Enhancing capacity for innovation within the York Region District School Board
Subject
design thinking; employee empowerment; innovation; modern learning; prototyping; student empowermentAbstract
The York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is the third largest school district in the Province of Ontario. The Board is situated within York Region, one of the fastest growing communities within the Greater Toronto area. The needs of the 21st century learner are vastly different from the industrial age upon which the current education system was founded. As an education system tasked with preparing learners for the future, innovation has been named a foundational practice. Leaders within the organization are actively pursuing improved capacity for innovation and examining what innovation in education means. The goal of this inquiry was to reflect on the current capacity for innovation within the YRDSB, understand what organizational factors promote and inhibit innovation, and consider what would increase the YRDSB's capacity for innovation in a more systematic way. This inquiry adhered to Royal Roads University Research Ethics Policy and utilized the action research engagement model with an appreciative stance. Specific methods used included two photovoice focus groups, and seven individual interviews. Participants included an interdisciplinary group of Regional employees working out of a common location, as well as members of the middle management and senior leadership teams. The findings and subsequent recommendations highlighted the need for a common understanding of innovation within the YRDSB, uncovered assets that could be more intentionally utilized, and identified key innovation-promoting structures, processes, and leadership behaviours. An innovation framework is proposed to support the YRDSB in moving forward its innovation agenda.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
It will be our own: Community empowerment in the North
Murchie, Graham (Canadian Institute of Planners, 1999)The establishment of Nunavut overshadowed another story of empowerment, that of the Community Empowerment program. This was initiated in 1996 to break the "vicious cycle of dependency and despair" afflicting the ... -
The community library as site of education and empowerment for women: Insights from rural Uganda
Jones, Shelley (Libri, 2009)Community libraries in developing countries can be important sites of knowledge exchange and acquisition for women with little or no formal education living in communities characterized by extreme poverty and gender ... -
Making Lemonade : examining female empowerment through visual music media
Gass, Rebecca Joelle (2020-09-30)This research study explores popular culture through visual music media, specifically Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album titled Lemonade. Through a social constructionist lens, a phenomenological approach, and by incorporating ...