Learning Experience #3
February 3, 2026
WELCOME BACK
TUESDAY
Welcome & Connection Change Management Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:00-8:30
8:30-11:30
11:00-11:45
111:45-noon
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:15
Welcome & Connection Innovator's DNA AIP Working Session: Revisiting your challenge ID and Preparing for Your Pitch Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:15-9:30
9:30-11:30
11:00-11:45
11:45-noon
Goals for today and tomorrow
- Introduce, discuss, and analyze the five components of successful change management in a K-12 context. Provide an opportunity to reflect on change leadership, identifying teir strengths and areas for development.
- Practice and internalize innovation as a set of learnable leadership behaviors—specifically questioning, associating, and observing—rather than as an innate trait. Apply these behaviors to real leadership challenges to surface new perspectives, questions, and options for action in complex change efforts.
- Revisit and refine participants’ Action Impact Project challenge by applying iterative strategy thinking, empathy insights, and design team structures to strengthen clarity, adaptability, and readiness for forward action.
We commit, as Catalyst, to design and facilitate a unique learning journey for you with high expectations.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
COURAGE & VULNERABILITY
MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY
SUPPORT
JOY
We facilitate with vulnerability and humility (TLDR: We don't have all the answers!) We see you - as a complete human (quirks and all). We always try to operate with empathy. We encourage - not enforce - intentionally. We purposefully challenge and create dialogue for individual and collective growth. We seek to understand.
Our Commitments
REVISEDCommitments
1. Speak Boldly, Listen Deeply We bring our honest truths into the room — not to represent others, but to reflect our own stories, questions, and convictions. We listen to understand, stay present in hard conversations, and create space for multiple truths. Our words are grounded in courage; our ears, in curiosity. 2. Challenge Ideas, Champion People This is a space where ideas are sharpened, not silenced. We embrace friction — not to provoke, but to stretch. We critique concepts, not character. We give and receive feedback in ways that spark growth without triggering shame. 3. Be Seen, Be You, Be Caretakers of the Space We honor each voice — from every background, perspective, and experience. We design for connection and belonging, knowing that real learning only happens when people feel seen and secure. This means protecting confidentiality, naming harm when it occurs, and healing forward together. 4. Lead with Curiosity, Act with Purpose We don’t gather to perform. We gather to learn, unlearn, and transform. We challenge what’s comfortable and explore beyond the boundaries of our field — because innovation lives at the edges. Everyone here is an innovator. Our questions, not our answers, drive the work. 5. Grow Yourself, Grow the Village Your journey is personal, but not private. We share what we’re learning, even when it’s messy. We recognize that vulnerability is a leadership act — and that our growth has ripple effects far beyond this space. We lead lives that model the values we cultivate here.
WHAT WE HEARD FROM YOU:
- Most valuable aspects centered on leadership stories, collaboration, and practical frameworks, including the "Learning from Leaders" session and the power of embedding stakeholders in the CREATE process.
- Participants are wrestling with time and systemic change, specifically struggling to balance compliance work with breakthrough work, and finding sufficient time for empathy interviews.
- Feedback for improvement in pacing included a request for "more reflection time" and more time to talk, share, and connect with other fellows.
Overall Satisfaction: 4.75 Community building: 4.83 Programming & content: 4.75 Time to talk, share, and learn from fellows: 4.58
By the Numbers:
Thank you for your feedback!
CONNECTING! (About Change Management...)
Thinking about change...
Think about a recent change initiative in your school system. What felt well-managed, and what felt messy?
Reflect independently. You can use the collaboration document. You will have 5 minutes.
Share your reflections with a partner. You each have 2 minutes each. We will do two rounds of this (meaning you'll go into a breakout room with a partner, then you'll do that again a 2nd time)
CLARITY
A few people share out with the whole group. Each person has 1 minute.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Purpose & Importance
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Change management is the process of helping individuals, teams, and organizations successfully adopt and implement changes.
It ensures that changes are implemented effectively.
It helps to improve outcomes for students.
It reduces resistance to change.
There are five components of K12 change management.
Execute a communications strategy.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
Measure and reflect on success.
Identify the key stakeholders.
Define the change.
Identify the key stakeholders.
- Demonstrate and build commitment.
- Progress monitor, learn, and sustain the change.
- Understand the need for and scope of change
- Make the case for change
- Develop partners and partnerships and influence stakeholders to drive change.
- Create a vision to provide direction and inspiration.
