InnovateEDU's Sector & Capacity Building Portfolio

Building the capacity and connection among educators, stakeholders, and organizations within our sector is a critical element of how we think about systems-level change at InnovateEDU. We believe this focus on the human element is a core strategy for radical disruption within education. A key focus of our work at InnovateEDU is human-centered capacity development within specific areas of need, such as educator development, data-driven decision-making, and a focus on supporting educators who work with students with disabilities. Ten years ago, this focus on building human capacity and community to do this work originated in our founder co-creating Brooklyn Lab Charter School, where we pioneered an educational fellowship and a nationally regarded tutoring model to now catalyzing communities of educators and organizations across the country to meet common challenges that they share.

As the race to advance technology in the classroom continues, we cannot forget that educators remain the driver. Though thousands of technology tools are being accessed in the classroom, academic achievement and student engagement are at a historic low, and knowledge sharing and the capacity of educators are often left on the back burner. According to NCES, 45% percent of U.S. public schools report feeling understaffed entering the 2023-24 school year, citing either too few candidates applying or an overall lack of qualified candidates. However, 60% of U.S. public schools utilized a “community school” or “wraparound services” model, in which a school partners with other government agencies and/or local nonprofits to support and engage with the local community. So how do we address the need to build and strengthen the human connection in our sector?

Community and connection matters. At InnovateEDU, research shows that students learn better when supported by their families and local community organizations. Community is equally essential to educators and organizations in the sector, often working to solve the same or similar problems siloed within their work. By knowledge sharing and creating intentional spaces to grow qualified educators, drive equitable and accessible technology integration, and provide pathways to specific supports for students with various disabilities, we can help build a more inclusive and effective education ecosystem for all learners.

Afterschool Programming

In 2015, InnovateEDU implemented an after-school program at Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School, with support from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). This program has served for almost 10 years as a lighthouse program for New York City to showcase bringing the best of project-based learning into a college prep model. Through this DYCD SONYC program, LAB students are engaged in daily project-based workshops that foster the development of 21st-century learning skills in digital literacy and student leadership. This place-based program has been a model for evolving thought about youth-centric programming, engagement, and partnership for nearly ten years, touching over a thousand Brooklyn youth on their journey to discover their passions.

The Educating All Learners Alliance

In March 2020, as schools across the country shifted to remote learning, Brooklyn Lab Charter School (LAB) started to field questions from other education leaders about how to support students with disabilities. These schools sought advice from Brooklyn Lab based on its deep experience developing personalized learning programs, especially for the 30 percent of the students in the school who have disabilities.

To develop a platform that could support more school leaders, Brooklyn LAB Executive Director Dr. Eric Tucker invited leaders from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools (NCSECS), and the nonprofit InnovateEDU to join an initial conversation centered around how educators could ensure that students with disabilities receive the services and supports they need during this time. Shortly thereafter, the initial team also invited the Digital Promise Learner Variability Project and ISTE to broaden the discussion on ways investments in programming and professional development could also support students with disabilities.

With these six organizations as founding partners, a new initiative was born: The Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA), launched with a vision of ensuring equity for all learners. Within two weeks, EALA unveiled a digital hub and online community for schools and districts to join webinars, access professional development resources, and discover articles and tools in a curated library of content on technology and education.

Today, EALA is an uncommon coalition of 150+ organizations committed to resource-sharing and community-building that supports the efforts of the education community to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Looking ahead, EALA is uniquely positioned to support the education community in meeting the evolving needs of students with disabilities and support the inclusion of all students, as evidenced by our most recent policy brief developed with New America: Prioritizing Students with Disabilities in AI Policy. We believe when you design education ecosystems for inclusion and belonging, all students benefit.

The Pathways Alliance

Launched in October 2021, The Pathways Alliance is co-led by InnovateEDU and The Learning Policy Institute (see full list of founding partners and members). This alliance is dedicated to creating diverse, equitable pathways into the educator profession. While the initial goals of the alliance were to bring more cohesion in resources, knowledge, and capacity for the sector, the Alliance has rapidly expanded to lead the conversation on innovative approaches to educator development. In just three years, the Alliance has led the development of a national definition of a teacher residency, built a nationally recognized resource and knowledge hub, and in partnership with the US Department of Labor and US Department of Education, led the development of the National Guideline Standards for K12 Teacher Apprenticeships. In just a year, the guidelines have been adopted by 32 states.

More than ever, effective and affordable education preparation programs and pathways are essential for teachers, schools, and students. Through its work, the Alliance has enhanced the quality of teacher residencies and apprenticeships by emphasizing competency-based education, progressive wage schedules, and pay equity, creating more diverse and inclusive entry points into the profession.

Today, The Pathways Alliance is an uncommon coalition of 55 leading organizations dedicated to supporting and implementing diverse and inclusive educator preparation pipelines, including teacher residency and apprenticeship programs. As the Pathways Alliance continues to grow, it will take on national problems of practice, drive research and policy and continue to provide resources and support to emerging needs within the field.

Data Whiz

Launched in 2015, Data Whiz is a community of practice that works to share best practices and solve common pain points around technology and data in the education space. It is a community of doers who believe we should learn from each other’s work while creating tangible impact in the space.

What’s Next

At InnovateEDU, we are responding to the evolving landscape and challenges by adopting a portfolio approach—aligning our projects under the portfolios of policy, sector and capacity building, and technology. This strategic realignment will streamline our processes and strengthen our collaborations with external partners. Our sector and capacity-building portfolio will continue to grow from the lessons learned from founding Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School to continuing to grow networks for collaboration and capacity through the work of the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA), The Pathways Alliance, and the Data Whiz community of practice.

As outlined in InnovateEDU at Ten: Pioneering Education Innovation and Launching a Portfolio Approach, we are excited about future opportunities and confident that, with our partners and supporters, we’ll continue transforming education and build a future where every learner thrives.