NEASC2024

In today's VUCA world, fostering a community of educational leaders with a shared mission to meet the needs of all students is crucial. This aligns with Inventure Academy's core purpose that states, we 'empower learners to realize their full potential, ignite positive change and create a positive impact. The term "learners" implies not only students but also teachers and educational leaders. To achieve this ambitious goal, Inventure Academy's Leadership Development Programme (Ignite Change) supports cultivating a community of leaders who believe in using entrepreneurial data-based approaches, engaging in productive and difficult conversations to solve critical problems that have been collectively identified by faculty and leaders, in order to enable student agency & engagement, personalized & differentiated learning for both students and faculty. We would like to share our program design, share some examples from this program and its impact on the school's learning architecture, culture and environment.

There is unlimited learning potential when students and teachers work collaboratively to create an environment that is open and affirming for everyone. Join this session to experience tools and strategies for elevating student voice in any school. From a case study at the International School of Helsinki, we will share what students consider the most pressing jobs to be done to improve our school cultures. Using these student generated ideas and design thinking protocols you will envision the steps that students can take to build healthy learning environments. Through these activities we will consider the benefits for students when they: engage in design thinking around community issues; listen to each other to appreciate diverse perspectives and build relationships; and take action in the community to express their ideas and initiate change. Participants will be inspired to consider opportunities to spark and sustain inclusive student involvement in their unique school environments.

This panel presentation will discuss strategies we are using at Sacopee Valley High School, a small, rural, high school in western Maine, to help our students develop civility, empathy, and the ability to discuss difficult topics despite differences. A framework we adopted prior to the 2023-2024 school year called the Seven Principles of Constructive Dialogue will be shared and discussed. Specific materials and policies governing topics such as teaching controversial topics and responding to bias-related incidents will be shared. Emphasis will be placed not just on policy language but the manner in which policies are publicized and consistently followed. Session attendees will be asked to discuss selected issues in table groups and share their school/district contexts and responses to problems and situations related to these topics.