Jeannice Fairrer Samani, PhD, MBA, CSM, Innovationalist(TM)

Building an Inclusive Education R&D Ecosystem: Actionable Steps Fostering inclusive infrastructures has emerged as a critical challenge and a strategic imperative in the rapidly evolving landscape of education research and development (R&D). The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI), EducationCounsel, and InnovateEDU just released a Task Force Brief: Making the education R&D ecosystem more inclusive. We hosted a Research and Science Policy Forum / Honorary President Edmund Gordon series session at #AERA to explore the nuances of creating R&D ecosystems that acknowledge and actively embrace variation in culture, perspective, and context. Today’s brief provides insights into practical approaches for facilitating more equitable participation in R&D activities and ensuring that research outputs are relevant and accessible to a broad spectrum of stakeholders through knowledge mobilization and engagement. Inclusive education R&D should prioritize diverse perspectives, authentically engage stakeholders, and empower practitioners and communities to lead R&D efforts. This approach promises to bridge the gap between research and practice, fostering greater buy-in, enabling more effective knowledge mobilization, and enhancing the societal relevance and impact of research. Participatory approaches to education R&D promise to foster stakeholder ownership and commitment, benefit from diverse perspectives, and yield more just and equitable solutions. Recommendations include:  Prioritize knowledge mobilization and engagement to increase the impact of education R&D. Invest in high-quality collaborative education R&D efforts centered at the state and local levels. Leverage fellowships to add R&D capacity. Provide R&D funding directly to practitioners and communities. Embrace authentic R&D partnerships. Design more inclusive Requests for Applications (RFAs). Fund HBCUs, MSIs, and TCUs. Diversify peer reviewers. Make the invisible visible. Developing, fortifying, and maintaining a more inclusive R&D environment in education requires ongoing dedication. Please re-post and react to help spread the word: Jessica Heppen, James L. Moore III, James L. Moore III, Na'ilah Nasir, Matthew Soldner, Elizabeth Albro, PhD, Shaun Harper, Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Joyce Elaine King, Barbara Schneider, kris Gutierrez, Carol Lee, Marvin Smith, Laura Hamilton, Augustus Mays, Winsome Waite, PhD, Pamela Cantor MD, Jeremy Roschelle, Susan Lyons, Chris L., Gabriela Lopez, Auditi Chakravarty, Christina Cipriano, Temple Lovelace, Jennifer Randall, Sara Schapiro, Aneesha Badrinarayan, Scott Marion, Lindsay Jones, Charles Barone, Erin Mote, Bethany Little, Kelly Fitzsimmons, Denise Forte, Katrina Stevens, Katie Boody Adorno, Bridget Cherry,

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This is the best blog I've read in a very long time. How development policy can take culture seriously by Catherine Thomas

