Tomorrow I have the privilege of launching a 7-day Innovation Academy with school leaders across the state of North Dakota. The dates are spread out across the year. We end next May.Â
The Innovation Academy is sponsored by my national center, CASTLE, and the North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders (NDCEL), with the extremely generous support of Ted Dintersmith, author of the excellent book, What School Could Be, and executive producer of the amazing film, Most Likely to Succeed. North Dakota’s Governor and other state organizations have been focusing on school innovation for many years now. I am honored to have the opportunity to build upon their past work.
We have 72 participants – yes, that’s right, 72! – in the year-long Innovation Academy, representing a variety of school districts and other organizations across North Dakota:
- Alexander,
- Beulah,
- Bismarck,
- Fargo,
- Grand Forks
- Jamestown,
- Mandan,
- McKenzie County,
- Northern Cass,
- Rugby,
- Solen/CB,
- Valley City,
- Williston,
- Legacy Children’s Foundation,
- Missouri River Education Cooperative,
- North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders,
- North Dakota Department of Public Instruction,
- North Dakota Governor’s Innovation Task Force, and the
- South East Education Cooperative.
THIS is my favorite kind of work: long-term investments in leadership capacity-building. Previous statewide or in-district innovation academies in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and Kentucky all have gone incredibly well. I can’t wait for tomorrow!Â
What are you doing to invest in your leaders’ ability to facilitate transformative school change?
Image credit: David Flowers
