The article is devoted to the analysis and description of psychological and pedagogical problems arising in the process of innovative activity in modern schools. The description of the characteristics of innovative activity and their comparison with the conditions of the educational environment of the school is presented.  The effectiveness of innovation processes depends on the cultural and educational level and psychological mood in the team. The main task of a manager with a culture aimed at individual development is to create conditions, situations of success. Constant stimulation. It is such a culture, with the right management strategy, that can contribute to the creation of educational programs and technologies.   The article shows that the psychological conditions of innovative activity of pedagogical collectives are: the orientation of collectives to change, their ethical readiness to solve the tasks of innovative activity, the positive perception of the conditions of this activity, the willingness to use cultural methods of innovation management and the perception of innovations from the outside, which generally determines their readiness for this activity.