Building a Statewide Network for Innovation

VaLIN launched its first cohort with a bold idea: bring education leaders from across Virginia together to turn the Profile of a Virginia Graduate into meaningful changes in schools and classrooms. Cohort 1 ultimately engaged 28 school divisions representing all eight Superintendent’s Regions, with teams spanning rural, suburban, urban, small, and large school systems. Participants worked around three central priorities: deeper learning, expanded equity, and increased learner engagement.

Rather than prescribing a single model for innovation, VaLIN supported locally driven change through collaborative institutes, regional and individual coaching, site visits, design tools, and peer learning. Division teams developed initiatives ranging from graduate profiles, interdisciplinary courses, internships, and capstone experiences to authentic assessments, project-based learning, innovation labs, student-centered instructional practices, and new approaches to professional learning. Cohort 1 established the foundation for VaLIN as a statewide community in which school divisions could experiment, learn from one another, and translate Virginia’s vision for deeper learning into local action.