We call ourselves the Alaska Educational Innovations Network. But what does this mean? As we continue to connect with partners in a variety of ways: academies, mini-networks, study groups, institutes, rural visits for College of Education pre-service teachers, classes for school/district teams, we are also continuing to deepen our understanding of the policies and practices that support networks as well as the promise that ongoing net work offers. Three resources have helped us think about this work.
Christopher Sessums offers a history of networking and learning community in his blog:
http://eduspaces.net/csessums/weblog/250883.html
Ann Leiberman and Maureen Grolnick studied sixteen educational reform networks and found six shared organizational themes. Though the networks often started informally, they evolved into the need for more systematic ways of connecting. Their 1996 article, “Networks and Reform in American Education,” is available from Teachers College Record. http://www.tcrecord.org
A 2007 book called Net Work: A Practical Guide to Creating and Sustaining Networks at Work and in the World by Patti Anklam helps to outline the principles and structures that networks use. She cites both educational and business network examples. Her writing is straightforward and thought-provoking.
