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The Innovative Schools Program6i Process Paper 01: An Introduction

“Education is key to economic development and competitiveness. It’s key to fostering the so-

cial and economic conditions needed for entrepreneurs to succeed, for workers to prosper in

the knowledge economy and for everyone to realize their full potential. Microsoft is commit-

ted to helping strengthen education by working in partnership with educators, policymakers

and students around the world.”

—Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, speaking at the Worldwide

Innovative Schools Program launch on January 31, 2007,

in Edinburgh, Scotland

It seems obvious: Around the globe, education is crucial to main-taining competitiveness, promoting economic opportunity and fostering strong communities. Yet schools everywhere face sig-nificant challenges as they strive to remain relevant in the midst of social change and evolving marketplaces. Microsoft is com-mitted to helping change this situation—to breaking down the barriers that prevent educators from preparing our students for success in the new century. We know that it takes more than put-ting computers in the classrooms, funding school construction or providing global answers to local questions. That’s why we’ve introduced the Innovative Schools Program.

The Innovative Schools Program: 6i Process Paper 01: An Introduction

The Innovative Schools Program (ISP) is part of a larger Microsoft ini-tiative called Partners in Learning that works with governments, ministries of education and other key stakeholders in more than 100 countries to offer a spectrum of educa-tion resources—including tools, programs and practices—that help make technology in education a powerful catalyst for learning. The Innovative Schools Program guides local schools and school systems through the complex process of holistic school reform and, most importantly, delivers an actionable roadmap for technology integration to help these schools realize their vision for education.

The Innovative Schools Program �The Innovative Schools Program �

The key elements of the Innovative Schools Program are as follows:

Breaking down barriers. Microsoft is committed to breaking down the economic and social barriers that prevent educators from preparing students for success in the �1st century.A worldwide effort. The Innovative Schools Pro-gram delivers an actionable roadmap for technol-ogy integration to help participating schools realize their vision for education.A two-year commitment from each school. Over the course of two years, participating schools tar-get four main goals: creating a public-private part-nership, developing curriculum, creating dialogue among education professionals, and encouraging economic and community development through education.Creating a process for change. Participating schools are guided by a development process that finds the right answers for that particular school and then provides an effective framework for deci-sion making.Microsoft is committed to sharing the outcomes and lessons learned from the Innovative Schools Program with schools around the world. To this end, we are creating publicly available resources to en-sure that other schools can adopt all or some of the methods and practices from this and other Partners in Learning projects.

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For more information, see the Innovative Schools Web site at www.microsoft.com/education/innovativeschools.mspx or join the Innovative Schools Network community at http://innovativeschoolsonline.com.

What Is a 21st Century School?

Societies in the new millennium are increasingly distinct from those of the �0th century. The rate of change is ac-celerating, with new knowledge being acquired and new discoveries being made at a pace never before seen. A global economy has emerged in which knowledge and technological prowess are key drivers of competitiveness and emerging markets.

How are schools changing to reflect this broader transfor-mation of society? Twenty-first century schools are striving to equip students with knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed in the changing world. At its core, this new skill set involves problem solving, critical thinking, collabo-ration and communication skills. Schools are developing students’ abilities and dispositions so they can be adaptive, innovative lifelong learners. The hallmarks of �1st-century education are personalization of learning and a relevant curriculum that affords opportunities for authentic prob-lem solving, collaboration and independent learning.

Creating this learning environment requires school-wide transformation. Teachers, administrators and community

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partners are taking on new roles and developing the lead-ership skills needed to support students. Effective uses of information technology are needed to promote learning and monitor achievement. And in �1st-century schools, learning spaces are being designed to encourage the new types of learning activities, which are too constrained in traditional closed classroom spaces.

Characteristics of Participating Schools

The schools in the Innovative Schools Program were cho-sen through a rigorous application process focused on their education leadership, their vision for learning and the roles that students, educators, curriculum and technology play in that vision. Located all over the globe, these schools serve their students in diverse geographical, cultural and economic environments, but they have several characteris-tics in common—characteristics that you might recognize.

A vision for education that includes: Preparation for life after schoolPersonalization of learning, including a diverse curriculum model that motivates students and appeals to different learning stylesEmpowerment of students to direct their own learning, with educators taking a new role as mentors or coaches to help guide the learning process

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Distributed leadership for sustainability and system-wide acceptance of change. Participating schools recognize the importance of getting buy-in for change from across the system. This includes tri-lev-el leadership—national government, local author-ity/district and school leadership. It also includes a diverse leadership team within the school, including administrators, teachers and even students, as well as incorporating the community into the school re-form process. This ensures that changes will be sup-ported at every level and will be sustained even if the leadership changes.Use of technology as a catalyst for these changes. These schools view technology as one of the tools needed to accomplish their goals. Technology is not an end in itself; rather, it is employed to support and enhance teaching and student learning.Desire to learn from others and from Microsoft’s ex-periences. Schools accepted into the program have a strong desire to look outside their own systems and countries and learn both from other schools in the program and from Microsoft.

