Davis School District recently welcomed education leaders from across the country participating in The School Superintendents Association (AASA) Innovation for Transformation Consortium. During the recent site visit, participants visited schools, met with district leaders and explored programs designed to support student learning and future success.
Scott Roe, superintendent of High School District 214 in Illinois, reflected on what stood out to him during his time in Davis.
“The people have seemingly real relationships, which at my core, and I think most educators agree, relationships drive learning,” Roe said.
The visit included a leadership panel and conversations with principals and school leadership teams, a tour of Farmington High School, a student and teacher panel at the Davis Catalyst Center and classroom visits at Sunburst Elementary, one of the district's Teacher Academy schools. At each stop, visitors had opportunities to ask questions and hear directly from the people involved in the programs.
Jenny Way, executive director of teaching and learning for Kankakee School District in Illinois, shared why visiting schools in person is an important part of professional learning.
“There's nothing like getting together and actually seeing that in action. So much is lost through a zoom or other ways. Being in the schools, seeing the experience and hearing live from students in the moment what they're doing,” Way said.
At Farmington High School, visitors explored innovative scheduling and learning opportunities. At the Davis Catalyst Center, students and teachers discussed hands-on, career-focused experiences that help students develop technical and professional skills. At Sunburst Elementary, visitors observed classroom instruction and learned about teaching and learning practices across grade levels.
Zachary Ashley, an elementary principal at Beechwood Independent School District in Kentucky, described how connecting with educators beyond his own district creates opportunities for continued growth.
“Yeah, the collaboration is probably the best thing that can happen. So we get siloed sometimes, whether it be in our own districts or in our own states. With this organization, we have the opportunity to not be siloed, but to experience what's happening,” Ashley said.
The AASA Innovation for Transformation Consortium brings education leaders together to explore student-centered learning, real-world skills, strong staff, family and community partnerships and continuous improvement. The site visit gave participants an opportunity to consider how the approaches they observed could inform their own work.
“Not only is [Farmington High School] a very cool, unique, innovative space , but within that space, what they're able to do to offer students the ability to find their pathway and be successful and really take ownership of their learning, which was a really, really cool thing,” Ashley said.
By bringing education leaders together to observe programs, ask questions and exchange ideas, the visit supported the consortium's goal of advancing educational innovation while keeping students at the center of decision-making.