2024 National Fellowship - LE #3

November 19-21, 2024

Learning experience #3

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

3.7

3.6

Please share your satisfaction with the RELEVANCE of the learning to your work.

3.6

Please share your satisfaction with the TIME TO TALK, SHARE, & REFLECT WITH OTHER FELLOWS during LE #1.

3.8

Please share your satisfaction with the COMMUNITY BUILDING we did as part of LE #1.

3.7

Please rate your satisfaction with PROGRAMMING provided during LE #1.

END OF LEARNING EXPERIENCE SURVEY

11:45AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:45AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection AIP Working Session: Revising Your Empathy Interviews, Challenge IDs, Design Teams, and Expectations for Upcoming AIP Pitches Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - wednesday

11:30AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:30AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection Change Management Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - Tuesday

11:00AM - 12:00PM

10:00AM - 11:00AM

9:00AM - 10:00AM

8:05AM - 9:00AM

Opening & Connection Learning Circles Instructional Excellence Learning from Leaders - Lacey Robinson Synthesis, Survey, and Looking Ahead

8:00AM - 8:05AM

AGENDA - thursday

Practicing & Honing Communication

Connecting through Joy & Gratitude

Moments of Joy & Gratitude

Think about a moment in the past few weeks when you felt genuine joy—either professionally or personally. OR Think about something or someone you're deeply grateful for right now.

CLARITY

Those selected will share with the whole group. Each person has 1 minute.

Find another partner and share your reflections with one another. You each have 2 minutes.

Find a partner and share your reflections with one another. You each have 3 minutes.

Change Management

From your perspective, what is most important? Chat in your response.

Identify the key stakeholders.

• Build necessary capacity.
• Plan & execute change.

• Create a vision to provide direction and inspiration.

• Communicate often.
• Be trustworthy.

• Develop partners and partnerships and influence stakeholders to drive change.

Measure and reflect on success.

Anticipate and address obstacles.

Execute a communications strategy.

Identify the key stakeholders.

Define the change.

• Understand the need for and scope of change
• Make the case for change

• Demonstrate and build commitment.
• Progress monitor, learn, and sustain the change.

There are five components of K12 change management.

SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME PROTOCOL

• Choose a timekeeper.
• Each participant silently identifys what they consider to be (for themselves) the most significant idea addressed in the article, and highlight their chosen passage.
• When the group is ready, a member volunteers to be the presenter. The presenter identifies the part of the article that he or she found to be most significant and reads it out loud to the group. The person says nothing about why he or she chose that particular passage.
• The group should pause for a moment to consider the passage before moving to the next step.
• The other three participants each have 1 minute to respond to the passage—saying what it makes them think about, what questions it raises for them, etc.
• The presenter then has 3 minutes to state why he or she chose that part of the article and to respond to—or build on—what the other participants have said.
• The same pattern is followed until all four members of the group have had a chance to be the presenter and to have “the last word.”

Small group discussion

Define the change.

UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR AND SCOPE OF THE CHANGE.

• Understand why change is necessary
• Understand if the change is evolutionary or revolutionary
• Determine the scope of the change and the urgency
• Identify the communities, stakeholder groups, and change agents who need to be taken into consideration
• Consider who will lead the change and their level of alignment and commitment
• Determine the current level of commitment

MAKE THE CASE FOR CHANGE.

• Have people experience the problems firsthand
• Articulate consequences of the current conditions and way of doing business
• Create urgency in a way that honors the strengths of the and its work and is explicit about what needs to change.
• Publicize bright spots of the problems that suggest possibilities and solutions

Define the change.

Identify the key stakeholders.

Define the change.

WHILE DEFINING THE CHANGE

• Small groups (diverse perspectives) to dig into the issues that lie beneath the urgency
• External partners: to build capacity to demand/support change, to share resources
• Key stakeholders to build support and buy-in needed for success

INITIAL COMMUNICATION

• Small group (diverse perspectives) to set initial direction
• External partners: to build capacity; to demand/support change; share resources
• Key stakeholders to build support and buy-in needed for success

DURING EXECUTION OF THE CHANGE

• External partners: to build capacity; to demand/support change; share resources
• Key stakeholders to build support and buy-in needed for success
• Broaden partners to address execution needs

Identify the key stakeholders.

Execute a communications strategy.

Define the change.

CREATE A VISION TO PROVIDE DIRECTION AND INSPIRATION.

