We incubate innovative projects that can be implemented at scale across North Carolina and across the nation. We do this by rethinking, reimagining and redesigning.
The Innovation Project at Work
The Innovation Project is committed to re-shaping workforce systems to foster a sustainable and rewarding working environment, the development of personalized learning structures that leverage technology, and driving a transformative shift in learning environments. Through partnerships that harness the power of technology, we aim to create a comprehensive ecosystem that provides greater access and opportunity for students to achieve their academic and career goals through a more engaging and effective educational experience.
RETHINKING
TIP provides space for district leaders to “unlearn” and rethink foundational assumptions about K-12 education that have shaped existing systems, programs, and policies.
REIMAGINING
Our members work together to “see around corners,” envisioning the future of public education and bringing bold, visionary approaches to solving education’s most vexing challenges.
REDESIGNING
More than just visionary thinkers, TIP members work together as a community of doers, designing programs and partnerships to build a more equitable and learner-centered future.
Our Priorities
Reimagining the Educator Workforce
TIP is committed to re-shaping workforce systems to foster a sustainable and rewarding working environment. Harnessing the power of technology to help align compensation, collaboration, professional growth, and scheduling strategies with contemporary workforce trends, we aim to mitigate burnout, improve retention, and elevate the teaching profession’s appeal.
Accelerating Learning & Pathways to Post-Secondary Success
TIP is focused on the development of personalized learning structures that leverage technology to identify and address individual student needs. We aim to create a comprehensive ecosystem that provides greater access and opportunity for students to achieve their academic and career goals through targeted interventions, mentorship, and early exposure to higher education and industry opportunities.
Pioneering New Learning Environments
TIP is driving a transformative shift in learning environments, partnering with design engineers and member districts to develop innovative spaces that seamlessly integrate technology, pedagogy, and collaboration. These intelligent designs will redefine modern teaching and learning, fostering a more engaging and effective educational experience.
A Diverse Portfolio of Programs
With support from an $11 million grant from the USDOE, TIP worked with 79 schools across 8 rural districts to elevate the most effective teachers, leverage their knowledge to increase the capacity of other teachers, and implement recruitment and retention strategies to ensure a robust pipeline of high-capacity teachers and principals. A partnership with NCCU provided support for educators to earn their MSA and then serve as principals in their home districts.
Funded by NCDPI and in partnership with Public Impact, two cohorts of districts are designing and implementing new models in which excellent teachers lead teams and teach students across districts and schools. The second cohort is incorporating teacher apprenticeships into the model. In addition to the nine districts in our cohorts, nine other TIP member districts are also implementing Advanced Teaching Roles.
Working with the TIP member districts and national design experts, we are examining NC’s education infrastructure and construction guidelines to make recommendations to help reshape the future of learning.
With generous funding from the Belk Foundation and with a priority focus on small rural districts, Restart schools in TIP districts are designing strategies that focus on a broader vision of a new educator workforce. TIP’s process emphasizes the critical role of time, roles, scheduling, collaboration and compensation.
A $6M grant from the Leon Levine Foundation is supporting a tutoring initiative that brings together The Innovation Project, Accelerate and 10 school districts across North and South Carolina to bring high -impact, tech enabled tutoring to more students, strengthen state policy, support district-level implementation, and foster coalition building and knowledge sharing across the region.
TIP is partnering with Modern Classrooms Project to advance innovative, student-centered, math instruction in select member districts. Districts partner with Modern Classroom Project to create flexible classrooms where students use teacher-created videos, work one-on-one and in small groups with teachers, and also work independently and at their own pace to master concepts and accelerate learning. Learn more at Modern Classrooms Project
The TIP Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Network provides districts access to approved apprenticeship pathways, high-quality partners, free tools, and a statewide learning community. Network members work together to problem-solve challenges, improve retention and grow their own teacher talent.
TIP Districts are working with our partners at K-12 Coalition to apply the practice of zero-based budgeting. Rather than just adjusting previous budgets for the following year, this discipline helps individual schools, departments and the district overall build budgets from scratch that align resources with the most important strategic goals and eliminate unnecessary spending.