Exploring Opportunities for Innovation with District Administration

This month, District Administration published a Q&A with Britt Magneson, vice president of new business development at the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® (NIHF). The conversation focused on how high-quality curricula and professional development can help transform post-pandemic challenges into opportunities for innovation.

We invite you to read a selection from the Q&A below:

Q: What do you envision being some of the most significant challenges for K-12 educators post-pandemic?

A: Our nation’s teachers have had to bear an unbelievable burden during the pandemic, which has resulted in both anxiety and burnout. They had to move to online instruction so suddenly, with very little preparation or additional resources. Our organization works with many teachers around the country, and they tell us they feel exhausted and burned out.

But on top of that, there is tremendous anxiety because of testing and assessments, and the learning loss students are experiencing. Teachers are wondering how they can address those learning gaps.

Motivation is also a challenge; many teachers are leaving the profession entirely and changing careers. And our students have been changed by this experience. When they return to classrooms, they will be very different kids.

Q: How can administrators address some of these challenges?

A: This is a pivotal moment in education. It is a very challenging and complex time, but this is also an opportunity for real change. We have had unprecedented disruption, but we also have new resources to address these challenges in the form of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and the ESSER Fund. This is a chance to reexamine the purpose of school.

Addressing these challenges requires two main components. First, we need to provide all students with [a] content-rich curriculum and materials built on engagement and hands-on learning. And second, we need to complement that with curriculum-based, high-quality professional development for our teachers.

Providing teachers with a rich array of high-quality materials and curriculum will help restore joy in teaching and go a long way towards reducing burnout while increasing student engagement. The right professional development is vital, but it can’t add to the burden already on teachers.

Read the Entire Q&A with Britt Magneson

To learn more about what type of professional development and invention education techniques Magneson describes above, we invite you to read the full Q&A.