With Lessons Learned in Singapore, InspirED Global Fellowship Seeks to Innovate Learning

The InspirED Global Fellowship from Sands partner Nevada Succeeds is progressing through its three-phased approach to learning from Singapore’s education system to develop innovations to implement in Nevada schools. The Fellowship, through financial support from Sands, is using lessons from Singapore’s internationally lauded education system to inspire innovations for Nevada’s schools – bringing together two of the company’s business regions and advancing our dedication to being responsible corporate citizens in our home communities.

Phase 1 of the Fellowship, the Empathize phase, finds the first cohort of the Fellowship—Design Team 1—reading and debriefing research related to building equity, excellence and well-being in education. “My research has brought me toward understanding the value of putting equity and excellence at the center of our work,” said InspirED Fellow and elementary educator Camille Wesson. “I’m learning strategies to keep students engaged moment to moment.”

Design Team 1 has been conducting one-on-one “empathy” interviews with local students, educators, families, business community leaders and policy makers to better understand the strengths and opportunities to innovate meaningful next steps for Nevada. School principal and InspirED Fellow Roxanne James said it’s a process that’s resonating with her: “What speaks to me now is the focus on student voice and choice. The combination and optimization of the two could be so incredibly powerful.”

The Fellowship has also explored how Singapore’s school system is internationally recognized for its investment in human capital, with rigorous standards of entry into the education profession, a robust career ladder for growth and multiple pathways for educators to excel as classroom teachers, leaders and specialists, and ensuring teacher pay is commensurate with other professions, like engineers and doctors. Additionally, the Fellows have had an opportunity to learn about the small country’s big focus on 21st century learning and educator development, recognizing the need to shift educator preparation and development to empowering students as creators of knowledge, not merely consumers.

The fellows are currently planning their next steps, individually identifying meaningful innovations to prototype, and are collectively preparing to share their progress with local and state institutions in Nevada.

Nevada Succeeds executive director Jeanine Collins is encouraged by the progress of Design Team 1 thus far, and feels the immersive aspect of the InspirED Global Fellowship makes that progress possible. “There is immeasurable value in experiential learning, to implement an idea and learn from it continually to create a culture of learning and innovation,” she says. “Ultimately, we’re here to collaborate for progress and advocate for success.”

Learn more about the InspirED Global Fellowship here.