• Paint a clear image of desired state towards which the work is organized; include short-to-medium term images to provide clarity and motivate people
• Tell a story re: the need for change that addresses impact on: (1) society, (2) customer, (3) organization and its standing, (4) collective people in org, or (5) people personally
• Talk about both often and tie the work at all levels of the org to the vision and story

COMMUNICATE OFTEN.

• Be strategic about messaging; create the narrative that influences how employees make sense of what's going on
• Talk frequently about the vision and how steps being taken over the org towards it"Manage employee mood" through constant communication
• Be clear about expectations: model them, recognize the behaviors you want to see adopted; sanction the ones you want to discourage
• Build mechanisms for two-way, up and down the org comms; ask for feedback

BE TRUSTWORTHY.

• Describe your management style & tell people what to expect
• Make sure your walk matches your talk
• Be transparent and maintain consistent messaging
• Demonstrate commitment to the change through words and deeds
• If you ask for feedback, use it and cite it

Execute a communications strategy.

Anticipate and address obstacles.

Define the change.

BUILD NECESSARY CAPACITY.

• Determine the new knowledge and skills people in different roles need to execute the change
• Provide the necessary training and support
• Understand the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that drive people's behaviors.
• Use that info to approach knowledge & skill-building
• Create space for employees to practice the new skills and get feedback
• Ensure people leading & executing have high capacity and credibility
• Understand if demands for change will be >10% of existing responsibilities; if so, rethink expectations and/or job responsibilities

PLAN AND EXECUTE CHANGE.

• Break the change down into manageable chunks and focus on simplicity and clarity
• Ensure quick wins to build hope and momentum
• Address structures and systems that need to change
• Get the right people in key positions; neutralize people who are impediments
• Address critical issues decisively & quickly
• Reward desired behaviorInspect what you expect: regularly report and track milestones

Anticipate and address obstacles.

Measure and reflect on success.

Define the change.

DEMONSTRATE AND BUILD COMMITMENT.

• Model the change you're asking others to make
• Stand behind the described change and the steps to be taken to achieve it, including aligning resources
• Listen and let others create their stories about the change
• Encourage collaboration and leadership
• Remove barriers to employee engagement in the change
• Inspect what you expect: regularly report and track milestones; celebrate progress and successes
• Ask for feedback and demonstrate that you hear it and are responding to it
• Help people experience their work and the impact of it differently

PROGRESS MONITOR, LEARN, AND SUSTAIN THE CHANGE.

• Gather data re: progress towards aspired to change and staff's experience of the change
• Share data back out to people involved or impacted by the change
• Dig beneath the surface to understand the root causes of problems that arise
• Make mid-course corrections as needed
• Think explicitly about what is needed to sustain the change and address it

Measure and reflect on success.

APPLICATION

• Read the short case study provided.

• Address how you would manage the change, ensuring you answer the following questions:

• Stakeholder Engagement: Who are the key stakeholders, and what concerns or needs must each group address?
• Communication Plan: How will you communicate the benefits, address concerns, and keep all groups informed?
• Addressing Resistance: What strategies can you use to support hesitant teachers and concerned parents?
• Support Systems: What ongoing support will you need to put in place to ensure successful implementation?
• Measurement of Success: How will you gauge the success of this new model in terms of student engagement, teacher buy-in, and overall outcomes?

Case Study Practice

Leverage the change management assessment tool to understand how you lead change.

Reflection & Connection

Survey & Closing

Thank you ChatGPT.

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

Survey Time! Capture QR code to complete!

11:45AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:45AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection AIP Working Session: Revising Your Empathy Interviews, Challenge IDs, Design Teams, and Expectations for Upcoming AIP Pitches Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - wednesday

11:30AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:30AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection Change Management Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - Tuesday

• Please be prepared with questions for Dr. Lacey Robinson on Thursday.
• Be prepared with questions about your AIP and your progress tomorrow.

Next Steps

November 20, 2024

Learning experience #3

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

You found the session highly engaging and appreciated the focus on connection and collaboration, especially within your squad groups. The "Save the Last Word" protocol and discussions around change management tools and strategies were particularly impactful, helping you reflect on practices and learn from peers. Many valued the space to show up authentically, engage in meaningful conversations about current challenges, and deepen their understanding of change management in a contextually relevant way. Some participants advocated for more transparent and more visible pre-work communication, additional guiding questions to prime discussions, and chunked instructions to aid group activities.

What we heard from you...

