The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is starting a new Innovation Leadership Council (ILC), which is designed to connect schools across the state so that educators and systems can learn from each others’ successes. DPI’s website says the creation of the council is a response to state’s strategic plan, which identifies eight pillars designed to make North Carolina public schools “be the best in the United States of America.”
“Under Pillar 6, the plan calls for the creation of a cross-sector Innovation Leadership Council, a structured innovation process, and an annual collection of effective practices,” says DPI on their website. “The same pillar emphasizes that innovation should connect traditional public schools, charter schools, and lab schools while making promising practices more visible and scalable across contexts.”
The council is being phased in over three years, according to DPI’s website, with the goals of finding innovative strategies that are being implemented across the state and working to scale and expand their impact. According to DPI, the council is designed to:
- Improve identification and vetting of innovative practices by using a transparent framework, common submission process, and shared review criteria grounded in evidence, equity, and scalability.
- Strengthen cross-sector learning by bringing together leaders from district, charter, and lab schools to share practices, clarify conditions for success, and support transfer across contexts.
- Spread effective practices and stories of impact through an annual compendium, communications assets, and alignment with DPI’s Celebrate the Good work.
- Support replication and scale through statewide and regional education networks, convenings, and implementation-ready resources.
- Inform policy and strategic plan implementation by providing recommendations, lessons learned, and cross-cutting insights to DPI leadership and the State Board of Education.
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The ILC will follow an annual schedule to “identify, review, elevate, and share evidence-based innovative practices from across North Carolina public schools.”
Each year, in the winter, there will be a statewide call for submissions of innovative practices in schools. Then, in the spring, the council will review the submissions and make recommendations of which “to elevate for statewide visibility and learning.” In the summer, ILC will share their findings with the public and various state organizations, including educators, DPI, and the State Board of Education. Finally, in the fall, the council will highlight selected practices, perform outreach, and prepare for the upcoming cycle.
Members of the ILC will come from a “range of educational roles and school models,” which DPI hopes will expand the council’s capacity to understand and implement innovative practices across the state. Teachers, district leaders, higher education faculty, researchers, and more are invited to join. For a full list of roles included on the council, click here.
The duties of the members are as follows:
- Help shape annual focus areas aligned with the North Carolina Strategic Plan;
- Surface innovative practices from a range of school and district contexts;
- Review submissions using a shared rubric and common criteria;
- Advise on evidence, equity, and scalability to help identify practices with broader relevance; and
- Contribute to statewide learning by informing the compendium, convenings, and related communications.
Applications to join the council are open now, and DPI will accept applications through July 22. Click here to apply.
“Applicants should be committed to thoughtful collaboration, practical innovation, and learning across traditional public schools, charter schools, lab schools, higher education, and partner organizations,” DPI’s website says.
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