Indigenous Invention: New Promise for School Reform

Abstract

In recent years, there has been general recognition of the need for changes in the public school system, and various reform efforts have been—and are currently—under way throughout the country. We describe here two processes or strategies used in these change efforts. First is the historical and current use of the implementation-of-innovations process and its failure to promote sufficient school change for all children—especially those in low-income areas—to achieve and be successful. The second is “indigenous invention,” a strategy supported by evidence of changes in elementary schools participating in the foundation-funded school-change effort known as the Educational and Community Change (ECC) Project. The indigenous-invention process acknowledges that those indigenous to the school and neighborhood can bring about changes in schools that will engage the children and promote learning, and have the potential to decrease the school dropout rate.