Friday Institute for Educational Innovation

Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
Name	Friday Institute for Educational Innovation
Formation	2006
Founder	James B. Hunt Jr.
Type	Research institute
Headquarters	Centennial Campus, Raleigh, North Carolina
Parent organization	North Carolina State University

Friday Institute for Educational Innovation is a research and professional development organization affiliated with North Carolina State University that focuses on advancing teaching and learning through technology, policy, and practice. The institute engages scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to develop scalable solutions for classroom instruction, digital learning, and educator preparation. Its work interfaces with statewide initiatives, national organizations, and global networks to influence pedagogy, leadership, and assessment.

History

The institute was established amid initiatives promoted by James B. Hunt Jr., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, and stakeholders from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, State Board of Education (North Carolina), Belk Foundation, Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science, and supporters including IBM, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Apple Inc., and Intel Corporation. Early collaborations engaged leaders from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, East Carolina University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and international partners such as University of Cambridge and University of Oxford. The institute grew through grants and partnerships with agencies including U.S. Department of Education, National Science Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Spencer Foundation, while aligning with state reforms influenced by figures like Mike Easley and Pat McCrory. Throughout its development, the institute worked alongside districts such as Wake County Public School System, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Durham Public Schools, Forsyth County Schools, and organizations including Council of Chief State School Officers and American Institutes for Research.

Mission and Programs

The institute’s mission emphasizes innovation in teacher preparation, digital learning, leadership development, and policy research, engaging partners like Teach For America, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, International Society for Technology in Education, and Consortium for School Networking. Programs have included professional development platforms comparable to offerings from Coursera, edX, Udacity, Khan Academy, and collaborations with Google for Education and Amazon Web Services. Signature initiatives intersect with competitions and standards such as Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards Initiative, Every Student Succeeds Act, and efforts from National Governors Association. The institute runs academies, online courses, and policy briefings that draw on practices from Boston Consulting Group partners and evaluation models used by RAND Corporation and Pew Research Center.

Research and Impact

Research at the institute spans instructional design, learning sciences, analytics, and educational leadership, engaging faculty from College of Education and Human Development (NC State), Department of Mathematics, Wilson College of Textiles, Poole College of Management, and collaborators at Duke University School of Education, UNC School of Education, Columbia University Teachers College, University of Michigan School of Education, and University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Studies have informed state policy debates involving Pat McCrory, Roy Cooper, Elaine Marshall, and influenced district decisions in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greensboro. The institute’s evaluation work references methodologies used by SRI International, American Educational Research Association, Educational Testing Service, and leverages technologies from Learning Registry prototypes, IMS Global Learning Consortium standards, and research infrastructures like Hadoop clusters used in partnerships with IBM Watson teams. Impact metrics are communicated to stakeholders including North Carolina General Assembly, Governor of North Carolina, U.S. Secretary of Education, and nonprofit funders such as Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The institute maintains collaborations with higher education institutions including North Carolina A&T State University, Campbell University, Appalachian State University, Elizabeth City State University, and consortia like Universities Research Association and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. It partners with edtech firms such as Blackboard Inc., Instructure, Canvas (learning management system), Schoology, Pearson PLC, McGraw Hill Education, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and service organizations including The Gates Foundation, RAND Corporation, American Institutes for Research, Johns Hopkins University, and SRI International. International ties include policy exchanges with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, UNESCO, World Bank, European Commission, British Council, Fulbright Program, and research collaborations with Tsinghua University and National University of Singapore.

Leadership and Organization

Leadership has included directors and staff connected to figures such as James B. Hunt Jr., and administrators with backgrounds linked to NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson, Provost Warwick Arden, Dean Kim Metcalf, and faculty collaborators from College of Education (NC State). Governance involves advisory boards with representatives from State Board of Education (North Carolina), North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, RTI International, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Research Triangle Park, and corporate partners including Red Hat, Biogen, GlaxoSmithKline, and Cisco Systems. Organizationally, the institute coordinates with NC State offices such as Office of Research, University Extension, Continuing and Professional Education, and Centennial Campus administration.

Facilities and Campus

Located on Centennial Campus at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, the institute occupies facilities designed for research, professional development, and digital production, proximate to James B. Hunt Jr. Library, James E. Hunt Library, Engineering Building Complex, College of Education, Talley Student Union, and innovation neighbors in Research Triangle Park including GSK Vaccine Research Center and RTI International headquarters. Spaces include studios, labs, and meeting rooms used for symposiums with visitors from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, National Science Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Brookings Institution, and hosting events featuring speakers from TED Conferences, SXSW EDU Conference & Festival, and ISTE Conference & Expo.

Awards and Recognition

The institute’s work has been recognized by awards and citations from organizations such as American Association of University Women, International Society for Technology in Education, National Education Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Gates Foundation, Spencer Foundation, National Science Foundation, and state proclamations by Governor of North Carolina. Projects have received grants and honors from MacArthur Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and evaluation accolades from Educational Testing Service and American Educational Research Association.

Category:North Carolina State University Category:Research institutes in North Carolina