If schools focus on “back-to-the-basics,” is there room for innovation in education?
This is a question I have been thinking about a lot lately, and it has been a recurring theme in my writing, keynotes, and workshops.
In all honesty, about fifteen years ago, my view was perhaps skewed toward the notion that this was an “either-or” practice; however, today I see these two things as complementary and something to build upon each other. They should be less in conflict and more about working together harmoniously.
In fact, in “The Innovator’s Mindset,” I dedicated a section of the book to focus on building on the basics, not ignoring them:
But What about the Basics?
With all of this talk about “innovation” and “twenty-first-century learning” in organizations, some worry that the basic skills of literacy and numeracy will be forgotten. In fact, quite the opposite is happening in many organizations.
Innovation demands that our students learn the basics, but how we go about teaching them may look different than in years past. The basics are crucial, but they cannot be the only things we teach our students. Yong Zhao summarized this nicely when I saw him speak at the 2012 ISTE conference, where he stated, “Reading and writing should be the floor, not the ceiling.”
If we do not recognize and accommodate the shifts that are already happening in our world, we can forget about preparing kids for the future; we will not even be caught up to the present.
In fact, in a February 2025 post, I wrote about the “one thing” that all schools needed to ensure every student was good at, and my own conclusion is that the foundation is built upon a strong emphasis on reading and writing. We cannot reach the aspirational without building upon the foundational.
Yet, we can always grow beyond what we have done before.
Again, referencing “The Innovator’s Mindset,” I define what I mean when I use the term “innovation” throughout the book:
Innovation is a common term in many educational circles today and has been used a number of times in this book already. But what does it actually mean—especially in the terms of education?
For the purpose of this book, I’m defining innovation as a way of thinking that creates something new and better. Innovation can come from either “invention” (something totally new) or “iteration” (a change of something that already exists), but if it does not meet the idea of “new and better,” it is not innovative.
That means that change for the sake of change is never good enough. Neither is using innovation as a buzzword, as many organizations do, to appear current or relevant. Note, too, that I said innovation is a way of thinking. It is a way of considering concepts, processes, and potential outcomes; it is not a thing, task, or even technology.
My focus has not been on telling schools, “If you do these things, YOU will be innovative” (if I could give you a step-by-step process on how to be innovative, that would be counterintuitive to my belief system!), but more so on the idea that empowering people to see themselves as the solution to many of the problems and possibilities of today, while providing them the agency to create those opportunities for themselves and their students.
In “What Makes A Great Principal,” Allyson Apsey shares this idea succinctly:
Every problem you are facing in your school or organization will be solved by your people, not by any program.
So why do the basics matter in this conversation?
It is easy to get caught up in the “shiny and new” and lose sight of what works, which is why many people (rightfully so) view the term “innovation” as a buzzword. Personally, my health suffers when I try new fads and don’t just stick to what has always worked (exercise, good diet, good sleep).
But why do we often go away from what works? Three things come to mind.
- We get bored.
- We want a shortcut
- Or, we want to make a name for ourselves.
Doing the same thing every day can get boring. The “slow” in “slow and steady” doesn’t seem to be working fast enough. And sometimes, creating a new idea or initiative is a way we can bring attention to our own work.
Here is an example regarding the last sentence.
Years ago, a government entity (I will not specify which one) created an outstanding document aimed at advancing education. It was surprisingly well-received by schools, families, and communities, and it seemed like people were aligned in the mission. About a year later, the same party was re-elected, but appointed different members to each position. Within weeks, the old document was shredded and a new one was put in its place. Why? My assumption is that you can’t really make a name for yourself if you do what the last person did, because that’s their work.
This is why I tell school administrators that if you are new to school, do not change anything until you get to know your people and identify their strengths. Build upon what is already good despite tearing down what you do not understand. If people think you are there to “fix them,” you can expect significant pushback. If people know they are valued, they will typically go a lot further with you.
This is also part of the reason that my focus has been on “innovation in education” for so many years. It is my passion and interest, and as much as I love learning, I am not interested in hopping onto trends. “Buzzwords” become that in education because we use terms without being able to identify what they truly mean.
Doing good work takes time, routine and repetition, and some of the practices that we have used in the past still matter today. I doubled down on this sentiment in “What Makes a Great Principal“:
If we do things in our schools and classrooms that were done hundreds of years ago that still work today, we should continue to do them. On the other hand, if we do new stuff just because it is new, but it doesn’t work, we shouldn’t be doing it. Whatever works for our community is where our focus should be, no matter when it originated.
The wisdom of the past will likely remain beneficial tomorrow. We must leverage the lessons of the past to create a better future.
So, where does innovation fit into education, and why does it matter?
Do you remember Blockbuster Video? The nostalgia of picking out a movie on a Friday night is something I remember fondly, and then getting back that same VHS cassette tape on time to avoid late fees still haunts my dreams. However, that company no longer exists because it saw what worked in the past and focused solely on doing that, rather than anticipating what the future would entail. I discussed this in “The Innovator’s Mindset“:
Blockbuster had the opportunity to buy Netflix a few times, but declined. And by the time it attempted to start its own DVD-by-mail program, the company had lost its place as an industry leader. The hard lesson that Blockbuster and its fellow neighborhood movie rental businesses failed to heed is this: innovate or die.
My good friend, Dr. Katie Martin and I discussed this, and she shared this sentiment that always struck me:
“If the world is changing, the research and evidence become irrelevant if you don’t consider a new context.”
Dr. Katie Martin
Obviously, AI is all over the world, and seemingly every company is using that term in their commercials to show relevance to their current and potential customers(Dove Soap…now with AI! That one might not be true, but now that I pointed it out, you will see it everywhere.).
However, when we discuss the basics, we must have a conversation about whether those same fundamentals remain the same today as they were in the past. For example, in 2020, many people who lamented that students couldn’t do cursive handwriting also struggled to figure out how to join a Zoom call.
It is not my place to decide what the “basics” are (though, referencing the beginning of the post, reading and writing are and will always be essential in my mind), but I have advocated that schools come together and have that conversation. Bringing people together to focus on what we need to keep from the past and how we prepare for the future is the best way to move organizations forward.
I believe that it is the only way.
Moving Forward
In my recent keynote at “Learning and the Brain” in New York on “10 Timeless Principles for Learning, AI, and Emerging Technologies in Education,” I ended with the following quote:
When we share the lessons of the past while embracing the opportunities of today, we empower our students to create a better future.
The conversation should no longer be about “the basics or innovation,” but rather how the basics build upon innovative practices, where people recognize what works today while having the agency and ability to solve tomorrow’s problems. The focus of every school should be to ensure that all learners walk out of school having strong foundational skills while also having the ability to figure out whatever comes their way.
That is why the basics and innovation should work together, not apart.
If you want to read more about innovation in education, I encourage you to check out my book “The Innovator’s Mindset,” and if you are looking to have someone lead these conversations in your school community or organization for a keynote or workshop, please feel free to fill out this form for speaking inquiries.
