As the authors state, “Without rethinking how, what, when, where, and why we are teaching, technology will merely be an expensive way of making the existing system faster and flashier.” In How to Innovate, Mary Moss Brown and Alisa Berger - founding co-principals of the NYC iSchool - apply their extensive on-the-ground experience to demonstrate a radically different approach to school transformation. They introduce a scalable model of how schools can and should redefine themselves to better meet the needs of 21st century students. Using a framework built around four critical levers for school change - curriculum, culture, time, and human capital - the NYC iSchool model merges the teaching of big ideas and valuable skills with the realities of accountability, academic preparation, and adolescent development. The book includes more than 20 activities that will help educators begin the process of school transformation, whether they want to focus on a single programme, one area of change, or engage in a full-scale whole school improvement effort. This accessible, practical, and inspiring resource is designed to be used over and over again, in any context, despite the constantly changing climates in which schools operate.

Mary Moss Brown and Alisa Berger are the founding co-principals of the NYC iSchool and are currently working as the founding partners in Novare Schools, a consulting group that focuses on school leader coaching, school design, innovation, and transformation.