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Accelerate, Transform, Scale: A New Era in Education R&D with IES’ Seedlings to Scale Please share widely and re-post details about the Seedlings to Scale program from IES, led by Elizabeth Albro, PhD, and Matthew Soldner. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) aims to lead in expanding knowledge about education outcomes from early childhood to adult education and improving employment and wage outcomes for relevant groups. In Phase One, teams will clarify the problem, refine their solution through stakeholder engagement, and create a detailed R&D plan. They will then use this plan to apply for Phase Two funding by demonstrating their idea's potential and providing a comprehensive development strategy. Phase One projects for Seamless Personalized Education Experiences Delivered at Scale (SPEED at Scale) focus on creating innovative solutions to help teachers effortlessly deliver personalized instruction for PreK-12 students. The Accelerate, Transform, Scale (ATS) Initiative supports education R&D to develop scalable solutions that enhance education outcomes for all learners and eliminate achievement gaps. The ATS Initiative Hub will help establish new ATS programs and assist the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in coordinating existing programs under this initiative. From Seedlings to Scale (SPEED at Scale Phase One): Funding ranges from $300,000 to $500,000 for a one-year project. ATS Initiative Hub: Funding ranges from $500,000 to $1,500,000 annually, with a total project period of 5 years. Eligible applicants are organizations capable of conducting rigorous research and development. This includes institutions of higher education, as well as non-profit, for-profit, public, and private entities. Erin Mote outlines exciting aspects of this direction:  Faster research cycles Partnerships with industry Emphasis on development Bridging the gap between policy and practice A higher risk profile to encourage innovation This program shows a strong commitment to improving research and development in education. It aims to create a future where we focus on communities, inclusion, and quickly finding out what works best for different people and situations. The program also aims to connect policy and practice. More details and the full request for proposals (RFP) will be available soon. Federal register here https://lnkd.in/eCd3hqGR Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI), Ed Dieterle, Christina Cipriano, Sara Schapiro, Auditi Chakravarty, Sasha Rabkin, Ed.D, Chris L., Marvin Smith, Robyn Schryer Fehrman, Laura Hamilton, Amanda Bickerstaff, Li Cai, Jeremy Roschelle, Britt Neuhaus, Jennifer Vranek, Brad Bernatek, Jessica Heppen, Alan Coverstone, Kelly Fitzsimmons, James L. Moore III, John Irons, Jonathan Sotsky, Katie Boody Adorno, Winnie Chan, Michelle Michelini, Kimberly Smith, Erika Wentworth, Pamela Cantor MD, Richard Culatta, Julia Fallon, Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, Tara Czupryk, Virgel Hammonds

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This article by Zeke Emanuel and Harun Küçük gets at the heart of one of the causes of democratic backsliding in America and, by extension, the West: Our failure to educate students for democratic citizenship. And, as the authors point out, this failure is, at least in part, due to our abandonment of the “Great Books” curriculum. In the name of “decolonization” and a host of other related cultural and political trends, we have consigned Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Kant and even Rawls, to the dishonourable category of “Western”, “patriarchal”, “white” - and therefore, fundamentally racist and morally unsound - propaganda. And yet these are some of the thinkers who thought most deeply and fruitfully about the nature and requirements of justice, equality, morality, the search for truth, and a political order worthy of the allegiance of its citizens. (www.section1.ca “Education for Heroic Citizenship”)

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Here is an event https://lnkd.in/e_gZmUWZ by a reputable organization with great relevance and potential value for many working at the intersection of data and policy.

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Excellent! We need the talent in government to not only implement this tech, but ensure decisionmakers make technically informed choices. The challenge will be both making use of that talent and retention. Already government IT is a revolving door, I'd wager in large part due to the inflexibility inherent to gov IT. Unfortunately, under the AI exec order our already expansive IT rule set will be loaded with additional restrictions. To attract, retain, and make use of talent we need to loosen the rules, enable development, and allow experimentation. https://lnkd.in/dc3jbJF2

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Love this article. From my vantage point, in the dynamic landscape of higher education, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has prompted educators to reevaluate teaching and learning methods. This pivotal moment offers an opportunity for educational reform, but it necessitates addressing three fundamental questions: 1. What is learning? 2. What is the value of formal institutional education? 3. How can we adapt to technological advancements? I would add two more questions: 4. Can we adapt fast enough to stay relevant? My answer is pointed with a dash of satire for dramatic effect - Not unless we address: A. Institutional Inertia & Tradition: Universities as ancient oak trees. Their roots run deep, and they’ve weathered countless seasons. But sometimes, those gnarled roots resist change. Tradition clings like stubborn ivy, making it hard to sprout new ideas. More so, we academics in tweed jackets, clutching leather-bound books, might raise an eyebrow at anything that doesn’t smell like old parchment. “Online learning? Bah! Back in my day, we carved our notes on stone tablets!” B. Unnecessarily Complex Decision-Making Processes: Imagine a labyrinthine bureaucracy with more twists than a mystery novel. Committees upon committees, approvals upon approvals. By the time a decision emerges, the world has moved on. Meanwhile, students are out there, Googling answers faster than you can say “Roberts Rules of Order Dictates....” We must do a better job balancing the need for thoughtful change with the bureaucratic tango. That is why we changed our entire rules of engagement Unity Environmental University to prioritize adaptability over certainty propelling us to be one of the fastest growing and accessible non-profit, private Environmental Science based University in the nation. Supporting students from all walks of life 5. Why Ponder These Questions? My answer is simple. As educators, reflecting on these questions is crucial because they shape the future of higher education and the future of education as we know it. By understanding learning, emphasizing institutional value, and adapting to technology, we can create meaningful educational experiences that prepare students for an increasingly technology-infused world. So, my fellow colleagues, let’s sip our coffee (or herbal tea, if you’re feeling rebellious) and ponder these questions. Because the future of higher education - the future of learning - is about preparing students for a world where AI and human brains do a tango of their own. The critical issue for us in higher education is not whether we are adapting or not, it is whether we are adapting fast enough. https://lnkd.in/eeBnGaAG

