Developing+21st+Century+Schools+and+Leadership+with+Digital+Documentation

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 * //NYC21C Innovate//** is a leadership program designed to address the __Enhancing Education through Technology Leadership theme of System Change of Teaching and Learning through Technology.__ The program will support community school district (CSD) 3 and 5 schools in preparing students for success in the 21 st century through a unique partnership with the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE)’s NYC21C model schools pilot program, which consists of schools specifically researched, built, and designed for 21 st -century success.


 * NYC21C Innovate** is designed as a three-year, capacity-building model to help CSD 3 and 5 schools establish “mentor” school partnerships and build sustainable collaborations that will help them grow into successful 21 st century schools. The NYC21C schools will serve as “learning laboratories” for participating grantee schools. By first immersing themselves in these mentor schools, CSD 3 and 5 schools will gain a foundation in the promising practices that are evident in the NYC21C schools. In addition, participating school administrators will be mentored in leadership skills that impact teacher learning, pedagogy and student achievement.

In **Year 1**, CSD 3 and 5 NYC21C Innovate leadership teams (administrator, lead teachers, student(s), and technology coach) will prepare and participate in a series of learning walks focusing on selected aspects of 21 st century schools. Preparation for these walks, and the time taken afterwards to debrief, will help the CSD 3 and 5 leadership teams learn about innovative practices that engage students and increase achievement. Teams will use a NETS-aligned reflection framework to identify areas of strength and areas of needed growth, and will prepare learning walks to showcase promising and effective practices aligned to the framework. Teams will also use the framework to focus their observations and discussions during learning walks. Lead teachers/coaches and students will receive embedded on-site support, professional development featuring experts such as educational innovator Marc Prensky, and hardware to support identifying, capturing, and digitally publishing innovative practices. These practices will be published on ARIS in a structured format. During this first year, schools will select at least two classrooms that they will develop into model pilot technology-infused classrooms.

In **Year 2**, mentor and participating schools will deepen their partnership through lab site visits. Schools will continue to reflect on their practices using the NETS-aligned reflection framework, noting growth and areas needing development. Mentor schools will identify areas of strength aligned to the development needs of participating schools and develop half-day, structured lab-site visits that showcase effective 21 st century practices. Participant schools will visit, observe, discuss, debrief, then develop action plans for implementing showcased practices.

CSD 3 and 5 staff will begin to organize instruction that integrates the “lessons learned” from their “mentor schools” and support the development of their model classrooms. Professional development and on-site support aligned to targeted practices will help participants develop and implement innovative and engaging practices that increase student performance. By continuing to work with the CSD 3 and 5 principals, NYC21C mentor principals will help surface promising practices in administration and supervision while also learning how to describe and disseminate these innovative practices. Participant schools will also begin capturing promising practices within their own school on video, adding interviews with the teachers and administrators. These videos, along with teacher resources and units of study, will be added to the online collection started in Year 1. Schools will continue with professional development/on-site support as they move along the 21st Century schools continuum.

In **Year 3,** participating CSD 3 and 5 grant schools will focus on showcasing their growth to one another and their mentor schools through virtual visitations. Model classrooms will develop and host virtual inter-visitations and learning walks that highlight additional promising practices. Participants will receive training and support to identify, evaluate, and reflect on these promising practices through the inquiry process, and will work to digitally capture and showcase these practices through virtual visits. The developing and sharing of videos will help deepen both the leadership capacity of these participating teachers and help support additional model classrooms that use innovative technology-infused practices to increase student performance. Teachers will participate in online learning communities to support this work, and continue to receive professional development as they build innovative technology-infused curricula.