Designing Schools That Work
This publication outlines the fundamental principles and process of Strategic School Design. Through more than a decade of research and practice in the area of school resource use, we have found that high-performing schools are responding to the changing context in education by using people, time, technology, and money in ways that look significantly different than the status quo. Indeed, nearly every one of these high-performing schools practices three basic principles of strategic resource use, which we call the Big Three: (1) Excellent teaching for all students: Organize teachers and teams to maximize student learning and continuously grow talent. (2) Personalized learning and support: Match grouping, learning time, technology, and program to students' individual needs. (3) Cost effectiveness through creative solutions: Organize jobs, partnerships, and technology to maximize resources that support teaching and learning. Strategic designs don't happen by accident. They happen because school leaders and their teams develop a deliberate strategy for organizing resources. We believe this paper--which has detailed stories of districts putting the strategies into action--is a great place to start for anyone looking to transform their school.