http://www.mvifi.org/idiploma/

The Innovation Diploma (or iDiploma) is a multi-year program for high school students, empowered to engage in real-world challenges as a major part of their schooling and to build capacity in the Innovator’s DNA traits – observing, questioning, experimenting, networking, and associative thinking. Inaugurated in 2014, the iDiploma is a joint venture of Mount Vernon Presbyterian School and the Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation. Rather than merely preparing students for future work, the iDiploma sets conditions so that cohort members can immerse themselves now in innovation and leadership efforts, engagements, and experiences.

Meghan Cureton serves as the inaugural Director of the Innovation Diploma program, and I am proud to partner with Meghan, Trey Boden and T.J. Edwards, as well as the MVPS Upper School leadership, to build the program and facilitate the work with the cohorts.

Below are a number of additional links through which one can dig significantly into the iDiploma program.

iDiploma in the News

• “Re:imagine/ATL at Atlanta Tech Village.” Anne Katz. MVPS Newsletter. April 27, 2016.
• “A real-world diploma: Students at Sandy Springs private school shape their own study.” Angela Tuck. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 3, 2015.
• “Prototype Your Ideas.” Elsa Fridman Randolph. The Teachers Guild on Medium. September 4, 2015.
• “Setting the Conditions for Curiosity and Passion.” Dr. Brett Jacobsen. Mount Vernon Magazine. Summer 2015, pp. 1-6.
• “Making the Grade: Program at CDC urges thinking outside the classroom.” H.M. Cauley. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 9, 2014.
• “The Council on Innovation.” Bo Adams. Mount Vernon Magazine. Winter 2014, pp. 15-21. [COI 2013 helped launch the Innovation Diploma]

iDiploma Sites and Postings

• InnovationDiploma.com iDiploma Cohort-managed WordPress site
• Innovation Diploma page on Mount Vernon Institute for Innovation website
• “Innovation Diploma” search on I Wonder, Meghan Cureton’s blog
• “Innovation Diploma” on It’s About Learning, Bo Adams’ blog – category and search
• “Innovation Diploma” search on Pinya Bananas, Anya Smith’s blog

iDiploma on Haiku Learning Management System

• Innovation Diploma Onboarding Seminar (Jobs Cohort, Fall 2015)
• Innovation Diploma Disney Cohort