ABSTRACT
When teachers working in difficult socio-economic contexts come up with innovative responses to context-specific problems, they are also initiating a process of change. Managing this change requires the teachers to press into service certain entrepreneurial behaviours in order to change patterns of dysfunctional social interaction and move to an improved “state” of educational performance. This chapter draws on a number of examples of grassroots educational change to show how the social value that is embodied in a grassroots educational innovation is a combination of the innovative trigger for change and the movement to a better “state.” We provide a definition of grassroots teacher-driven educational innovation, and describe the genesis of a clearinghouse for these innovations. We describe the functions of such a clearinghouse, namely identifying innovative teachers, documenting their practices, involving partners in these processes, and undertaking screening and validation of the identified work. We indicate specific mechanisms, such as writing workshops, which will help in this process. Finally, we discuss how the social value in an innovative practice can be assessed and indicate the value of involving both experts and teachers in such assessment.