Thank you for your feedback!

11:45AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:45AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection AIP Working Session: Revising Your Empathy Interviews, Challenge IDs, Design Teams, and Expectations for Upcoming AIP Pitches Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - wednesday

11:30AM - 12:00PM

9:30AM - 11:30AM

Welcome, Grounding, & Connection Change Management Squad Time, Survey, and Closing

8:00AM - 9:30AM

AGENDA - Tuesday

Practicing & Honing Communication

Connecting through Our Achievements

Why track your achievements?

Resume builder

You need it for your resume and to share during interviews.

Psychological Support

It's a great feeling to look back at all you have done.

Resilience

It's a good reminder that you have done a lot and overcome many challenges.

You are doing extraordinary things! Why wouldn't you want to track it?

It is important to track your achievements.

In the last 5 years, what are the 3-5 projects you are most proud of? Select 1 to focus on and respond to the following questions. You will be sharing your response with your group. - What was the project? - How do you know it was successful? - What about it is important for you? - What skills/strengths did this project allow you to demonstrate/leverage? - Why does the project being successful matter generally/to your org?

Consider your achievements.

What was the hardest part? Why? What's an ah-ha you had during this portion?

Work in groups to brainstorm around this HMW question: How might we build a habit or practice of tracking achievements? Then, discuss a commitment you want to make to ensure you can remain consistent in this practice.

Consistency is key.

Your Action Impact Project

AIP Working Session

Revisiting the Challenge ID

At LE #2, we spent most of our last working session identifying and clarifying our challenge. We also reviewed content related to your design teams and logistics, such as how to manage empathy interviews, key quote collection, etc. After that, you went back to your systems to conduct several empathy interviews, identify the key quotes from them, and begin thinking about your design team.

THINK | PAIR | WHOLE GROUP SHARE

• What was challenging about this process for you?
• What ah-has or learnings did you take away from completing the process?
• What questions remain for you?

Reflection

Let's take a closer look about how this plays out with where you are in the AIP process...

In essence, strategy work (like your Action Impact Project) is like navigating a ship through uncharted waters. You have a destination in mind (your goals or the impact you're seeking to have), but you must constantly adjust your course based on the changing winds and currents (the environment, what you're hearing from those impacted, what's possible, etc.). This requires a flexible, iterative approach and the ability to consider multiple possibilities simultaneously.

One of the very complex aspects of strategy work is that it is iterative and requires you to hold one thought while thinking about another.

Reflection

• Where did Elliot start?

• What happened that made him consider another possibility?

• Why is it essential for him to consider another possibility?

Now that you've had a chance to practice on Elliot, what does this do for your own work? Chat in your response.

Does the challenge prioritize students' needs, experiences, and perspectives?

Does the challenge aim to change systemic conditions that impact students’ learning environments?

Does the problem of practice include a clear focus on measurable outcomes that directly benefit students?

Measurable Impact

Change in Conditions

Student-Centered Focus

Assessing your challenge ID ensures where you land will impact student outcomes.

Finalizing Your Design Team

Your design team will play an integral role in the success of your Action Impact Project.

Forming and engaging a design team is a concrete skill that supports effective change leadership and management. This team can ensure you keep constituents and those impacted informed and engaged. Technically, these individuals also support you to do the following:

• Completing empathy interviews
• Identifying themes, insights, and opportunities
• Identifying solutions and prototyping those solutions
• Providing a diverse perspective as you address your challenge ID through your AIP

Design Team Purpose

Assembling the team

Assembling the team

Preparing for Your AIP Pitch

Let's explore the expectations today to set you up for success. More information will be found in a pre-work module for LE #4.

The objectives of the AIP Project Pitch are:

• We explore the work of one another to understand each other's contexts and systems more deeply.
• We identify others who might be working on the challenges we are facing.
• We harness our community's expertise to strengthen our focus.

1 min

1 min

1 min

2 mins

Context This section aims to help people understand your system and your role within it so they can effectively give you feedback about your AIP. It should include any of the following that help others understand the context in which your challenge sits. This may include demographics, important political dynamics, the structure of your team and where it sits in relation to schools and the executive team, etc. Challenge and impact identification What challenges are you focused on solving through your AIP? It’s okay for this section to be a bit larger in scope for now, as the empathy interviewing process will help you refine your challenge ID. Also, share the impact you believe this challenge will have on either students directly or the conditions for student learning. Design Team Who do you plan to invite to your design team and why? Empathy Interview Findings What notable quotes did you collect from your initial interviews on this topic? Have they helped you think about this challenge differently? Do they make you want to explore new questions?