- Communicate often.
- Be trustworthy.
- Build necessary capacity.
- Plan & execute change.
From your perspective, what is most important? Chat in your response.
Do folks want a few minutes to review the articles prior to discussing?
Small group discussion
- Choose a timekeeper.
- Each participant silently identifies 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.”
SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME PROTOCOL
Components of K12 Change Mgmt
There are five components of K12 change management.
Execute a communications strategy.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
Measure and reflect on success.
Identify the key stakeholders.
Define the change.
Identify the key stakeholders.
- Demonstrate and build commitment.
- Progress monitor, learn, and sustain the change.
- Understand the need for and scope of change
- Make the case for change
- Develop partners and partnerships and influence stakeholders to drive change.
- Create a vision to provide direction and inspiration.
- Communicate often.
- Be trustworthy.
- Build necessary capacity.
- Plan & execute change.
From your perspective, what is most important? Chat in your response.
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.
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.
Define the change.
Execute a communications strategy.
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.
Define the change.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
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.
Define the change.
Measure and reflect on success.
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.
Define the change.
Self Assessment
Leverage the change management assessment tool to understand how you lead change.
Consultations
[name] [topic]
[name] [topic]
[name] [topic]
Consultation Protocol
20 mins
5 mins
15 mins
5 mins
PRESENTER Shares their specific problem of practice with relevant context so others can understand the circumstances faced.
PRESENTER Answers questions posed by the group to understand more about the context and/or the challenge itself.
GROUP Discusses the challenge and offers insights, reflections, and/or ideas of solving or thinking about the challenge in a new way. Presenter does not talk.
PRESENTER Shares their key takeaways from the group discussion.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER What did you use to think? What do you think now? Note one explicit next step you will take given the content you have learned today.
SURVEY
NEXT STEPS
- Please complete the end of day survey - critical for tomorrow's programming.
- Review the LE#4 Logistics Memo and begin booking flights. Please bring any questions to share for tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow at 8:00am PST.
Thank you.
Learning Experience #3
February 4, 2026
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:35
Welcome & Connection AIP Working Session: Revisiting your challenge ID and Preparing for Your Pitch Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:35-11:15
11:15-11:45
11:45-noon
What we heard from you...
- Overall, participants reported high engagement and 'productive discomfort,' finding significant value in the change management framework and breakout discussions.
- Lots of appreciation for the time to pair and share and a continued desire for more opportunities to go into small groups.
- Some pushes about heavy pre-reading load and the challenge of digesting dense content via Zoom.
Thank you for your feedback!
CONNECTION
We all could use a laugh!
Welcome to Ami!
AIP Working Session
How This Works in Action
TEST
ENGAGE
CURIOSITY
Once you pick an idea, you need to collect feedback on how well it would work.
You got to talk to those impacted by your focus!
You got to want to explore!
RESEARCH
ASSEMBLE IDEAS
You have to research more about what you want to explore.
Based on what you learn, you brainstorm ideas!
You are curious about a challenge that you have and you have the courage to face it. The Spark of Courage It began with a quiet, nagging curiosity. While the surface of our district looked calm, there was a question we finally found the courage to ask: Do our students feel seen, or are they just being watched? We knew that facing the answer would be difficult, but we also knew that ignoring it was no longer an option.
You have existing data that supports the challenge. There is a body of research that supports that solving it will help the student experience. The Weight of the Evidence The data confirmed our intuition. The numbers sat in stark contrast on the page: 90% of our educators believed they were building deep connections, yet only 33% of students felt known. We turned to the research, which told us what we already feared—that without a sense of belonging, even the best curriculum fails to take root. The challenge was real, documented, and urgent.
You want to hear from impacted stakeholders though to ensure the hypotheses you've made hold. You do empathy interviews. The Human Heart of the Matter We refused to treat this as a math problem to be solved with a spreadsheet. Instead, we went to the source. We sat down for empathy interviews, leaning in to hear the voices of the "invisible middle," the overwhelmed teacher, and the worried parent. We didn't listen to respond; we listened to understand. We needed to know if our hypotheses about the "perception gap" held true in the lived experiences of our hallways.
You get a design team together so they can help you sort through the information and make sense of the information coming from empathy interviews. The Room Where It Happens We knew no single leader had the answer, so we assembled a Design Team—a diverse coalition of thinkers, skeptics, and dreamers from across the district. Together, we spread the stories from our interviews across the table like pieces of a puzzle. We debated, we reflected, and we began the messy work of synthesis, finding the common threads in the tapestry of our students' lives.
