Grand Challenges Ideas

To move forwards, schools need educational leaders who understand the risks and benefits of technology and can help be instructional leaders. There is a need for Technology Institutes to help principals, superintendents, etc. to develop the sort of risk-taking, innovative, creative, and supportive tech leaders that are needed so that they become enablers, not barriers to technology innovation in schools. But they need... more »

A real challenge facing schools is how to support the innovators in their ranks, yet meet the demands of the somewhat unreasonable NCLB requirements. Principals fear taking risks in this climate that is punitive. Instead of a punitive climate which punishes risk-taking, work needs to be done on improving a more innovative, fast-moving, risk-taking climate. Policies which better support this sort of innovation are needed;... more »

Create Innovation Centers for research and development. Teachers and students will co-design curriculum using emerging technologies with the support of community and partners.

Arts education is often used as an enhancement to "core" curricula in Language Math and Technology. In reality the arts and creative activity deploys amazingly well-developed technology and science. From painting to digital animation to musical instruments the Arts is math and science, and artistic practice can be used to give students a window into applied math, technology, and science. Let's stop separating arts and... more »

Schools/Districts/States continue to reinvent the wheel by creating similar Applications to support teaching and learning. We need an open source platform that can support multiple apps, develop new ones, and provide collaboration around instruction.

The Challenge
In rural and small schools, curriculum offerings may be limited by constraints such as staffing, space, and enrollments. As K–12 budgets continue to tighten, a growing number of school districts are looking at expanding "1 to 1 computing" or introducing "bring your own device" (BYOD) strategies as a way to expand mobile and digital learning—allowing for greater access to interactive digital curricula, electronic... more »