E28 -- Innovation Zones Podcast w/Wedl and Sommers


Innovation Zones Podcast (click here)

March 18, 2026

Thank you to today's guests, Bob Wedl and Bill Sommers, for breaking down the 2017 Innovation Zones legislation. It is always enjoyable to hear the first-person accounts on the history of anything. Bob was a big driver of this legislation and testified often as it became law. Bill shares other initiatives and the R & D focus that exist in other states. It seems like we need some freedom and flexibility to try things to get others to do the same. Even if we have this law functioning, we still would need forward-thinking school boards and administrators that have the clout and desire to get something done in their District. Lars Esdal, from Education Evolving, is currently working as a lobbyist and they have a lot of similar interest in this bill. 

I am first going to share an Op Ed article from March of 2016 that was a precursor to the Innovation Zones to become law. This article was written ten years ago this month, but is as timely a mandate call as it was then. Personally, I am going to try to revive some interest in it. Unfortunately, there is a lot of good stuff in this bill (Pages 52-54) and action, but MDE just quit doing it, although it remains in law. 

It seems to me that this could be another avenue for us to build personalized learning through Innovation Zones into our plan to improve education 

From the MDE website, "The 2017 Legislature enacted Innovation Research Zone Pilot project legislation that provides districts and charter schools an opportunity to test new ideas in K-12 education. An application may be submitted by one or more school districts or charter schools that together to form an innovation zone partnership. The partnership may include other non-school partners, including postsecondary institutions, other units of local government, nonprofit organizations and for-profit organizations.

Applicants are encouraged to think beyond continuous improvement of existing practices to try out and measure the success of innovative practices. Pilot projects must research and implement innovation education programs and models that are based on proposed hypotheses. The Innovation Zone plan may include an emerging practice not yet supported by peer-reviewed research."

2020 Interim Report from Participating Districts

Have a great week! ~Patrick


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