INNOVATION COMMUNITIES |
Where COMMUNITIES EMPOWER STUDENTS TO THRIVE
Innovative leaders and communities are demonstrating the future of education - with best practices to empower and transform education for all students.
EIC is nurturing these leading communities - through support of prototyping new approaches through Thrive Labs - with deep community engagement.
EIC is nurturing these leading communities - through support of prototyping new approaches through Thrive Labs - with deep community engagement.
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Innovation communities support their students and parents to design and operate THRIVE LABS to meet the needs of each student to thrive.
They participate as coaches, advisors, and funders of the community Thrive Lab to enable collaborative real-world project-based learning by students, educator-coaches, employers, and community members. Innovation communities work together to support the PRIME DIRECTIVE: nurture every student to their full potential to thrive and contribute to society. EIC team's roles are multiple:
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There is a lot of heavy lifting to do, and we have a clear and passionate vision of how to get it done. But we can’t do it alone.
We’re calling on researchers, thought leaders, policy-makers, legislators, employers, educators, and parents, as well as those work work in non-profits to join the innovation zone program teams. Together we will address all aspects of the learning labs, present and future. We will collaborate with community leaders and members on design and development, and oversee funding and policy change advocacy to effectively scale success.
These are exciting times. We see endemic problems, but we also see a transformative path to the future. We know there are cost-effective ways to improve education for all students. We're excited to get to work.
We’re calling on researchers, thought leaders, policy-makers, legislators, employers, educators, and parents, as well as those work work in non-profits to join the innovation zone program teams. Together we will address all aspects of the learning labs, present and future. We will collaborate with community leaders and members on design and development, and oversee funding and policy change advocacy to effectively scale success.
These are exciting times. We see endemic problems, but we also see a transformative path to the future. We know there are cost-effective ways to improve education for all students. We're excited to get to work.
We see opportunity where CURRENTLY there are gaps
Students in Nevada are underperforming; this has been exacerbated by the changes brought on by COVID. While life may return to some level of normalcy in time, these problems will not magically disappear.
Here are some facts that are deeply concerning
- Nevada ranks 50th in the country for student Chance for Success (Ed Week, Quality Counts Report Card 2020).
- Nevada has the lowest average ACT scores in the nation (ACT 2020 report)
- Less than 20% of Nevada graduates (15% of WCSD juniors) passed the minimum benchmarks of math, English, and science aptitude: these metrics correlate with success in college and careers (ACT 2016)
- Over 50% of Nevada high school graduates require remedial classes in college (70% at TMCC)
- Only 21% of UNR students graduate after 4 years (Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, Oct 2016).
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We recognize that too many of Nevada’s students lack access to the quality of practices, programs, support, and technology that they need to learn to their full potential. Our educators are overtaxed, even more so during these unprecedented challenges of distance learning forced by COVID. And, there isn’t enough community support and engagement to close the gaps. Nevada aspires to be a hub for world-class innovative business. We need all graduates prepared to deliver the vision. EIC will get us there. |
New Best Practices are shaped and scaled in innovation ZONE COMMUNITIES
The innovation zone program gives form to the EIC vision, which starts with a learner-centered approach that embraces and integrates all modes of learning and teaching: virtual, at a distance, and in-person education. We envision a paradigm shift toward individualized learning, made equitable statewide, with the goal that each learner has access to modern tools, resources, systems, and people who support their unique personal needs and desires.
Empowered, engaged, life-long learners are the foundation of thriving communities.
A primary mandate for us is to reimagine how to serve all students with powerful learning experiences that integrate all best learning practices and science. We call this collaborative action research and design. CARD fuses the great power of networking and collaboration with real-world problem-solving through design thinking investigations. CARD is done by learning groups of all ages. It is most powerful when solving meaningful challenges in the community with small teams of cross-disciplinary, diverse students and adults. Our vision is for teams to create and share these learning experiences across communities and the state through the real projects hub. It is most powerful when seamlessly integrating virtual learning modules with physical hands-on work - in learning labs and workplaces. This means bridging divides in mobility and access to wealth, resources, and expertise; increasing quality and access to empowering facilities, technologies, and equipment; open access to coaches, experts, and mentors; infusion of mental and social-emotional health and wellness practices; and more.
EIC’s collaboration hub will provide the glue to make all of this come to life. All innovation zone team members - and learning lab team members - will engage through the collaboration hub to learn, research, share, envision, design, curate, and disseminate knowledge and best practices. This open networking platform will allow great ideas to spread and scale quickly.
But none of this is possible without the EIC community learning labs exploring, evaluating, and creating latest and greatest best practices together. This requires cross-sector collaborative research, design, and systemic policy changes. A key policy shift we are advocating for in partnership with the Competency-based Education Network of Nevada is to replace outdated criteria for learning goals, progression, and credit-earning by time (e.g., sitting in a classroom, measured by attendance). The new learning goal model is based on individualized student growth and development plans with progress assessed by demonstrations of competency, mastery, and capacity.
We have the vision and ability to make meaningful change; now is the time for action.
Empowered, engaged, life-long learners are the foundation of thriving communities.
A primary mandate for us is to reimagine how to serve all students with powerful learning experiences that integrate all best learning practices and science. We call this collaborative action research and design. CARD fuses the great power of networking and collaboration with real-world problem-solving through design thinking investigations. CARD is done by learning groups of all ages. It is most powerful when solving meaningful challenges in the community with small teams of cross-disciplinary, diverse students and adults. Our vision is for teams to create and share these learning experiences across communities and the state through the real projects hub. It is most powerful when seamlessly integrating virtual learning modules with physical hands-on work - in learning labs and workplaces. This means bridging divides in mobility and access to wealth, resources, and expertise; increasing quality and access to empowering facilities, technologies, and equipment; open access to coaches, experts, and mentors; infusion of mental and social-emotional health and wellness practices; and more.
EIC’s collaboration hub will provide the glue to make all of this come to life. All innovation zone team members - and learning lab team members - will engage through the collaboration hub to learn, research, share, envision, design, curate, and disseminate knowledge and best practices. This open networking platform will allow great ideas to spread and scale quickly.
But none of this is possible without the EIC community learning labs exploring, evaluating, and creating latest and greatest best practices together. This requires cross-sector collaborative research, design, and systemic policy changes. A key policy shift we are advocating for in partnership with the Competency-based Education Network of Nevada is to replace outdated criteria for learning goals, progression, and credit-earning by time (e.g., sitting in a classroom, measured by attendance). The new learning goal model is based on individualized student growth and development plans with progress assessed by demonstrations of competency, mastery, and capacity.
We have the vision and ability to make meaningful change; now is the time for action.
the innovation zone program amplifies our foundation
The innovation zone program is where this future of education and learning is facilitated, imagined, cultivated, designed, and supported. And this work will always be ongoing: no matter what leader is at the help of the state, district, or school, innovation zone communities and Thrive Labs will continually nurture innovations through prototyping new programs, practices, and technologies.
We can make Nevada and Nevadans stronger tomorrow by creating new opportunities for students TODAY.
We can make Nevada and Nevadans stronger tomorrow by creating new opportunities for students TODAY.
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CONTACT US info@eic-nv.orgMary Alber, Founding Director
mary.alber@eic-nv.org 775.224.3736 Priya Ahlawat, Co-Founder priya.ahlawat@eic-nv.org 774 Mays Blvd Ste #10-453, Incline Village, NV 89451 Website powered by Good Ink
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