Which western PA school districts have been named to the League of Innovative Schools?

Maybe you’ve seen a banner at your child’s school and you’ve wondered what the League of Innovative Schools is all about. It’s a collection of more than 150 school districts around the country that have been singled out by the education nonprofit Digital Promise for providing powerful learning opportunities to their students.

Digital Promise explains that one thread connecting all of the chosen districts is “a commitment to ensuring students receive the instruction, resources, and support they need to succeed and thrive not only academically but holistically.”

A total of 12 schools in our region are now included.

Nine of these schools had already been named to the League of Innovative Schools prior to this year, and were included once again this year. They are: Avonworth, Baldwin-Whitehall, California, Elizabeth Forward, Fox Chapel, Hampton, Northgate, Shaler and South Fayette.

And three additional districts have been added this year: They are Duquesne, Quaker Valley and South Allegheny.

As they evaluated schools to be included this year, Digital Promise looked at four key factors:

• Vision and key achievements
• Potential for impacting students learning and educational leadership
• Openness to networking and knowledge sharing
• Demonstrated commitment to racial, digital, and educational equity

In announcing this year’s cohort, Digital Promise emphasized the importance of equitable access to powerful learning opportunities, and mentioned that they see this in districts like Quaker Valley:

“All high school students in Quaker Valley School District,” Digital Promise wrote, “have the opportunity to participate in self-directed learning (SDL) experiences. This unique and innovative program allows students to engage in developing knowledge and skills in an area of personal interest outside of the traditional academic setting. Students may design experiences that extend into the community through job shadow studies, internships, apprenticeships, and service-learning opportunities, or participate in an established program or activity. These experiences develop students’ self-awareness and ability to articulate personal goals and interests while bridging the gap between classroom learning and real-world learning.”

To learn more about the League of Innovative Schools, you can explore the District Map (you’ll find details on our 12 local schools there) and the schools’ Innovation Portfolios.