Sparking Innovation in Response to Teacher Needs

Sometimes, innovation requires a push. A program supporting teachers across West Virginia works to do just that. The West Virginia Public Education Collaborative (WVPEC) housed at West Virginia University “is a non-partisan collaborative of diverse state and national leaders committed to championing public education at all levels through outreach and innovation while engaging government, education and business leaders to rapidly respond to emerging issues.” Among WVPEC’s goals is an aim at elevating and expanding existing initiatives. Its Teacher Innovation Mini-Grant program does just that. From 198 applications requiring teachers to explain how their project would “address post-COVID-19 learning, and how will these classroom enhancements become permanent classroom innovations,” WVPEC announced 23 projects for Summer 2023. In partnership with the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, WVPEC was able to award $4,000 in funding to each recipient. Projects span pre-k through 12th grade and fall within the categories of career and technical education, ELA, STEAM, Special Education, and Family Engagement. As a result of WVPEC’s efforts to listen to and better understand what teachers need in order to innovate, the program is set to spark teacher-led innovation across the state.