WHO CAN APPLY FOR COHORTS?
Any Virginia division may apply individually or in collaboration with up to two more divisions.
WHAT WILL THE COST BE TO PARTICIPATE AS A TEAM IN THE VIRGINIA LEADS INNOVATION NETWORK?
The four professional development Institute meetings and additional webinars, virtual and site visit coaching are reasonably priced at $2500 for an individual or $7500 for a team of 5-7 members. School divisions also are responsible only for travel and/or lodging expenses if any are incurred.
WHEN WILL WE KNOW IF OUR TEAM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED?
No later than July of each year.
WHAT WILL COHORT SESSIONS BE LIKE?
Sessions are designed to scaffold the inherent competencies and knowledge of team members and provide useful resources, work time, and knowledge development through differentiated and customized learning models. Intentional active engagement of participants is a must, and the expectation is that Lead Innovation Teams will work closely with the expert coach and exit each Institute session with specific and useful next steps for work in their divisions to amplify deeper learning, equity, and learner engagement essential to the outcomes of the Profile of a Virginia Graduate.
WHO WILL FACILITATE COHORT SESSIONS?
VaLIN partners with Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) to provide engaging, highly personalized learning experiences for Cohort participants. In consultation with other VaLIN partners such as VaSCL, VASCD, VASS, and key educator leaders, the ALP coaching team builds the curriculum outline for the network but seeks input as the process occurs to evolve the work based upon feedback from prior Lead Innovation Team participants. They believe customization and personalization is key to the successful implementation of work by the Lead Innovation Teams.
HOW WILL THE FACILITATORS ASSESS THE NEEDS OF LEAD INNOVATION TEAMS IN ORDER TO SUPPORT CUSTOMIZED, PERSONALIZED TEAM WORK?
The facilitators will build both formal and informal needs assessment time into sessions so that team members can share local priorities, focus areas, challenges, and opportunities as well as give feedback on what they need from the Network curriculum and facilitators to ensure meaningful time for team members and collaborative teams to work together. This information will be used to inform and differentiate teamwork activity during sessions as well as through the reflective coaching model used by the ALP Team.
WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS AND OUTCOMES FROM THE TEAMS?
Each team will identify a problem of practice and priorities based upon the Profile of a Virginia Graduate expectations. While we realize there are no one-size-fits-all solutions, the network teams will be responsible for:
Identifying and Expanding local access to equitable learning experiences and increased student agency priorities related to the Profile outcomes.
Implementing local priority actions over the next two years that lead to increased innovation in local school communities in support of the Profile outcomes.
Documenting changes essential to local transformation of best practices, strategies, structures, and resources that will deepen learning, expand equity, and increase learner engagement.
Determining and using assessments and evaluation metrics to assess local growth in accomplishing the expectations outlined in bullets above.
WHAT IF MORE THAN 35 TEAMS APPLY?
We hope we will have room for every team that wishes to participate. Teams will be notified by July each year of acceptance. If more than 35 Lead Innovation Teams apply, we will use the following criteria to make decisions about acceptance of teams for the cohort to ensure diversity and representation of all regions of Virginia:
Geographic Location (rural, urban, suburban)
Superintendents’ Region (1-8)
Size of the Division (small, medium, large)
Demographics of the Division
Composition of the Lead Innovation Team (stakeholder representation)
Priorities/strategies clearly focused on Profile of a Virginia Graduate implementation that support deeper learning, student engagement, and equity.
The application review team will make follow-up contact as needed regarding submitted applications.
ARE TEAMS REQUIRED TO HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS?
No. Individual division teams must include at least five, but no more than seven, regular members. Partnered divisions will need to form one collaborative team of no more than five to seven regular members total. It is important to have a team leader from a central office who is at an assistant superintendent or director level. The team leader serves as a point person for communication with VaLIN and the superintendent about the ongoing network focus. The team leader also leads team strategy and champions local innovation work at the division level. Team leaders participate in up to five virtual one-hour sessions to debrief and assist in planning next steps for network activities.
IS THE VIRGINIA LEADS INNOVATION NETWORK ONLY TARGETED TO A SPECIFIC LEVEL SUCH AS HIGH SCHOOL?
No. While a team may focus on transformational change efforts at a specific level such as high school, developing the competencies associated with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate must start long before a student reaches high school. Teams will target local priorities that purposefully advance strategies, best practices, and structural changes essential to student attainment of outcomes associated with the Profile of a Virginia Graduate. This work may impact any and all levels of schools in a community, not just high schools.