Smart Cities Spur Innovations in Learning

The Smart Cities blog series cataloged innovations in learning in America’s great cities—great schools, leading universities, entrepreneurs, innovative companies, and impact investors.  This summer we’ll be updating all of those posts, so let us know what we missed.
We’re writing a Smart Cities book about the findings of this ethnographic survey of innovation diffusion—an expansion the early observations. Boiled down, there are five main conclusions:

• Every person, organization, and region needs to get smart—to skill up, learn more, and build new capacities faster and cheaper than ever;
• Innovative new tools and schools are making that possible everywhere
• Innovation starts with a mindset that can be developed in every classroom and every city
• Innovation is scaled by leaders that develops talent, and align partnerships and investments for collective impact
• Innovation is sustained by advocacy and policy

In September we’ll publish a Smart Cities book. This book will outline the 7 keys to education and employment:

1. Innovation Mindset: classroom to city;
2. Sustained Leadership: building political capital to create a portfolio of options;
3. Talent Development: preparing and developing great teachers, leaders, and edupreneurs;
4. Collective Impact: partnerships and community engagements;
5. Aligned Investments: public and private investment;
6. New Tools & Schools: rationale for new schools, overview of new tools, connecting teachers and technology;
7. Advocacy & Policy: pro-growth, pro-achievement, pro-readiness, pro-employability, and pro-innovation.
   

We appreciate the 50+ thought leaders that have contributed a blog to the effort and we look forward to Smart Cities conversations this fall.