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The Innovative Schools Program �

Twelve Locations, Limitless Possibilities

Al-Bayan Independent School for GirlsDoha, QatarIndependent secondary school (ages 15–17)�8� students

Bjorknas SchoolNacka, SwedenPublic primary and secondary school (ages 6–16)1,000 students

Bowring Community Sports CollegeHuyton, Knowsley, United KingdomPublic secondary school (ages 11–16)665 students

Centro Educacional Erasmo Escala ArriagadaSantiago, ChilePublic primary and secondary school (ages 9–18)��6 students

Dunshaughlin Community SchoolCounty Meath, IrelandPublic secondary school (ages 1�–18)9�0 students

École ChateaudunAmiens, FrancePublic primary school (ages �–11)��0 students

Escuela Secundaria Tecnica Estatal No.12Hermosillo, Sonora, MexicoPublic secondary school (ages 1�–15)67� Students

Fung Kai No.2 Primary SchoolSheung Shui, New Territories, Hong Kong SARPublic primary school (ages 6–1�)5�0 students

Instituto Escola LumiarSão Paulo, BrazilPrivate primary school (ages �–15)1�0 students

Literacy@SchoolOntario, CanadaPublic primary and secondary school (ages 5–18)600 students OttobrunnMunich, GermanyPublic secondary school (ages 10–18)1,�00 students

Ritaharjun YhtenaisperuskouluNorthern Oulu, FinlandPublic primary and secondary school (ages 7–16)700 students

For more information on participating schools, see www.microsoft.com/education/innovativeschoolsmembers.mspx.

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The Innovative Schools 6i Process

The Innovative Schools 6i Process provides an effective framework for decision making that guides each school in finding the right answers for that particular school.

Introspection: Develop a supported vision for school change and define �1st-century learning inside a local context. Explore the process of innovative school design and the leadership necessary to initiate and sustain the design changes. Begin to establish pedagogy, culture, project benchmarks and overall success metrics. These will be revisited and refined through all subsequent phases of the 6i Process. Investigation: Research and identify best practices and innovations within other educational models from the perspective of curriculum, instruction and leadership. Cultivate relationships with advisors locally, nationally and internationally to aid in discovery and prioritization processes.Inclusion: Develop collaborative relationships and feedback mechanisms with the larger community to further develop the vision for change, including key leaders and other stakeholders, government officials, parents and other schools. Learn from community members and leverage community resources, and through this process begin to explore the sustainability and scalability of change.

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Innovation: Evaluate what has been learned up to this point to determine the innovations that will bring the school’s goals to fruition. Consider best methods and ideas in all areas, including curriculum, pedagogy, leadership, technology and learning space design. Implementation: Put ideas and planning into practice. Activities and duration will vary by school and might include learning space construction, professional development, creation of the technology infrastructure and piloting of new practices. Insight: Reflect on the experiences throughout the change process and review outcomes in relation to your school’s revised benchmarks and success metrics. Develop new processes for continued change and begin to think about how the school’s successes can scale to other, similar schools.

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The remaining six white papers in this series explore the phases of the 6i Process, starting with Introspec-

tion and concluding with Insight. While each phase occupies a particular part of the two-year program,

the papers also highlight how each subsequent phase involves participants revisiting the key issues of

prior phases to refine ideas as their understanding grows. The papers also show how the process allows

flexibility for schools to progress through phases at their own pace.

The Innovative Schools Program 6

the 6i process

“To educate is to give every child the chance to blossom—to give everyone the

same opportunities, to give every future citizen the capacity to make considered and

thoughtful choices.”

—École Chateaudun

To Learn More

For more information about the Microsoft Innovative Schools program, visit www.microsoft.com/education/innovativeschools.mspx.

For more information about Partners in Learning, visit www.microsoft.com/partnersinlearning.

Acknowledgments Microsoft Corporation collaborated with a team of learning scientists from the LIFE Center at the University of Washington’s College of Education in developing 6i process content and drafting these white papers.

University of WashingtonDr. John BransfordDr. Nancy VyeAllison MooreHank Clark

Microsoft CorporationKristen WeatherbyMary Meucci

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