This week, the Phase 2 submission period came to a close. Over the summer, the Phase 2 teams participated in a three-and-a-half month accelerator, refining their concepts and forging crucial partnerships. With the judging process underway, now is a perfect moment to reflect on the exciting infrastructure solutions the accelerator supported and the insights the challenge team gleaned along the way.
Innovative and community-driven solutions
Midway through the accelerator, the challenge sponsors shared their thoughts on the significance of the initiative and the innovative work it aims to support. In a virtual webinar held this August, the Phase 2 teams gained valuable insights from Ali Chin, Grantmaking Manager at Siegel Family Endowment, Joshua Elder, Vice President and Head of Grantmaking at Siegel Family Endowment, and Jamie Jutila, Senior Program Officer at the Walton Family Foundation.
Ali, Josh, and Jamie all shared their excitement about the innovative approaches at the intersection of education and infrastructure emerging from the competition. Josh highlighted the importance of multidimensional thinking in addressing both current and future infrastructure needs:
“It’s been inspiring to hear how people are integrating digital, social, and physical aspects of infrastructure to tackle the problems of today and tomorrow in education,” he said. “Moving into Phase 2, our focus will remain on connecting the dots between learning experiences and where and how that learning is happening.”
Jamie emphasized the value of community-driven innovation: “We believe that innovation and great ideas come from communities. To be able to support an effort like this — that really encourages communities to step up and reimagine what learning looks like for their kids, their students, and families — is really exciting.”
Learning through the challenge process
Both Siegel Family Endowment and the Walton Family Foundation view the Learning Landscapes Challenge as a learning opportunity, not just for entrants, but for their organizations as well. They are invested in the current landscape of education infrastructure innovation and are keen to identify major trends and significant problems that teams are working to solve. They’re also curious about the different interpretations of infrastructure that will emerge from the challenge and hope to gain insights into the challenges teams face in building sustainable and impactful learning environments.
Most of all, they are excited to learn more about the types of solutions that local innovators and communities are developing to solve the challenges they face. As Ali said to the Phase 2 teams: “In Phase 2, we will be looking to learn alongside you and your communities – exploring solutions you’ve developed, how they’ve evolved over time, and the big questions you’re aiming to address.”
Looking ahead: Phase 2 submission evaluation
With the Phase 2 deadline having passed, judges will evaluate submissions according to the Phase 2 evaluation criteria. The judges will focus on each submission’s integration of multiple infrastructure dimensions, scalability, anticipated impact, plan for community engagement, and feasibility. Based on their evaluation, the judges will recommend up to 15 entrants to advance to a live Q&A, which will inform judges’ recommendations for up to five Phase 2 winners, which will each receive $200,000 and advance to the Phase 3 incubator.
As the Learning Landscapes Challenge moves into this crucial next phase, the excitement for transformative impact in K-12 education continues to grow. The challenge team looks forward to seeing the innovative solutions that emerge from this collaborative and community-driven process.
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