Lexington, KY - As the world is becoming increasingly dynamic, interconnected, and interdependent, many of today's students are facing futures of multiple careers throughout their lifetime. They possess new media literacies and entrepreneurial innovation skills, and recognize the premium placed on education. Is Kentucky's public education system prepared to send them into those futures, fully equipped to lead productive, rewarding lives?
In response to this need to adjust education to accommodate change, over 600 Kentucky educators, preschool teachers through college professors, met Dec. 1-2 with local, state, and national leaders, breaking traditional barriers, to discuss the future direction of education in Kentucky.
For the second year in a row, the group collaborated to showcase innovative practices and approaches designed to improve student achievement and school effectiveness in the 21st century. AdvancED/Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Education, with collaboration from the College of Communication, held the 2011 Innovation Summit at the Lexington Convention Center.
The organizers of the innovation summit sought to move educators from merely surviving to thriving by encouraging them to let go of past methods and be more open to innovation. The state and national sectors believe that solidifying standard goals sets the groundwork for innovation in the school system. With innovation comes the risk of failure and alleviating fear of reprimand seemed to be the main concern among the practitioners.
"Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth," a quotation of Archimedes, lit the screen as the Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers and keynote speaker on Dec. 2, Gene Wilhoit, discussed the predicament of educators. "The real change that's going to occur comes at the local community level," he said. "But we must provide [teachers and districts] with support, and a foundation for innovation."
That support, Wilhoit believes, will come from establishing clear standards among all of the states. Advancements are finally happening, as 47 of the 50 states will be in agreement on a common core by the end of this year. Wilhoit believes that through these standards, state and national agencies are giving teachers the gift of clear expectations and a definition of their environment-a foundation for innovation that will lead to student success. For Kentucky, the definition of success is to help every student graduate and succeed in the world after high school.
"To move beyond incremental changes, we must begin to think differently about who we are, who these children are, their needs, and the different kind of world they will be facing. The students must be prepared to transition to college and career and develop an identity as life-long learners who grow as productive citizens in the U.S. and the world," said Wilhoit. He predicts that those with education will be the ones able to survive in the next millennium.
Awareness of the need for change in the educational system is growing, and the educators present at the summit are prepared to make big changes-even going as far as to completely revamp the system.
Dr. Lu Young, Superintendent at Jessamine County School District, said, in regards to her response to principals who ask to implement changes in the district, "I'm going to stop saying 'No.'" Such a bold statement is necessary, in Young's opinion, to promote the kind of change Kentucky is looking for in its school system. She is willing to promote project-based learning and more student choice. The district is even considering competency-based diplomas, where students would be able to monitor their progress yearly through a video portfolio, showing that they have met clearly outlined competencies, rather than the time on-task or grade level system of the past.
As panelist David Couch, Associate Commissioner at the Office of Knowledge, Information and Data Services at the Kentucky Department of Education said, "The key to change is communication," and Kentucky teachers have already started the conversation-using twitter, in fact. During the panelists' discussion, the audience's responses and questions could be seen on a projection screen at the front of the room, through TodaysMeet. TodaysMeet is a website program that transmits tweets, which allowed the meeting to take an interactive turn-a testament to the educators' commitment to incorporating technology into the classroom in a relevant and innovative way.
On the collegiate level, Dr. Mary John O'Hair, Dean of the UK College of Education and panelist at the summit weighed in on the topic of embracing a culture of innovation and supporting each other as educators. She suggested that professors transfer their knowledge and research into daily classroom practice at the P-12 levels. They could do so by linking high academic standards with issues that really matter and making them accessible to teachers. Her comment sparked a twitter conversation from the audience, suggesting that issues be co-generated or even co-authored between collegiate staff and P-12 practitioners.
"If we ensure that knowledge and research gets to the field, think how powerful that knowledge could be," Dr. Mary John O'Hair said.
When asked about the summit this year, participants said that the conversation was more sophisticated than the previous year's, with a deeper level of engagement. The summit has passed from simple awareness of the issues to educators now thinking deeply about innovative models and solutions to produce life-long learners and valuable citizens in the community.