If anything is constant in schools, it’s change. The needs of students, families, and staff are varied and continuously evolving.
Helping leaders proactively make and manage change carries a particular sense of urgency this school year as many districts face looming post-pandemic budget shortfalls and academic and social emotional challenges, all while the clock ticks on their students’ short K-12 school careers.
Against this backdrop, how can leaders provide each student with what they need when they need it?
We have seen what often doesn’t work: Designing and applying one-size-fits-all solutions with imperfect information, without regularly learning from those closest to the work and accounting for the individualized needs of each student and educator.
And we’ve seen what does. Some leaders take a different approach, one that shrinks gaps in student opportunity and outcomes. They create systems and structures to regularly and rigorously monitor what is and isn’t working for students and to experiment and adjust in real time. They learn and do at the same time, partnering with the people closest to problems to gather information from them, design and test solutions, and course correct. And they do all this within the confines of the limited resources – including time – that all school systems face.
But don't take our word for it. Take five minutes to hear in the below video from leaders we partner with in Baltimore City Public Schools, Partners in School Innovation, Tulsa Public Schools, and Carpe Collaborative College Access Network what this work can look like in practice.
It's working for their students – imagine what’s possible for yours.