The contents of your AIP Project Pitch is straightforward.

Survey & Closing

Thank you ChatGPT.

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

Survey Time! Capture QR code to complete!

• Please be prepared with questions for Dr. Lacey Robinson on Thursday.
• Be prepared to engage with external guest tomorrow and review the engagement expectations during that time.
• Cameras on.
• Prepared with questions and background
• We will be grounding the conversation for instructional excellence tomorrow on the prep work module. Please be prepared to engage with the content by reviewing it.

Next Steps

November 21, 2024

Learning experience #3

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

You found that the session helped clarify the AIP process, timeline, and rubric, providing a better understanding of expectations and next steps. It also "lit a fire", urgency, and momentum towards beginning the work with it! You noted that a few more breaks would be good or spaced out differently. You also noted that it would be helpful to have one on one coaching or even smaller groups as we're discussing the AIP.

What we heard from you...

Thank you for your feedback!

11:00AM - 12:00PM

10:00AM - 11:00AM

9:00AM - 10:00AM

8:05AM - 9:00AM

Opening & Connection Learning Circles Instructional Excellence Learning from Leaders - Lacey Robinson Synthesis, Survey, and Looking Ahead

8:00AM - 8:05AM

AGENDA - thursday

Learning Circles

Learning CirclesEmily Mia Ashanti Angela Stephanie

Assessment for GoodFelicia Lindsay Asya Selena Elizabeth Shandra Michael JoseYana Shateena

Bunifu LearningTrent Milanda Ra'Chel Leta Nicole Jana Larome Amber Simona Drew

Learning circles support you in brainstorming better and dreaming bigger about what's possible within your systems. They also allow you to engage with new ideas and individuals to expand your networks.

Learning CirclesMiguel Kim Angela Rashid

Family Engagement LabJustin Shawnterra Shandrea Shonterrio Erica Chris Denise Jennifer

Bunifu LearningTerri Marcel Andrew Kendra Krista Sally Martin Rebecca

Learning circles support you in brainstorming better and dreaming bigger about what's possible within your systems. They also allow you to engage with new ideas and individuals to expand your networks.

Instructional Excellence

Grade Level Assignments

High Quality Instructional Materials

High expectations

There were several pillars introduced about instructional excellence in our prep work module.

Choose a side, choose a room.

How intimately do you need to understand instructional excellence to lead in systems leadership? Join the corresponding room # and discuss your rationale. One person from the room should be prepared to share themes from the room.

Professional learning wasn't a part of the materials at all. What do you think about that? Assuming HQIM is in place, rate how critical professional learning is to student outcomes, with one being not all necessary and five being absolutely critical.

Given the importance of instructional excellence (and its role in the PELP framework), how do you currently center it in your actions?

SMALL GROUPS

Reflection & Connection

Instructional Excellence

Action Impact Project

Change Management

• What were the most important takeaways from the sessions?
• How do these learnings connect to their current work and challenges?
• What are some specific ways they can apply this new knowledge or skill in their schools or districts?

Synthesis

Survey & Closing

Thank you ChatGPT.

Commitments

Learning & Growth

• We come as learners, not as a hierarchy, embracing vulnerability and giving one another permission to be "raggedy" (unpolished and unprocessed).
• Speak your truth and share openly, leaving both questions and brilliance on the table.
• It’s okay not to have all the answers—what matters is the journey of growth.

Interaction & Approaching Others

• Assume positive intent, focus on understanding, and trust the process.
• Be open to discomfort, ambiguity, and adjusting your perspective as you learn.
• We challenge and dismantle biases and systems of oppression together, but no one should carry difficult conversations alone.

• Confidentiality is key—what’s shared here stays here, though what we learn can be applied.
• Practice patience and support, recognizing that we all learn and reflect differently.
• Engage in honest, respectful, and constructive dialogue, offering encouragement that fosters growth without judgment.

How We Show Up For One Another

• Share your unique genius while valuing others’ expertise.
• Listen from the heart to understand both emotions and intent.
• Overdial on joy to foster connection and positive emotions, and regularly check in with each other to assess and meet individual and group needs.

Survey Time! Capture QR code to complete!

• AIP Project Pitch next steps!
• Prep work and other tasks will be published in Notion Fellowship hub by the end of December.

Next Steps