---
title: "Creative Cluster: Silicon Valley"
description: Silicon Valley, the district of innovation in education
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# Creative Cluster: Silicon Valley
Published: October 23, 2012
Read Time: 2 min
[Curriculum Strategy & Adoption](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/curriculum-strategy-adoption)
---
WRITTEN BY
[jenniferannwolfe](https://www.edelements.com/blog/author/jenniferannwolfe)
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***Education Week***
******
By Tom Vander Ark
The 20-mile stretch from Stanford University to San Jose, Calif. produces more innovation than any place on the planet. As [Richard Florida](http://www.amazon.com/The-Rise-Creative-Class-Transforming/dp/0465024769) noted, the unique confluence of a great R1 University, venture investors, tech talent, and great quality of life make it a creative hotspot.
By itself, Silicon Valley is just short (by my index) of Manhattan for top innovation hotspot. If you add San Francisco and [Oakland](http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2012/10/creative_cities_oakland.html) (considered last week), the Bay Area is by far the most important creative cluster of learning innovators on the planet.
**District innovation? **Unlike New York City schools that blossomed as a source of innovation under Joel Klein, Silicon Valley districts appear less innovative. One reason for this Creative Cities project is to explore the limited and slow vertical innovation diffusion--the interplay (or lack thereof) between the layers in the innovation stack.
One district program I appreciate is[ Esther Wojcicki's journalism program](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Wojcicki) at Palo Alto High. It's the kind of writing and new media publishing experience all young people deserve. (Let me know about other innovative schools and programs.)
**OER HQ. **The Valley is world headquarters for open educational resources (OER). Nonprofit content providers are expanding options and exerting price pressure on the big guys. Consider a partial list:
- [Khan Academy](http://www.khanacademy.org/) : 3100 instructional videos and counting. Perhaps more importantly, Sal is teaching us how competency-based learning works
- [Google](http://www.google.com/education) : Free email, productivity tools, course developer, maps, and more
- [CK12](http://www.ck12.org/) : Free secondary math and science flexbooks and test prep content
- [Gooru Learning](http://www.goorulearning.org/) : Grade level resources; and
- [Curriki](http://www.curriki.org/) and [OER Commons](http://www.oercommons.org/): Libraries of more than 40,000 open resources.
**EdTech Central. **Mountain View accelerator[ ImagineK12](http://www.imaginek12.com/) has supported the development of 30 edtech startups including [Class Dojo](http://www.classdojo.com/).
[Learn Capital](http://www.learncapital.com/) (where I'm a partner) has an office in San Mateo and has supported 30 startups including 11 locals including leading social learning platform[ Edmodo](http://www.edmodo.com/),professional development platform [Bloomboard](http://www.bloomboard.com/), online study group [OpenStudy](http://openstudy.com/about-us), and peer-to-peer language tutoring site[Verbling](http://www.verbling.com/).
[Piazza ](https://piazza.com/)is a [Bessemer](http://www.bvp.com/) backed higher ed social learning platform that started on the Stanford campus. [Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/) in Santa Clara is a pioneer in blended learning solutions. Their single sign-on platform allows schools to combine web 2.0 content with a single front end and reporting system.
Read full [article.](http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2012/10/creative_cluster_silicon_valley.html)
*Image credit: [Designed by Freepik](http://www.freepik.com/free-vector/social-media-icons-background_791448.htm)*
Written By
jenniferannwolfe
#### All Posts
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[Blended Learning](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/blended-learning), [Education Elements](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/education-elements), [School Districts](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/school-districts), [Classrooms](https://www.edelements.com/blog/topic/classrooms)
August 7, 2012
#### [Kindergarten in the Computer](https://www.edelements.com/blog/kindergarten-in-the-computer)
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August 13, 2019
#### [Feedback for Every Teacher to Boost Student Engagement](https://www.edelements.com/blog/feedback-for-every-teacher-to-boost-student-engagement)
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February 26, 2014
#### [[Guest Blog Post] Horry County Schools and Eating the Elephant](https://www.edelements.com/guest-blog-post-hcs-and-eating-the-elephant)
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