Collaboration Nation, Inc.

MEANINGFUL: Equitable Collaboration is a new way of thinking about the conditions that must be in place for all learners participate in a way that is fair, personally relevant, and appropriate. This involves welcoming all group members into a brave community (de Novais, 2017) where an individual’s social, emotional, and intellectual development set the context for stretching everyone to grow and contribute to the group. As opposed to the more traditional notions of “a group of people working together to accomplish a goal,” equitable collaboration occurs when all members of a learning ecosystem (or group) participate and benefit from their participation. This is unlike an experience where one person dominates a conversation or does all the work while others are blocked from participating, or where high status individuals gain disproportionately.    MAILABLE: The entire foundation of educational growth relies on a shared understanding by educators of what is currently happening within their schools. There is currently no known tool that provides educators with a visual glimpse into the status of equitable collaboration. This is where educational transformation must begin -- this is where we come in: The goal of this grant is to help make the process and level of equitable collaboration visible to educators so they can make better instructional decisions.     MEASURABLE: We propose an assessment system that will make previously undefined and invisible aspects of collaboration visible.This grant will create a usable dashboard that makes equitable collaboration visible within a school based on the Recommendations from the Collaboration Nation Study (Lippman, Kershaw, 2019). We want to use a certain large company's AI agent, call it Company A, to display the % of time allocated to each voice in the small group, the talk volume, and overall emotionality of the group (of adults first, then kids if data security hurdles can be surmounted). when combined with student self- and group- evaluations and live teacher notes, and pictures/twitter posts it will transform education by making visible the previously unknown and invisible. we are already talking to the technical team at company A about this but we do not know what level of transparency/cooperation we will get from them. the strategy would be to convince company A to allow local-only storage of data (firewalled by our app on the ipad so it is deleted immediately unless permission is given) and ONLY de-personalized statistics would be released by the Visible Collaboration Platform to be stored in the cloud. We are not committed to using any particular machine learning or natural language processing platform so it would be ideal if you could partner us with a research team that is building or working with this kind of AI device. 

Our work is grounded in James Pellegrino and Margaret Hilton’s 2012 consensus report for the National Research Council, as well as the new How People Learn II (2019) report, Designing GroupWork (2014) by Rachel Lotan and Elizabeth Cohen, The Critical Friends Group concept from NSRF, The Art of Coaching Teams by Elena Aguilar​ as well the holistic developmental philosophy of Professor Kenda Hammer, Head Coach at the TeamBuilders Group. Pellegrino and Hilton’s framework laid the groundwork for the recent efforts by the Hewlett Foundation to focus on deeper learning, as well as for Collaboration Nation. In fact, the Collaboration Nation study is spearheaded by Dr. Jordan Lippman, founder of The TeamBuilders Group, who was a graduate student of Dr. Pellegrino. We have also been informed by Education Reimagined, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the ASPEN Institute, Getting Smart + PBLWorks (previously Buck Institute for Education), The Hewlett Foundation's Deeper Learning work, the Next Generation Learning Challenges, the Remake Learning Network and Center For Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh. 

The Collaboration Nation research study (Lippman & Kershaw, 2019), found that educators tend to define collaboration in terms of the products that groups create rather than in terms of the processes and dialogue that is responsible for learning and problem-solving. Educators also reported feeling unprepared to facilitate student collaboration in the classroom. One reason they do not know how to facilitate equitable collaboration is that the process of collaboration is largely unknown and invisible. This issue reverberates throughout schools that do not have a strategy for establishing a collaborative culture. Equitable Collaboration cannot be understood or realized merely through discussions or study. Insights only occur after opportunities to reflect on the process of collaboration. Change only happens when groups debrief and then get to put their lessons learned into practice. 

Equitable Collaboration is a new way of thinking about the conditions and experiences that are required to create community, clarity, and competence. As opposed to the more traditional notion of “a group of people working together to accomplish a goal,” equitable collaboration occurs when all members of a learning ecosystem (or group) participate and benefit from their participation in the culture. When collaboration is equitable, each person’s social, emotional, and intellectual development set the context for stretching the entire group to grow within a “risky” zone of learning (NSRF, 2018) that engages everyone. One cannot understand equitable collaboration by reading or studying, it must be experienced, and reflected upon to sink in. Participant's understanding will be deepened when they reflect on visual representations of the level of equitable collaboration within their own experiences in the session.The foundation of equitable collaboration is conceptual clarity and alignment among critical stakeholders around a shared vision of educational success and the learning models that must be in place to achieve that success. But, it is very challenging to establish alignment when the most subversive tensions between existing learning models are not talked about. Chief among these is a tension between the extrinsic behaviorism of most grading, badging, data-driven personalized learning systems, discipline/positive behavior support and intervention models, and the intrinsically-oriented, community-building, dialogue-based, holistic, and capacity-building strategies we are advocating. Assemblies, pep rallies, multi-cultural nights, and “school-wide behavioral reward celebrations” may appear to add up to a strong and positive climate, but they are really more like sugar pills - instantaneously satisfying and desirable but quickly dissipating and ultimately detrimental to a healthy school climate. Without an open, public dialogue about the assumptions behind these behaviorist models, it will be difficult for many stakeholders even to notice this tension, much less resolve it. Talking about and resolving the above-mentioned tension is a challenging but necessary step toward "aligning the vectors" (to quote Elon Musk) of learning models with a clear and shared vision of student success. This work elevates educators to be the professionals that they are by placing the learner at the center. Once this is done, pressure will no longer fall on teachers to squeeze the square pegs of a student-centered and collaborative learning into the round prison of behaviorism.

