Tag Archives: next-generation learning

Key leaders in Austin will be meeting this week as part of SXSWedu to develop strategies for expanding Austin’s role as a national leader in ed tech innovation. Karen Cator, Director of the US Department of Education Office of Educational Technology, will share insights into how other cities like San Francisco and New York are creating innovation ecosystems to accelerate the development of next-generation learning technologies. The theory of action behind these initiatives is the commitment to match smart demand from informed customers (e.g., school districts and CMOs) with smart entrepreneurs and investors to create innovative new solutions that actually solve schools’ problems.

Examples of similar initiatives nationally are growing. With an i3 development grant and matching funds from Carnegie Corporation and The Booth Ferris Foundation, New York City’s Department of Education is publishing its highest-priority, critical learning challenges to an open forum where interested entrepreneurs can submit proposals and be selected to co-design innovative new solutions with schools. Developers gain access to schools to better understand students’ needs and beta test potential solutions. Rapid yet rigorous pilot evaluations identify the most effective solutions, which are adopted for scale. Schools get faster access to effective new innovations.