START BEFORE YOU’RE READY

How to Begin. 

Starting this journey requires bravery. You may not know exactly where you’re going or who’s going with you, but you probably feel a strong conviction about one thing: It’s time to reimagine school, and there’s no better time to begin than now.

What will success look like and how will you know you’ve achieved it? This resource offers a starting point for how to think about this and includes the concrete products your team will be working towards as a manifestation of those conditions.

With your goals and timeline in mind, build a scope and sequence that makes sense for your context and calendar. This resource has some examples to start from and tips for making the right choices for your team.

Great ideas come from great, diverse teams. In this case, you’ll want to think of the concept of team broadly. You’ll have a core team (responsible for coordinating and doing the heavy-lifting of the design), a broader design team (giving regular input and brainpower to the process) and then an even broader set of change-makers (sets of people who are critical to enlist and engage in the process).

As a final step to pressure test and refine your plan, reflect on your current conditions. Doing so will help you identify strengths and opportunities, but more importantly, you’ll use that diagnosis to revisit your goals, plan for the journey and coalition and make any adjustments that are needed.