You leverage the design team to help you make sense of the information collected AND come up with ideas for how you might solve one of the opportunities bubbling up from the synthesis. This will likely be a small part of what you can do compared to solving the challenge completely. Focusing the Lens The Design Team helped us realize we couldn't boil the ocean. We chose not to "solve" belonging in a day, but to zero in on one high-leverage opportunity that bubbled up from our research. We moved from the overwhelming "how do we fix this?" to the actionable "How might we create one moment of genuine visibility in a student's day?"
You brainstorm some "little bets" or tests that you can run to see if something you and the design team would work. The Era of Little Bets Rather than launching a massive, multi-year initiative, we embraced the power of "little bets." We designed small, low-stakes tests—prototypes of connection—to see if a specific shift in our routine would resonate. These weren't grand promises; they were experiments in empathy.
Based on the results of that little bet and feedback, you tweak what you're going to do. The Pivot and the Polish We watched, we listened, and we stayed humble. Some of our bets failed; others sparked a light in a student’s eyes we hadn't seen before. Based on that raw feedback, we tweaked our approach, refining the rough edges of our ideas until the practice felt less like a "task" and more like a culture.
You scale the little bet district-wide, and by doing so, you will have solved a piece of the larger challenge you are trying to address. It likely won't be the complete solution, but a piece of a larger solution you have in play. The Ripple Effect Finally, we were ready to scale. We took that refined "little bet" and wove it into the fabric of the entire district. We didn't claim to have solved the entire challenge of student belonging, but we had successfully solved a vital piece of it. By changing one small interaction for every student, we began the slow, beautiful process of closing the gap—one seen child at a time.
Ready to apply this to your challenge and experience how CREATE unfolds for you?
Challenge ID
You crafted an empathy interview guide and conducted 3-5 interviews since LE #2 in early December. In small groups, discuss the following questions & capture notes in your collaboration doc: - What major reflections did you have upon completion of these first few interviews?
- How is it affecting how you're viewing your challenge?
There are several criteria to formulate a solid challenge.
It is crucial that the challenges identified for this capstone will drive some impactful change within your team and/or school.
CHALLENGE Is my challenge posed in 1-2 sentences? Is it inquiry-based and NOT proposing a solution or hypothesis about why this is happening?
STUDENT FOCUS Does it prioritize students? Is it proximate to the student experience? Is there a logical and simple connection between challenge and student experience?
CONDITIONS Is this anchored in changing some kind of conditions for students, teachers, and/or school leaders?
IMPACT Can you explain how addressing this challenge will impact students and/or their outcomes?
Group Practice
There are two challenge IDs in your collaboration document. As a group, rate each aspect of the sample challenge ID using the rubric. When you agree on a rating, hit the "plus sign" to note your rating for that aspect. Meta meeting tip: Smart chips can be used to make voting and many other things quick and easy!
Tools are important. Here is a MADLIB.
The data demonstrates that we have a challenge in [ENTER OUTCOME] at [INSERT SCHOOLS]. [INSERT THREE BULLETS ABOUT THE DATA THAT LEAD YOU TO THIS STATEMENT].
The data demonstrates that we have a challenge in high school graduation rates at Anywhere School 1, Anywhere School 2, and Anywhere School 3.
- Credit Accumulation data: Only 50% of Juniors have the necessary credits to be on track for graduation.
- Grad Rate: Only 35% of students are graduating on time.
- Credit Recovery: 40% of seniors are enrolled in credit recovery courses.
Independent Work
Update your challenge ID. First, do the work in your collaboration doc. Then, you will update in Step #1 of your AIP Development Guide. If you are working in groups such as those from Salem, Forest Grove, and others, we will place you in a breakout room to do both of these steps.
Small Groups
- Share your selected challenge with the group. (2 min)
- The group asks questions to understand more. (2 min)
- The group provides feedback about the stated challenge. (3 min)
- The presenter takes notes on feedback.
You will take the feedback and pushes from the group to revise the challenge in our next breakout session.
Updating Your Empathy Interview Guide
We need to understand why this is happening.
The empathy interview process helps us understand more about what we're currently seeing in our systems - from teachers, students, parents and other impacted stakeholders.
Empathy interviewing is about radical listening.
and
We must ask great questions to unlock great learnings. So how do we do that?
