How do we build the community's capacity to influence and 

sustain educational innovation?

Automation

Innovation

 We use our school web site to post

 We created a teacher, parent and

grades and attendance information

community listserv to talk about

online for parents to review confiden 

what students are learning in class.

tially. 

As a result, one local banker volun 

teered to work with our finance 

class and ended up also hosting 

a Saturday investment workshop 

for parents. 

Innovation in Action

In the Power to Learn program,

Again, teachers must work toward a

Both the Power to Lead and 

Principal Frankie St. James at Key

shared vision accepted throughout

Power to Learn components of the

Largo Elementary School in Florida

the school system. In addition, it is

BellSouth edu.pwr

3

initiative showed

took the initiative and served as a

critical that teachers have a shared

that even the initial work toward

buffer between her teachers and

context or framework in which to

change from school leaders can

outside distractions to help them

implement change. In the Power to

have a powerful impact on individ 

maintain their focus on a shared

Learn component of BellSouth

ual schools and school systems. 

vision of incorporating technology

edu.pwr

3

, we chose the science of

Neil Peddersen, Superintendent 

for learning. Testing, state report

learning principles set forth in the

of the Chapel Hill Carrboro District 

cards and community factors 

groundbreaking book, How People

in North Carolina, realized that

outside the school's control (such 

Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School.

 technology needed to be one of 

as crime and politics) can all pull

These principles helped participating

the top three strategic priorities. 

teachers' attention away from the

schools and teachers remember 

Neil made the leap from thinking 

task of innovation. As a result of 

to think of student needs in learning

of technology purely as a tool for

St. James' leadership in maintaining

first, and then decide how to incor 

automation to embracing it as 

the focus on technology and inno 

porate technology to meet those

a means of innovation. By doing 

vative teaching, the teachers at this

needs. It provided a context and

so, Peddersen began to find 

school reported more sustained

framework for change that helped

specific ways to incorporate 

energy and enthusiasm and less

teachers (and others) avoid the 

technology into the innovative 

emotional drain at the end of the

pitfall of incorporating technology

work of the organization, even 

school year than their counterparts

for technology's sake and derailing

forming technological links 

at other schools. 

the transformation effort. Most

between schools and students'

importantly, it helped to create 

homes. 

a common language for each

school, rooted in research and 

powerful enough to knit teachers 

more tightly together.

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