Increase sales through joint marketing;Your organization will have the opportunity to connect to the ongoing conversation, bringing with it national attention in various ways including personal relationships with our National team and social media; the documentary film we are producing, the book sand the Final Study Report;Representatives from your conference will be invited to participate / present / exhibit at the 2020 Summit on Equitable Collaboration at a discounted rate;Your organization will invited to join The Collaboration Nation Institute, a non-traditional multi-site research-to-practice institute with research universities, community colleges, school systems, service providers, and professional organizations; andYour organization’s voice will be added to a growing movement to push for equitable collaboration within our schools.THE TIME IS NOW !!!!!!

As a build-up to the Pittsburgh Summit on Equitable Collaboration in 2020, Collaboration Nation, Inc., will be facilitating a series of coordinated public learning opportunities to connect the themes of specific conferences to the Collaboration Nation Study Findings.Participants will experience a simulation of equitable collaboration, so they can publically reflect on how the experience relates to experiences of learners in their schools.Second, Dr. Jordan Lippman will discuss how Collaboration Nation is participating in conferences like this one in order to connect the people, models, and practices represented by professionals from across educational communities.Third, we will share we will share key findings from the Collaboration Nation Study and hear the perspective of one National Partner and one local partner - they will talk us through the process of identifying and unpacking learning models.Fourth, we will highlight relevant topics/experiences from your program and invite a limited number (3 max) of lightning talks from representative conference sessions focused on their models of learning

CO-DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH: Jordan P. Lippman, PhD, Director at Collaboration Nation, Inc., Founder at The TeamBuilders Group™, Steering Committee of the Remake Learning Network Professional Learning Working Group; linkedin.com/in/lippmanphdCTO: Jacob Hanchar, PhD., Executive Chairman & CEO, Digital Dream Labs. Jacob Hanchar is a neuroscientist with years of experience in experimental design and study. linkedin.com/in/h-jacob-hanchar-72b1a013DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE: Jonathan Cohen, PhD., Incoming Co-President, International Observatory for School Climate and Violence Prevention; Adjunct Professor in Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University; President Emeritus, National School Climate Center; https://www.aspeninstitute.org/our-people/jonathan-cohen/. Jon Is also on The Council Of Distinguished Scientists, National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development at The Aspen Institute. DIRECTOR OF AI: Mr. Garrett Hemann, VP of Engineering at AirWorks, Former CTO of Project Playground; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ghemann/ CO-DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH: Trina C. Kershaw, PhD, Report Co-author, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; https://www.umassd.edu/directory/tkershaw/ CO-DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH: Kathryn Kennedy, PhD., Education Consultant, Researcher at Evergreen Education Group, Former Director of Research at MVLRI and iNACOL; linkedin.com/in/kathryn-kennedy-ph-d-71355320 CMO - Mr. Greg Russak, Business Advisor, The TeamBuilders Group + Project Playground; linkedin.com/in/gregrussakMr. David Ross, Author, Global Education Consultant, Former CEO of P21 and Former Program Director of BIE (now PBLWorks); linkedin.com/in/david-ross-b234b9ba

CHAIRPERSON: James W. Pellegrino, PhD., Co-director of Learning Sciences Research Institute, Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor, and Distinguished Professor of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, https://www.lsri.uic.edu/people/james-pellegrino VICE CHAIRPERSON: Ms. Michelle King, Learning Instigator. Love Activist. Transformer. Twitter https://twitter.com/LrningInstigatr SECRETARY: Ms. Neysha Arcelay, President of PRECIXA, https://www.linkedin.com/in/neyshaarcelay/TREASURER: Reality S. Canty, PhD., Design Researcher and Founder, darkDUX Design Research Studios, https://www.linkedin.com/in/realitycanty/ BOARD MEMBER: Matty Lau, PhD., Director of Research Strategy and Consulting at the Center for Public Research and Leadership at Columbia University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matty-lau-7b78894/ BOARD MEMBER: Paul LeMahieu, PhD., Senior Vice President of the Carnegie Foundation for Educational Improvement, https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/about-us/staff-directory/paul-lemahieu/   BOARD MEMBER: Ms. Michele Mattoon, Director of the National School Reform Faculty, Harmony Education Center; CEO at Coltrain Group; http://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-mattoon-9a91091a/BOARD MEMBER: Wesley Waldrup, LPC, SEL Expert, Clinician and Owner of Counseling Works, Past CEO at Project Playground; https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesley-waldrup-97024a71  

Collaboration Nation, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to nothing less than changing the world by helping educational leaders and stakeholders to re-imagine and re-make learning in schools. The pathway for realizing this vision requires participation from all corners of education, and will begin with the following:Leading and sharing transparent education research that brings multiple perspectives and new voices into the conversation on the aspects of Equitable CollaborationFacilitating open public learning at conferences to validate and challenge thinking to create alignment between the vision of success, and the learning models and practices within the school ecosystem;Developing a simple AI-powered assessment portal - the Visible Collaboration Platform™ - that provides a live picture of the previously unknown and invisible aspects of Equitable Collaboration within their learning spaces; andUncovering ways to support the efforts of other mission-aligned organizations and networks.