Empathy Interviews: Asking Great Questions
- What are you hoping to learn from this stakeholder about your challenge?
- How can you ask a question in an open ened way? (Is the question leading? Does the question pigeon hole them into a specific point of view?)
- Is the question anchored in story?
TIP:
Start with "Tell me about a time when"
TIP:
Ask the opposite. Don't just ask about a positive experience.
Let's identify effective empathy interview questions together.
Q1: Why doesn't student discourse happen in your classroom? (Teacher) Q2: Tell me about a time when a student was able to explain their reasoning for a solution. Why did you choose that time? Why, why, why? (teacher) Q3: Tell me about a recent time where your teacher taught you a new concept. What was effective about it? What didn't work for you? Why? (student) Q4: Tell me about a time when your child was really able to describe what they are learning in school and why. (caregiver) Q5: How can we make sure to make ample time for you to design more rigorous tasks for the students to complete? (teacher)
Independent Work
Copy and paste your challenge ID into your AIP Development Guide. Address each part of the rubric to ensure it meets the criteria. Afterwards, create an empathy interview guide for your identified area, leveraging the empathy interview guide template available in your collaboration document. Finally, drop the link to that guide into your AIP Development Guide.
Small Group Consultations
- Review the empathy interview questions drafted by the "presenter." (3 min)
- Group provides feedback and guidance anchored in best practices. (2 min)
As group provides feedback, "presenter" should update questions and/or add questions.
CONSENTS You will need to collect consents from those participating in your interviews. You will need to link the folder in your AIP Guide.
TRANSCRIPTS OR SCRIPTED NOTES You will need to identify a place where you want to keep your transcripts and/or scripted notes. You will need to link the folder in your AIP Guide.
KEY QUOTES Identify a place to drop your key quotes. Identify them as soon as the interview is over. You will need to copy all key quotes into your AIP Guide.
Your Design Team
Cambiar Catalyst
Your design team will play an integral role in the success of your Action Impact Project
Introduction to CREATE
While there are technical components they'll support with, the greatest asset of this team will be their ability to help you address the adaptive areas inherent in your challenge.
Technical
Adaptive
Select your design team
SUPPORT NEEDED As you think about your challenge, conside the scope and level of support you'll need to address both the technical and adaptive challenges you'll encounter.
DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT Consider the make-up of your design team. Is there diversity of thought that exists on this team or will everyone be able to get to consensus relatively quickly. Friction can be good for these teams, but it should be the right amount.
CONSIDER THE SIZE You want to select a group of individuals for your design team that's appropriate given the challenge, the number of stakeholders this work will impact, and how many people you have time to manage. We generally suggest shooting for a design team of ~5-7 people.
Let's Share
In groups of 3-4 share about the design team you have drafted.
- Briefly present your challenge ID
- Share about how you feel each person will support you in addressing either the adaptive or technical aspects of tackling your challenge.
As a group member consider:
- Are there other people that the fellow sharing should consider?
- Is someone missing? Why are they missing?
Preparing For Your Pitch
Project Pitches
Purpose
- Share your context and challenge to harness the community's expertise and strengthen your work.
- Explore others' work and be a thought partner.
The contents of your AIP Project Pitch is straightforward.
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?
2 mins
1 min
1 min
1 min
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER What did you use to think? What do you think now? Note one explicit next step you will take given the content you have learned today.
SURVEY
NEXT STEPS
- Book your travel for LE#4 (Salem - 3/31-4/1)
- For LE#4:
- Prepare a 5-min Project Pitch to share your AIP progress with the cohort
- Indicate if you would prefer to share your Leadership Story when we are together in either Salem (LE#4) or Billings (LE#6)
Thank you.
LE3 - NWF 2025
Cambiar Catalyst
Created on January 22, 2026
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Transcript
Learning Experience #3
February 3, 2026
WELCOME BACK
TUESDAY
Welcome & Connection Change Management Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:00-8:30
8:30-11:30
11:00-11:45
111:45-noon
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:15
Welcome & Connection Innovator's DNA AIP Working Session: Revisiting your challenge ID and Preparing for Your Pitch Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:15-9:30
9:30-11:30
11:00-11:45
11:45-noon
Goals for today and tomorrow
We commit, as Catalyst, to design and facilitate a unique learning journey for you with high expectations.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
COURAGE & VULNERABILITY
MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY
SUPPORT
JOY
We facilitate with vulnerability and humility (TLDR: We don't have all the answers!) We see you - as a complete human (quirks and all). We always try to operate with empathy. We encourage - not enforce - intentionally. We purposefully challenge and create dialogue for individual and collective growth. We seek to understand.