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Sharing this helpful #AI in #education procurement guide with Pati R. and the larger Digital Promise community. I really like the rightmost column in the concise guide. Thanks Andrew Buher and team!

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I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Department of State plans to establish three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (#FFRDCs): public-private partnerships that conduct innovative R&D for their USG sponsors on topics that cannot be effectively met by the government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the agency that supports them, allowing the FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise, conduct R&D to meet the needs of the sponsoring agency; and offer independent scientific and technical advice. From my days as an FSO at State and as a consultant on national security and technology for the past five years, I’ve strongly advocated for State to join its Executive Branch brethren – Commerce, NIST, DOD, NSA, Energy, HHS, DHS, NIH, Treasury, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, NASA, NSF, the Social Security Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – in establishing an FFRDC. This was a recommendation I encouraged the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence to include in its 2021 Final Report to the White House and Congress, so it’s heartening to see State finally proceed.  Better late than never! State wants to create three FFRDCs to conduct R&D on: (1) Operational support for acquisition planning and development for new technologies; and operational analysis to identify institutional and capability gaps and how to fill them; (2) Emerging threats, concept exploration, and experimentation and evaluation, developing new concepts, models, prototypes, and proof-of-concept demonstrations, and test-beds, and (3) #IT and #Cyber Operations. I hope this important step, when implemented, will facilitate two more steps that State should take to be a global leader on technology for diplomacy for the rest of the 21st century: (1) Establish an in-house “Technology for Diplomacy” R&D lab that builds off of the FFRDC's work, to conduct internal R&D, prototyping, scaling, and deploying of #AI and other emerging technologies that empower American diplomats, and (2) Fund "Small Business Innovation Research" (#SBIR) Grants to leverage the innovative and entrepreneurial talents of U.S. small technology companies to offer their own innovative tech ideas to bolster US diplomacy and build a private sector constituency for the State Department in America’s vibrant tech startup ecosystems. All of this in due time. The immediate next step is for innovation stakeholders (like FedTech) to give feedback on the proposed scope of the work to be performed by the FFRDCs and on already-existing capabilities in these areas that the Department should consider. Exciting to see State make a long-term commitment to #innovation #technology #entrepreneurism #startups #diplomacy #natsec #leadership.

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Interesting piece by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson about how AI is changing the future of higher education. There are many use cases for AI in higher ed, both for students as well as staff and faculty. One use case that Bowen and Watson explore in this piece is professors using AI to help with grading. For example, generative AI could help teachers develop a rubric for students to follow for a particular subject. Most of what professors do cannot be replaced by AI—their insight, expertise, and experience teaching is too valuable to replace. However, these more tedious tasks, like creating rubrics or syllabuses could be done by AI, giving teachers more time to focus on teaching their students. Do you think AI could take care of certain tasks in higher ed? #HigherEducation #HigherEd #AI

