Colleagues and friends: 

I’m an avid consumer of science podcasts, and I often listen to them as a way to start my day with new knowledge and learning. During my most recent listen, a scientist introduced the phrase “idea leap” to explain a concept that pushed the scientific community forward in its thinking.

This mention reminded me of one of my essential doctoral readings, Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions, and how science often exists in two states: one of “normalcy” and one of “revolution” brought about by these kinds of idea leaps.  

As I think about the application of this to our work in education, I’m more convinced than ever that we are on the cusp of a period of “education revolution.” From the growing influence of artificial intelligence, to microschools and unbundling the traditional school day, there is no shortage of idea leaps in our sector. But which idea leaps are going to drive this revolution, how will we know these ideas are having impact for all learners, and how will the paradigm of public education shift? 

As we consider these questions, we should take a page from our colleagues in the scientific community and remember that scientific revolutions require sharing knowledge and learning openly, confirming hypotheses with data and evidence, and building consensus. This month (and every month), The Learning Accelerator is creating, sharing, and building consensus on mission-critical idea leaps in the education field, all in service of kids. 

Yours in partnership,

Ryan Mick, Chief Program Officer

Featured Updates

New TLA Guide: Research and Measurement

Whether looking to improve student learning, educator wellbeing, or community capacity, schools and districts find themselves needing to engage in measurement. Our new measurement guide will help school and system leaders engage in inquiry to better understand the effectiveness of their initiatives, programs, and interventions as well as identify needs and understand challenges in their context. We created this resource to guide education leaders toward impactful decision-making. 

In TLA’s Research and Measurement Guide, find:

• Insights to gauge readiness to engage in research
• Practical steps to establish research questions and objectives
• Guidance around collecting, analyzing, and organizing data
• Advice for communicating research findings to stakeholders

Webinar on Creativity in Schools

Register for a webinar on “What Does Creativity Look Like in Schools?” hosted by the New England International Society for Technology in Education (NEISTE). Join TLA Partner Dr. Beth Holland and TLA Senior Research Advisor Dr. Jilliam Joe on Nov. 8 from 4-5 p.m. ET as they share free tools and a framework they developed to help foster creativity in schools.

Recruiting for a Superintendent Learning Cohort

Leading Now, an initiative to support superintendents as they advance their commitment to all students, is recruiting for a spring 2024 cohort. Superintendent members engage with peers facing similar communications challenges, get research-based messages that work, and have access to advisors who have expertise in stakeholder engagement — including with families, school board members, and school-based educators. The first year of support from Leading Now, including access to a virtual hub of resources and coaching sessions with communications advisors, is offered at no cost to superintendents and their districts. 

If you are interested in this opportunity, please sign up for a call with the Leading Now team to learn more. Applications are due November 17, 2023.

What We're Reading

• Getting from School-Centered to Learner-Centered (Learner-Centered Collaborative)
• Beyond the Horizon: Blazing a Trail Toward Learner-Centered School Quality Systems (KnowledgeWorks)
• Unlocking Innovation: Advancing the Continuous Improvement of Federal Evidence Funds (America Forward)

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