Our Commitments
REVISEDCommitments
1. Speak Boldly, Listen Deeply We bring our honest truths into the room — not to represent others, but to reflect our own stories, questions, and convictions. We listen to understand, stay present in hard conversations, and create space for multiple truths. Our words are grounded in courage; our ears, in curiosity. 2. Challenge Ideas, Champion People This is a space where ideas are sharpened, not silenced. We embrace friction — not to provoke, but to stretch. We critique concepts, not character. We give and receive feedback in ways that spark growth without triggering shame. 3. Be Seen, Be You, Be Caretakers of the Space We honor each voice — from every background, perspective, and experience. We design for connection and belonging, knowing that real learning only happens when people feel seen and secure. This means protecting confidentiality, naming harm when it occurs, and healing forward together. 4. Lead with Curiosity, Act with Purpose We don’t gather to perform. We gather to learn, unlearn, and transform. We challenge what’s comfortable and explore beyond the boundaries of our field — because innovation lives at the edges. Everyone here is an innovator. Our questions, not our answers, drive the work. 5. Grow Yourself, Grow the Village Your journey is personal, but not private. We share what we’re learning, even when it’s messy. We recognize that vulnerability is a leadership act — and that our growth has ripple effects far beyond this space. We lead lives that model the values we cultivate here.
WHAT WE HEARD FROM YOU:
Overall Satisfaction: 4.75 Community building: 4.83 Programming & content: 4.75 Time to talk, share, and learn from fellows: 4.58
By the Numbers:
Thank you for your feedback!
CONNECTING! (About Change Management...)
Thinking about change...
Think about a recent change initiative in your school system. What felt well-managed, and what felt messy?
Reflect independently. You can use the collaboration document. You will have 5 minutes.
Share your reflections with a partner. You each have 2 minutes each. We will do two rounds of this (meaning you'll go into a breakout room with a partner, then you'll do that again a 2nd time)
CLARITY
A few people share out with the whole group. Each person has 1 minute.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Purpose & Importance
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Change management is the process of helping individuals, teams, and organizations successfully adopt and implement changes.
It ensures that changes are implemented effectively.
It helps to improve outcomes for students.
It reduces resistance to change.
There are five components of K12 change management.
Execute a communications strategy.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
Measure and reflect on success.
Identify the key stakeholders.
Define the change.
Identify the key stakeholders.
From your perspective, what is most important? Chat in your response.
Do folks want a few minutes to review the articles prior to discussing?
Small group discussion
SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME PROTOCOL
Components of K12 Change Mgmt
There are five components of K12 change management.
Execute a communications strategy.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
Measure and reflect on success.
Identify the key stakeholders.
Define the change.
Identify the key stakeholders.
From your perspective, what is most important? Chat in your response.
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.Define the change.
Identify the key stakeholders.
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 CHANGEIdentify the key stakeholders.
Define the change.
Execute a communications strategy.
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.Execute a communications strategy.
Define the change.
Anticipate and address obstacles.
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.Anticipate and address obstacles.
Define the change.
Measure and reflect on success.
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.Measure and reflect on success.
Define the change.
Self Assessment
Leverage the change management assessment tool to understand how you lead change.
Consultations
[name] [topic]
[name] [topic]
[name] [topic]
Consultation Protocol
20 mins
5 mins
15 mins
5 mins
PRESENTER Shares their specific problem of practice with relevant context so others can understand the circumstances faced.
PRESENTER Answers questions posed by the group to understand more about the context and/or the challenge itself.
GROUP Discusses the challenge and offers insights, reflections, and/or ideas of solving or thinking about the challenge in a new way. Presenter does not talk.
PRESENTER Shares their key takeaways from the group discussion.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER What did you use to think? What do you think now? Note one explicit next step you will take given the content you have learned today.
SURVEY
NEXT STEPS
Thank you.
Learning Experience #3
February 4, 2026
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:35
Welcome & Connection AIP Working Session: Revisiting your challenge ID and Preparing for Your Pitch Putting It All Together: Synthesis Survey & Looking Ahead
8:35-11:15
11:15-11:45
11:45-noon
What we heard from you...
Thank you for your feedback!
CONNECTION
We all could use a laugh!
Welcome to Ami!