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In today's rapidly changing landscape of higher education, institutions must carefully consider mergers or partnerships as a viable option for sustainability and success. Institutions that are willing to explore partnerships and mergers as a strategic option will be better equipped to navigate the evolving landscape and thrive in the future. #HigherEducation #Mergers #StrategicPartnerships

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Computers are a fundamental medium in our culture. They've changed how we interact and understand the world, bringing both challenges and opportunities. My Insight Post in VEX PD+ explores the challenge and opportunity of Computational Thinking. https://ow.ly/8GUq50SnPfG

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Join me this week to learn more about multi- campus systems and the concept of systemness. We’ll also throw in some info about The National Association of Higher Education Systems as well. Hope to see you there! #highered #systemness #systemsthinking #highereducationleadership

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💡Digital detachment is slowing organizations down and destroying value. Leaders must shift to digital determination.   📑This is explored further in partnership with Duke Corporate Education's Dialogue Magazine article here: https://lnkd.in/ejqzycKp   Our latest #research, which surveyed over 2,000 leaders in 18 countries across four continents, revealed a perception gap between the way boards and senior leaders perceive their organizations' #digitaltransformation and the rest of the organization. ⬇️Download your report free of charge, here: https://lnkd.in/efgtSrnY   Robin Speculand and I, the Digital Leadership Specialists, are committed to working with leaders to close this gap by articulating your digital ambition and accelerating your organizations' successful transformation.   The IDCLA #framework we use to close this gap has kindly been published by Duke Corporate Education Dialogue magazine. ⬇️https://lnkd.in/ejqzycKp ➡️It offers a roadmap to align on digital ambition, driving efficiency, customer focus, and culture transformation. #DigitalTransformation #Leadership

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Check out this series bringing together AI and English Language arts from an equity lens! #digitalliteracy #technologyeducation #edtech #educationequity #digitalequity #teacherpd #teacherprofessionaldevelopment #ELAed #CSed

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PowerBuddy™ for Learning and PowerBuddy™ for Data Analysis address critical challenges in education including learning loss and chronic absenteeism ahead of the 2024-2025 school year

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Education institutions seem to be in a battle with AI tools instead of harnessing their full potential. It's crucial for us to embrace this evolution, as AI is undoubtedly the future of learning and innovation. Let's work towards a symbiotic relationship for the benefit of education and society as a whole. #AIinEducation #FutureLearning

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Selecting a new SIS has several dimensions...

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PLEASE JOIN IN NEW #LEADERSHIP #RESEARCH: >>>> Help to better understand Leadership in #Professional #Associations In an increasingly complex world the demand for credentialled professionals has prompted the growth of thousands of associations representing those professionals. Despite their importance in the quality of professional practice in a myriad of functions and services, there is little research on the career paths and motivations of the unpaid leaders of professional associations. If you a member of a professional association (or a Membership Association in the service of a Profession) you might be interested to know more about the motivation, career paths and leadership qualities of executives (especially presidents) of such associations. If you are, or have been, engaged in an executive &/or leadership position of a professional association, would you please consider (participating in a survey & possibly follow-up interview) assisting with research on the motivation, career paths and leadership qualities of presidents and executives of professional associations. So that we can work together on this project, please: + circulate this information to your peers; + email (citing the Project title) to the researcher (as below) to receive the participant information and consent form. OR + click on this link below for the full official “Participant Information" then proceed to the “Consent form” in the following COMMENTS thread. University of Adelaide ETHICS APPROVAL No: H-2024-053 PROJECT TITLE: "Voluntary Presidents as Leaders in Professional Associations" Thank you for your consideration. CONTACT (Principal Researcher): Dr Colin Sharp, Adjunct Associate Professor, Adelaide Business School. University of Adelaide, South Australia. E: colin.sharp@adelaide.edu.au #professionalassociation #president #chair #notforprofit #leadership #careerpath #Executive #research

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