Launching SAUSD’s Innovation Catalyst Collective (ICC)

Welcome to “Amplifying Tomorrow,” a chronicle of our journey into the future of education at Santa Ana Unified School District. I’m excited to share our experiences as we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of teaching and learning, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and innovative technologies.

Our story begins with our visionary superintendent, who consistently challenged us to embrace emerging technologies like AI and the metaverse. Initially, these concepts seemed distant, but as we began to explore their potential, we realized the profound impact they could have on education. His persistent encouragement to try new tools and explore AI’s potential for efficiency and effectiveness planted the seeds for our current initiatives.

A turning point came when I attended the Foresight Essentials training by the Institute for the Future, alongside our Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Lorraine Perez. This experience was transformative, immersing us in strategic foresight tools and methodologies. We collaborated with diverse, talented individuals from around the world, learning to identify drivers, signals, and then to develop forecasts that would shape education’s future. It was during this training that we began to fully grasp the rapid technological changes on the horizon and their implications for teaching and learning.

This training crystallized an idea that had been forming: we needed a systems approach to innovation. Thus, the Innovation Catalyst Collective (ICC) was born. The ICC isn’t just a committee; it’s a carefully curated group of our district’s most innovative thinkers – educators and administrators who understand that our current approaches may not adequately prepare students for the future workforce. These are individuals who are not only open to change but are actively seeking new ways to approach their work and embrace technological advancements.

To ensure a strong foundation, we’re investing in comprehensive training for all ICC members. This includes foresight essentials, equity work, improvement science, design thinking, and results-based accountability. Our goal is to create a shared language and toolkit for innovation across the district, enabling us to approach challenges and opportunities with a unified, forward-thinking mindset.

Within the ICC, we’ve established “Curiosity Crews” – specialized teams tackling specific aspects of our innovation agenda. For instance, our Policy Curiosity Crew is leading the rollout of our AI Compass, a framework for ethical and responsible AI implementation in education. This crew is tasked with implementing guidelines and guardrails to ensure that we leverage AI’s potential while maintaining our commitment to equity and ethical practices.

We’ve also designated “Influence Architects” within the ICC, responsible for communicating our work to various stakeholders, from the Board of Education to community partners. This ensures transparency and builds support for our initiatives, helping to create a shared vision for the future of education in our district.

The ICC has six primary goals, each critical to our mission of transforming education for the future:

  1. Foster Future-Ready Education: We’re dedicated to preparing our district for upcoming educational challenges and opportunities. This involves embracing changes in teaching and learning that anticipate future workforce needs and technological advancements. We’re rethinking curriculum, pedagogy, and learning environments to ensure our students are equipped with the skills and mindsets they’ll need in a rapidly changing world.
  2. Incorporate Strategic Foresight: A key goal is to embed strategic foresight into the district’s planning processes. We’re using tools and methodologies from experts like the Institute for the Future to understand potential future scenarios and their implications for education. This allows us to be proactive rather than reactive, anticipating changes and preparing for multiple possible futures.
  3. Co-create Innovative Solutions: The collective aims to bring together diverse voices from within the district to co-create solutions that address emerging educational needs. This includes developing a shared understanding of drivers of change and their impact on education, leveraging the unique insights of educators, administrators, and other stakeholders. We believe that the best solutions come from collaborative efforts that draw on a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
  4. Strengthen Equity and Inclusivity: We’re committed to ensuring that our future educational strategies and initiatives are equitable and inclusive. This involves identifying impacts and solutions that specifically address equity considerations, ensuring all students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. We’re particularly focused on how AI and other technologies can be leveraged to reduce educational disparities rather than exacerbate them.
  5. Develop a Strategic Blueprint: The ICC’s activities are geared towards developing a robust blueprint that guides the district in implementing changes aligned with our evolved graduate profile and the broader educational landscape expectations for the coming decades. This blueprint will serve as our roadmap, helping us navigate the complex intersection of education, technology, and societal change.
  6. Encourage Active Participation and Collaboration: The Collective seeks to actively engage its members in ongoing learning and development opportunities, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. We’re creating a community of practice where ideas can be shared, tested, and refined, and where innovation becomes a part of our district’s DNA.

I’m thrilled to report that when we extended invitations to 50 of our most innovative staff members, every single one accepted. This enthusiastic response underscores the appetite for change and the commitment to innovation within our district. It’s a testament to the shared vision and excitement about the potential to transform education.

As we embark on this journey, “Amplifying Tomorrow” will serve as our log, documenting our successes, challenges, and lessons learned. We’ll share our insights, methodologies, and outcomes, hoping to contribute to the broader conversation about the future of education. We’ll be transparent about our processes, including how we’re using AI tools, implementing our AI Compass, and integrating strategic foresight into our daily operations.

We invite you to engage with us, share your own experiences, and join in this collaborative effort to shape the future of learning. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, technologist, or simply someone passionate about the future of education, your insights and perspectives are valuable to us. Together, we can create an education system that truly prepares our students for the world they’ll inherit.

Stay tuned as we navigate this exciting frontier in education. We’ll be sharing regular updates on our progress, deep dives into specific initiatives, and reflections on the challenges and opportunities we encounter along the way. The future is unfolding before us, and we’re ready to meet it head-on, with innovation, equity, and strategic foresight as our guiding principles.