Driving K-12 Innovation 2026: Accelerators (Part 2 of 3)

About this episode

This episode explores the Accelerators identified in the 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report, focusing on leadership, assessment, and learner agency in education.

Innovation in K–12 education isn’t just about overcoming challenges—it’s about understanding what’s actively pushing change forward. In this second episode of a three-part series, we explore the Accelerators identified in the 2026 Driving K-12 Innovation Report , developed by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and its global Advisory Board. Building on Episode 1, this conversation shifts from pressure to momentum—examining the conditions, mindsets, and system-level changes that are helping schools move forward, even in the face of ongoing disruption. Drawing directly from the CoSN webinar and report, this episode highlights how leadership, assessment, and learner agency are shaping the future of teaching and learning. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why building leadership capacity is essential for sustaining innovation in complex school systems How schools are rethinking assessment and demonstrating learning in the age of AI What learner agency really means—and why it requires system-wide change How districts are shifting from one-off professional development to intentional leadership pipelines Why changes in instruction, assessment, and student ownership are deeply…

People in this episode

Guest: Freddie Cox

Topics covered

• K-12 education
• innovation
• leadership
• assessment
• learner agency
• professional development
• system-level change

Keywords

• K-12 innovation
• education leadership
• assessment in education
• learner agency
• professional development
• system change
• AI in education

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Consortium for School Networking, Knox County Schools

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