More than ever before, educators have access to invaluable data insights to help them make informed decisions about instruction delivery, accessibility, and overall operations. According to LearnPlatform, educational technology (EdTech) usage in K-12 schools has increased by 99% since 2020—with K-12 school districts across The US accessing 1,403 EdTech solutions on average each month.
Despite this, many school leaders lack the knowledge and skills to effectively leverage technology and data analytics into their strategies. This is largely due to a general lack of resources, support, and training for educators keen to understand how to use data to make more informed decisions.
The result? Many K-12 school leaders are unequipped to keep up with today’s fast-evolving educational landscape, which puts their institutions at a competitive disadvantage.
Solutions to challenges facing schools today
As leaders in educational technology, we wanted to create the first educational cohort fostering a community of K-12 school leaders who want to unlock the power of data analytics in their schools. That’s why we’ve launched InnoBeta: An exciting new program empowering school leaders with data literacy training.
The 16-week cohort-based program is delivered through biweekly online sessions led by passionate in-house mentors with a first-hand understanding of the challenges facing charter school leaders today—and the data-driven solutions needed to transform student outcomes and improve school performance. Nick Freeman, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer at Innovare, hopes this mentorship will solve another key problem: Lack of professional development opportunities for educators.
“Professional learning is not a one-time event, it’s an ongoing process.” Says Nick. “Leaders who engage in continuous learning and development are better equipped to tackle new challenges and adapt to changes in the education ecosystem. High-quality professional development opportunities provide leaders with the necessary resources for success in supporting their students and communities, both in the present and the future.”
Through practical tasks, expert instruction, and opportunities for networking and collaboration with other like-minded educators, participants will learn the skills required to transform their school’s outcomes and confidently make data-driven decisions. This includes:
- How to collect, interpret, and organize reliable, high-quality data in real-time for informed decision making (i.e. effectively allocate funding and resources)
- How to create compelling charts, graphs, and other visual aids to communicate data-driven decisions to key stakeholders
- How to analyze data in order to identify trends and draw meaningful conclusions about overall school performance
The program largely focuses on onboarding participants with Inno™, our data and strategic planning app. By aggregating siloed data from student information systems—including standardized test scores, attendance, Google spreadsheets, financial platforms, programmatic outcomes, etc.,—into one personalized dashboard, leaders can make informed, data-driven decisions that have a positive impact on students and communities. The InnoBeta program teaches participants not only how to use and apply the platform in their own educational institutions—but also how to maximize the tool based on each participant’s unique organizational goals. Participants get free access to the platform long after the cohort ends, and can make the most of the tool until June 2024.
Tangible outcomes for K-12 school leaders
With the InnoBeta program, we hope to equip school leaders with everything they need to stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving educational landscape. By the end of the cohort, participants will receive a certificate of completion and be able to demonstrate their ability to effectively leverage innovative technologies in their educational institutions—a skill they can confidently take into the next school year.
Participants will also be able to use the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired to create a data driven culture in their organization, leading to positive outcomes like:
- Better allocation of funding and resources
- More fluid communication between teams, parents, and stakeholders
- Accelerated learning and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic
“InnoBeta is a crucial investment in the future of education.” Says Fer, co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Innovare. “We’re co-designing technology and data tools with education leaders to ensure our products are human-centered and solving real problems. By providing education leaders with the tools, resources, community, and support they need to harness the power of technology and data, we’re setting them up for success and empowering them to drive positive change within their organizations and beyond.”
The program is open to charter and traditional public school districts. To participate, K-12 school leaders must apply as part of a team of three; which includes a data professional and administrative worker. The cohort will start in mid May, and wrap up in August 2023. To apply, head here!