AIP Working Session
How This Works in Action
TEST
ENGAGE
CURIOSITY
Once you pick an idea, you need to collect feedback on how well it would work.
You got to talk to those impacted by your focus!
You got to want to explore!
RESEARCH
ASSEMBLE IDEAS
You have to research more about what you want to explore.
Based on what you learn, you brainstorm ideas!
You are curious about a challenge that you have and you have the courage to face it. The Spark of Courage It began with a quiet, nagging curiosity. While the surface of our district looked calm, there was a question we finally found the courage to ask: Do our students feel seen, or are they just being watched? We knew that facing the answer would be difficult, but we also knew that ignoring it was no longer an option.
You have existing data that supports the challenge. There is a body of research that supports that solving it will help the student experience. The Weight of the Evidence The data confirmed our intuition. The numbers sat in stark contrast on the page: 90% of our educators believed they were building deep connections, yet only 33% of students felt known. We turned to the research, which told us what we already feared—that without a sense of belonging, even the best curriculum fails to take root. The challenge was real, documented, and urgent.
You want to hear from impacted stakeholders though to ensure the hypotheses you've made hold. You do empathy interviews. The Human Heart of the Matter We refused to treat this as a math problem to be solved with a spreadsheet. Instead, we went to the source. We sat down for empathy interviews, leaning in to hear the voices of the "invisible middle," the overwhelmed teacher, and the worried parent. We didn't listen to respond; we listened to understand. We needed to know if our hypotheses about the "perception gap" held true in the lived experiences of our hallways.
You get a design team together so they can help you sort through the information and make sense of the information coming from empathy interviews. The Room Where It Happens We knew no single leader had the answer, so we assembled a Design Team—a diverse coalition of thinkers, skeptics, and dreamers from across the district. Together, we spread the stories from our interviews across the table like pieces of a puzzle. We debated, we reflected, and we began the messy work of synthesis, finding the common threads in the tapestry of our students' lives.
You leverage the design team to help you make sense of the information collected AND come up with ideas for how you might solve one of the opportunities bubbling up from the synthesis. This will likely be a small part of what you can do compared to solving the challenge completely. Focusing the Lens The Design Team helped us realize we couldn't boil the ocean. We chose not to "solve" belonging in a day, but to zero in on one high-leverage opportunity that bubbled up from our research. We moved from the overwhelming "how do we fix this?" to the actionable "How might we create one moment of genuine visibility in a student's day?"
You brainstorm some "little bets" or tests that you can run to see if something you and the design team would work. The Era of Little Bets Rather than launching a massive, multi-year initiative, we embraced the power of "little bets." We designed small, low-stakes tests—prototypes of connection—to see if a specific shift in our routine would resonate. These weren't grand promises; they were experiments in empathy.
Based on the results of that little bet and feedback, you tweak what you're going to do. The Pivot and the Polish We watched, we listened, and we stayed humble. Some of our bets failed; others sparked a light in a student’s eyes we hadn't seen before. Based on that raw feedback, we tweaked our approach, refining the rough edges of our ideas until the practice felt less like a "task" and more like a culture.
You scale the little bet district-wide, and by doing so, you will have solved a piece of the larger challenge you are trying to address. It likely won't be the complete solution, but a piece of a larger solution you have in play. The Ripple Effect Finally, we were ready to scale. We took that refined "little bet" and wove it into the fabric of the entire district. We didn't claim to have solved the entire challenge of student belonging, but we had successfully solved a vital piece of it. By changing one small interaction for every student, we began the slow, beautiful process of closing the gap—one seen child at a time.
Ready to apply this to your challenge and experience how CREATE unfolds for you?
Challenge ID
You crafted an empathy interview guide and conducted 3-5 interviews since LE #2 in early December. In small groups, discuss the following questions & capture notes in your collaboration doc:- What major reflections did you have upon completion of these first few interviews?
- How is it affecting how you're viewing your challenge?
There are several criteria to formulate a solid challenge.
It is crucial that the challenges identified for this capstone will drive some impactful change within your team and/or school.
CHALLENGE Is my challenge posed in 1-2 sentences? Is it inquiry-based and NOT proposing a solution or hypothesis about why this is happening?
STUDENT FOCUS Does it prioritize students? Is it proximate to the student experience? Is there a logical and simple connection between challenge and student experience?
CONDITIONS Is this anchored in changing some kind of conditions for students, teachers, and/or school leaders?
