We are proud to work with some of the most innovative educators, schools, and districts in North Carolina, (literally) from Elizabeth City to Murphy, and it’s great to see some of them getting well-deserved recognition.
The Northeast Academy of Aerospace and Advanced Technology (NEAAAT) in Elizabeth City and Tri-County Early College (TCEC) in Murphy were recently recognized by EdNC as two of the eight schools in North Carolina that are part of a new innovation network called The Canopy Project. For more insight into the culture of innovation at these schools, check out this interview we conducted with NEAAAT CEO Andrew Harris and former TCEC teacher and founder of Open Way Learning, Ben Owens.
Our partnership with NEAAAT has included helping the school refine and create The NEAAAT Way, their unique approach to coaching students, and developing the instructional coaching skills of their leadership team through our Coach Academy program. While TCECand teacher-leader Ben Pendarvis have been essential partners in our RootEd-WNC project by sharing their experience and expertise with teachers across western North Carolina. Through study visits to TCEC, and listening to the experiences of students and educators, our RootEd-WNC teachers have learned firsthand how to create powerful learning communities and powerful learning experiences that connect their students and schools with local challenges.
A great example of one of these community-connected projects comes from Oshen Wallin and Leslie Schoof, two of our RootEd-WNC teachers from Madison High School who were recently highlighted in this Edutopia article on “Science Lessons That Tap Into Student Curiosity About COVID-19.” For more about our work supporting a culture of collaboration, coaching, and innovation in Madison County Schools, check out this article.
We’d love to hear about other examples of innovative work in North Carolina beyond. Leave us a comment below, or reach out to jkorreck@constructivelearningdesign.org with your stories about innovation.
