Developing an Innovation Ecosystem for Education

Abstract

Cisco is a technology company with a passion for innovation and education. So we were fascinated and inspired by “Learning from the Extremes, ” a recent paper from Charlie Leadbeater and Annika Wong. Its core argument is that the developed world has much to learn from entrepreneurial approaches to providing learning opportunities found in the developing world. This is an important and valuable insight for education leaders around the world. In our work with education leaders we often see a significant gap between inspiring stories and examples, and the reality of leading and driving improvement education while managing political, cultural, and financial pressures. Those pressures have never been more challenging. We have recognized that leaders who want to transform education systems, who are on the road to ”Education 3.0, ” need to steer not only their formal school system but also a wider ecosystem of new providers, cultural organizations, and new opportunities for informal learning. They need to be able to harness the power of innovative approaches, to learn from what works. Leadbeater and Wong looked at innovative responses to very different circumstances and contexts to see whether these provide ideas about how we could solve common root problems and support different modes of learning. They look at how we can incorporate innovative principles and practices within the structures and approaches needed to operate a whole system effectively.