Friday Institute Hosts Innovation Leaders Academy Workshop
The Friday Institute hosted the second school year workshop of the Innovation Leaders Academy April 13. Educators and administrators from Northampton County Schools, Halifax County Schools, Roanoke Rapids Schools and Wheldon City Schools in northeastern North Carolina came to the Friday Institute to learn how to better integrate technology into the classroom. Three of these districts received $1.2 million from the Golden LEAF Foundation to explore how technology can assist them with creating more learner-centric classrooms.
Representatives from the ILA met in the morning with Dr. Lodge McCammon and Nancy Mangum to learn about the goals, methods, and strategies for the next two and a half years of the Smart Classroom Initiative. In the afternoon, educators and administrators worked in district teams with coaches to design ways to integrate the Smart Classroom Initiative into the schools in their districts.
The Innovation Leaders Academy is a cooperative venture between the Friday Institute, the College of Education's Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department and the school districts of northeastern North Carolina. School district ILA project teams work in two-year cycles to help their schools and districts engage and sustain educational innovation. The project is headed by co-directors Dr. Tom Alsbury and Dr. Andy Overstreet. Dr. Matt Militello from the College of Education is also a trainer and coach for the project.
"We know we are having some success for three reasons," said ILA co-director Dr. Andy Overstreet. "The districts wanted to particiate in another cycle of the project, they came to the Friday Institute for assistance in developing the Golden LEAF grant, and the superintendents and staff in the districts are already beginning to see their cultures shift in support of sustainable innovation."
Visit the Innovation Leaders Academy's project page.