IMPACT Can you explain how addressing this challenge will impact students and/or their outcomes?
Group Practice
There are two challenge IDs in your collaboration document. As a group, rate each aspect of the sample challenge ID using the rubric. When you agree on a rating, hit the "plus sign" to note your rating for that aspect. Meta meeting tip: Smart chips can be used to make voting and many other things quick and easy!
Tools are important. Here is a MADLIB.
The data demonstrates that we have a challenge in [ENTER OUTCOME] at [INSERT SCHOOLS]. [INSERT THREE BULLETS ABOUT THE DATA THAT LEAD YOU TO THIS STATEMENT].
The data demonstrates that we have a challenge in high school graduation rates at Anywhere School 1, Anywhere School 2, and Anywhere School 3.
Independent Work
Update your challenge ID. First, do the work in your collaboration doc. Then, you will update in Step #1 of your AIP Development Guide. If you are working in groups such as those from Salem, Forest Grove, and others, we will place you in a breakout room to do both of these steps.
Small Groups
- The presenter takes notes on feedback.
You will take the feedback and pushes from the group to revise the challenge in our next breakout session.Updating Your Empathy Interview Guide
We need to understand why this is happening.
The empathy interview process helps us understand more about what we're currently seeing in our systems - from teachers, students, parents and other impacted stakeholders.
Empathy interviewing is about radical listening.
and
We must ask great questions to unlock great learnings. So how do we do that?
Empathy Interviews: Asking Great Questions
TIP:
Start with "Tell me about a time when"
TIP:
Ask the opposite. Don't just ask about a positive experience.
Let's identify effective empathy interview questions together.
Q1: Why doesn't student discourse happen in your classroom? (Teacher) Q2: Tell me about a time when a student was able to explain their reasoning for a solution. Why did you choose that time? Why, why, why? (teacher) Q3: Tell me about a recent time where your teacher taught you a new concept. What was effective about it? What didn't work for you? Why? (student) Q4: Tell me about a time when your child was really able to describe what they are learning in school and why. (caregiver) Q5: How can we make sure to make ample time for you to design more rigorous tasks for the students to complete? (teacher)
Independent Work
Copy and paste your challenge ID into your AIP Development Guide. Address each part of the rubric to ensure it meets the criteria. Afterwards, create an empathy interview guide for your identified area, leveraging the empathy interview guide template available in your collaboration document. Finally, drop the link to that guide into your AIP Development Guide.
Small Group Consultations
- Review the empathy interview questions drafted by the "presenter." (3 min)
- Group provides feedback and guidance anchored in best practices. (2 min)
As group provides feedback, "presenter" should update questions and/or add questions.CONSENTS You will need to collect consents from those participating in your interviews. You will need to link the folder in your AIP Guide.
TRANSCRIPTS OR SCRIPTED NOTES You will need to identify a place where you want to keep your transcripts and/or scripted notes. You will need to link the folder in your AIP Guide.
KEY QUOTES Identify a place to drop your key quotes. Identify them as soon as the interview is over. You will need to copy all key quotes into your AIP Guide.
Your Design Team
Cambiar Catalyst
Your design team will play an integral role in the success of your Action Impact Project
Introduction to CREATE
While there are technical components they'll support with, the greatest asset of this team will be their ability to help you address the adaptive areas inherent in your challenge.
Technical
Adaptive
Select your design team
SUPPORT NEEDED As you think about your challenge, conside the scope and level of support you'll need to address both the technical and adaptive challenges you'll encounter.
DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT Consider the make-up of your design team. Is there diversity of thought that exists on this team or will everyone be able to get to consensus relatively quickly. Friction can be good for these teams, but it should be the right amount.
CONSIDER THE SIZE You want to select a group of individuals for your design team that's appropriate given the challenge, the number of stakeholders this work will impact, and how many people you have time to manage. We generally suggest shooting for a design team of ~5-7 people.
Let's Share
In groups of 3-4 share about the design team you have drafted.
- Briefly present your challenge ID
- Share about how you feel each person will support you in addressing either the adaptive or technical aspects of tackling your challenge.
As a group member consider:Preparing For Your Pitch
Project Pitches
Purpose
The contents of your AIP Project Pitch is straightforward.
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?
2 mins
1 min
1 min
1 min
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER What did you use to think? What do you think now? Note one explicit next step you will take given the content you have learned today.
SURVEY
NEXT STEPS
Thank you.