With just one month left before the deadline to submit an innovation to be part of the HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh, we're excited to see the response from education innovators in our community who are ready to share their story with the world.
Since launching the Spotlight in December 2018, we've hosted 6 in-person workshops throughout the region, recorded a live webinar for folks who were unable to join us in person, and presented at 4 community partner events.
Through all this outreach, we've had a chance to talk to more than 150 members of our community. They've asked some great questions, so we thought it would make sense to gather them together in one place. So consider this your "Frequently Asked Questions" page for the HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh.
And don't forget, the deadline to submit an innovation for consideration in the HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh is Friday, March 15th. Get started at hundred.org/pittsburgh.
Here goes.
Can I submit more than one innovation to the HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh?
Yes, you can. However, before you do, you should know that you'll be competing against yourself. The HundrED Spotlight on Pittsburgh is a competition and only the 10 most inspiring innovations will be selected for the Spotlight collection. Given all the amazing innovation happening in the region, the Spotlight collection will seek to be as representative as possible. This means it's unlikely that it will include more than one innovation from a single individual or organization.
Who will select the 10 innovations for the Spotlight collection?
That's a great question, and one we got a lot. The 10 innovations will be selected by a local advisory committee made up of educators, students, community leaders, learning researchers, tech developers and more. These folks know the Pittsburgh context and will represent a diverse cross-section of the region's stakeholders. Sunanna Chand, director of Remake Learning, is chairing the committee. We'll be announcing the list of decision makers soon.
HundrED's research team will also have a role in reviewing all eligible submissions to ensure they meet the thresholds of quality that HundrED looks for when it comes to innovativeness, impact, and scalability.
What criteria are used to make decisions?
Each eligible innovation will be scored based on HundrED's search criteria, which seeks education innovations that are:
- Innovative, meaning they cause a valuable improvement within their context
- Impactful, meaning they have been established for at least a year and have demonstrable evidence
- Scalable, meaning they are adaptable to new environments and innovators have a commitment to scale
How do I know if my approach is innovative?
As you can see in past HundrED collections, Innovation can take many forms. The HundrED platform includes educational programs, ed-tech products, classroom lesson plans, teacher training modules, and more. What counts as innovative is that the approach makes a noticeable improvement within its context and that it has the potential to be a model for similar approaches in other contexts.
What kind of impact is HundrED looking for?
HundrED is seeking and sharing innovations that help children flourish, and have some evidence to back up how they're doing that. For example, you don't need to post test scores if you're focused on making an impact on your students' social and emotional learning. What you need to show is evidence that you're approach is making positive progress on achieving your intended outcomes. So if the best way to show that is through student surveys and testimonials, or stories you collect, or examples of work created by students, that all works.
What does it mean to scale an education innovation?
You don't have to turn your neighborhood program into a global phenomenon. Scaling education innovation is all about sharing and spreading what works. So this can mean packaging up your approach in a way that helps your peers around the world take what you've done and apply it in their local context. Your commitment to scalability is your commitment to sharing what you've learned with your colleagues around the world.
Should my submission be about my whole school/organization, or about a single program/project we do?
We were asked this question at every workshop. It seems to be something many people are wrestling with. Our advice has been to make a balanced decision based on a couple of factors:
- Proximity to learners: The part of your work that is closest to the kids is probably the one to focus on
- Potential for others to do what you've done: District-wide transformations are difficult for someone to bite off all at once, so consider picking a "starting point" as your innovation
How long will it take me to complete a submission?
As long as you want it to! You can fill in the basic fields very quickly, but to really do justice to your innovation, it will likely take you several hours to produce a complete and high-quality submission. The HundrED platform saves your work as you progress, so don't feel like you need to get it done in just one sitting. Also, don't wait until March 14th to get started!
How can I get help with my submission?
You can email pittsburgh@hundred.org with questions or to ask for draft review. Please send your draft submission no later than March 5th to allow for enough time for draft review.
Why is the submission platform not working?
It might be because you're using Microsoft Edge as your browser. Try using a compatible browser like Firefox.