Duke University TeachHouse UnConference

Overview

I designed and built Duke University’s Program in Education first educator-driven innovation platform—the TeachHouse UnConference—transforming how Duke University engages with K-12 educational communities. From concept to sustainable institutional program, I created systematic frameworks for ongoing educator empowerment and university-community partnership that continue to scale annually.

  • Audience: National K-12 Leaders, Educators, Pre-Service Teachers, and Teacher Prep Program Faculty
  • Responsibilities: Project Manager, Implementation Lead, Innovation Lead, Consultant
  • Tools Used: Google Workspace, Qualtrics Surveys and Dashboards, YouTube
  • Project Length: Annually for 5 years

Note: This video showcases the launch of the first in-person Duke TeachHouse UnConference in April 2024.

Project Debrief

💭 Defining the Problem
  • Problem: 
    • Amid the pandemic, educators faced isolation and a lack of professional community and support.
  • HMW Statements:
    • Pilot Years: How might we create a safe, accessible, and empowering space for educators to connect, share, and collaborate?
    • Later Iterations: How might we expand the TeachHouse UnConference and overall TeachHouse network in-person and virtually?
  • Innovation Leadership Challenge:
    • Beyond addressing educator isolation, I recognized an opportunity to transform Duke’s approach to educational community engagement. Traditional university outreach often positions academia as expert and practitioners as recipient. I envisioned a model where Duke could serve as platform for educator-driven innovation, creating sustainable systems for ongoing collaboration and knowledge exchange.
🎨 Designing a Solution

Innovation Leadership Approach:

  • Systems Design: Created reproducible framework for educator-driven programming that could scale across academic years and adapt to changing educational contexts
  • Organizational Change Management: Developed stakeholder engagement strategy across Duke departments, securing ongoing institutional support and resources
  • Sustainable Infrastructure Building: Established partnerships, technology systems, and feedback loops that enable continued growth without dependence on single leader
  • Culture Transformation: Shifted Duke’s educational outreach from expert-driven to collaboration-driven model, influencing broader university community engagement strategies
🎯 Results
  • Quantitative: Attendance grew from 15 participants in 2020 to over 80 in 2024, with 4.6/5 satisfaction on new strategies gained and 4.8/5 satisfaction on professional networking.
  • Qualitative: Educators reported enhanced strategies for practice, stronger connections with peers, and a sense of professional renewal.
  • Innovation Leadership Impact:
    • Sustainable Growth: 433% attendance increase over 5 years through systematic infrastructure building, not just event management
    • Organizational Systems: Created replicable processes for stakeholder engagement, partnership development, and participant experience design that continue independent of founding leadership
    • Strategic Influence: Informed Duke’s Program in Education broader educational community engagement strategy, shifting from traditional outreach to collaborative innovation platform

It was good to hear teachers speak candidly about their experiences. It was very enlightening. This helps in finding ways to reduce teacher burnout and turnover to ensure we are listening and giving them opportunities to voice their concerns.

DUKE TEACHHOUSE UNCONFERENCE PARTICIPANT, MAY 2021

Innovation Leadership Lessons

  1. Systematic Innovation Over Event Management: Sustainable impact requires building organizational systems and culture change, not just successful programming
  2. Strategic Partnership Development: Long-term growth depends on institutional relationship building and stakeholder engagement across organizational boundaries
  3. Organizational Change Through Collaborative Models: Shifting institutional culture requires demonstrating alternative approaches through successful pilot implementations that can scale

Explore the 5 Year Report

TeachHouse UnConference 2020-2024Download

Note: This report was written and published by the Duke TeachHouse team of which I was a collaborator. It is officially published on the Duke TeachHouse website.

Published by Savannah Windham

Savannah is a passionate designer, leader, and strategist with a deep commitment to using design to drive innovation and positive change in education.