seat of their own education. One such example can be seen through the story of Saddia, a recent graduate of Lindsay Unified School District. During her time as a learner, Saddia pursued her passion for becoming an educator by following Lindsay’s “Educator” learning pathway, opening opportunities for her to have voice and choice in her own education, pursue her professional goals while still in high school, and give back to her community as an alumna.

Superintendent Perspectives

Collaborative Competition and Personal, Meaningful Networks
Enacting Your Vision and Growing Alongside Fellow Leaders
Mentorship, Sponsorship, & Networks of Possibility

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League member districts become catalysts for change by partnering with Digital Promise on research pilots and projects to validate and scale up promising League-led innovations across the network and nationwide.

Check out the white papers and reports that feature League districts’ work.

Unlocking the Power of R&D to Transform Education

What if the solution to education challenges resides in foundational shifts – in mindsets, in proximity, in collaborations – and, ultimately, in the co-research and development of powerful learning with those who are most impacted? A report from the Digital Promise Center for Inclusive Innovation answers that question through the stories, solutions, outcomes, and learnings from years of collaboration with students, families, community members, practitioners, and community partners, many of whom come from League districts.

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Elevating the Ingenuity of School Districts and Communities to Co-Create Innovative Solutions

Across the country, League districts are partnering with their communities to tackle pressing and complex educational challenges with Inclusive Innovation, an education research and development (R&D) model that starts with centering the needs of those most impacted by these challenges.

Read the White Paper

Delivering on the Promise of Digital Equity

Many League districts are demonstrating how K-12 schools are a key pathway to digital equity in the U.S. Lindsay Unified School District (CA), a rural farming community, is one example. By closing digital divides, this district is powering a competency-based, personalized learning model enabled by technology.

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Breaking With the Past: Embracing Digital Transformation in Education

By embracing the powerful, skilled use of technology, many League districts are building the case for large-scale digital transformation of our K-12 school systems. Nowhere is this perhaps more evidenced than Talladega County Schools (AL), which empowers its teachers to design powerful and authentic learning activities enabled by digital technologies.

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Centering Wellbeing: Advancing Social Emotional Learning for All

How can global approaches to social emotional learning (SEL) and learning differences be applied to districts in the U.S.? Starting in 2021, 14 school districts—including 11 from the League—set out to answer this question. Today, they’re supporting student, staff, and community wellbeing by adopting approaches from across the world.

Read the Report

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League member districts are defined by the cutting-edge educational practices they are implementing across their districts and in their schools every day.

See our districts’ innovations in action.

Share Your Stories of Innovation

League members!: Do you want to elevate the innovations happening across your district? Share your stories with the League for an opportunity to be featured across Digital Promise globally-reaching channels.