THE SCHOOL CHANGE PROCESS

The Challenge Success School Change Process is based on continuous improvement principles, and we use it with every school team in the School Partnership. Our process is not only based on what we’ve seen work best for schools and what the research indicates, it is grounded in our Levers for Change.

how we approach school improvement

levers for sustainable school change

Center Student
Voice

We center the student experience in the change process and engage students as co-designers.

Co-Design with the School Community

We partner with school communities to redefine student success and focus on well-being, engagement, and belonging

Use Research-Based, Equity-Centered Strategies

Our work is grounded in data and research-based practices to support continuous learning and improvement for all learners.

Three Phases

phase 1

Ignite

Prepare for the Journey

Teams lay the foundation for change work around wellbeing, belonging, and engagement. This can include building a shared purpose for the work ahead, clear roles and responsibilities, and creating structures for effective communication and collaboration.

Investigate the Student Experience

Teams gather and analyze data on student wellbeing, belonging, and engagement. This can include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other forms of data collection to identify areas for improvement and establish baseline data.

Define a Focus Area for Improvement

Teams unpack the student experience to explore underlying root causes, identify specific areas for improvements in well-being, belonging, and/or engagement, and orient toward appropriate actions for the community.

Create the Improvement Vision

By the end of Phase 1, teams have developed new skills, perspectives, and knowledge to create a clear aim for improvement in wellbeing, belonging engagement. This can include an aim statement aligned with identified hopes for improvements in student outcomes.

phase 2

Engage

Design S.P.A.C.E. Change Ideas

Teams design change ideas with specific goals aligned with their vision for improving student wellbeing, belonging, and engagement. This may involve brainstorming, creative ideation, prototyping, learning, and collaborating to create an action plan. Visit our blog to see specific examples of changes schools have made within the S.P.A.C.E. Framework and read case studies and success stories from our past partner schools.

Engage in Cycles of Inquiry

Teams put the plan into action by implementing change ideas, and monitoring and assessing the progress toward the shared outcomes. This can include implementing interventions, programs, or initiatives to improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement in learning, as well as ongoing data collection and analysis to track progress.

Reflect on Individual and Community Impact

Teams evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions and strategies implemented in the Cycles of Inquiry, measure results, and decide whether or not to institutionalize the change efforts. This can involve analyzing data and feedback from stakeholders, reflecting on successes and challenges, and making adjustments as needed to continue improving student well-being, belonging, and engagement

phase 3

Sustain

Cultivate Collective Growth

Teams engage with specific communities of practice to support ongoing growth and implementation This may involve joining a focused cohort and/or partnership to deepen practices that sustain a specific policy and practice change around student wellbeing, belonging, and engagement.

Develop Growth and Implementation Plan

Teams establish practices and systems that support change efforts and ongoing improvement of student well-being, belonging, and engagement in learning. This may involve identifying areas for ongoing improvement, developing new strategies, and co-creating a sustainability plan for long-term impact.

Explore the Change Process through School Spotlights

Change Process Timeline

Sample Calendars

While our approach is customized for each school partner, the calendars below are examples of how a school might approach the cadence of their partnership and use of services throughout the 12- or 18-month period. While some schools complete all 3 phases in year 12-18 months, many choose to renew their partnership and continue their continuous improvement work with us over multiple years.

Standard School Partnership: 12 Months

Change Process Phase	Time of Year	Key Activities	Coaching	Professional Development / Community Education
Phase 1: Ignite	August-October	Assemble Team Administer Surveys Define Focus Area	Coaching Session #1 Coaching Session #2	Attend Conference at Stanford Workshop #1
Phase 2: Engage	November-March	Co-Design and Test Change Ideas in Continuous Improvement Cycles	On-Site Visit Day Coaching Session #3 Coaching Session #4	Workshop #2 Workshop #3
Phase 2 and/or Phase 3: Engage and/or Sustain	April-June	Reflect on Progress Attend Spring Convening Plan for the Future	Coaching Session #5

Extended School Partnership: 18 Months

Change Process Phase	Time of Year	Key Activities	Coaching	Professional Development / Community Education
Phase 1: Ignite	January-June	Assemble Team Administer Surveys Define Focus Area	Coaching Session #1 On-Site Visit Day #1 Coaching Session #2	Workshop #1
Phase 1: Ignite	July-October	Co-Design and Test Change Ideas in Continuous Improvement Cycles	Coaching Session #3 Coaching Session #4	Attend Conference at Stanford Workshop #2
Phase 2: Engage	November-March	Reflect on Progress Continuous Improvement Cycles	On-Site Visit Day #2 Coaching Session #5 Coaching Session #6	Workshop #3
Phase 2 and/or Phase 3: Engage and/or Sustain	April-June	Attend Spring Convening Plan for the Future	Coaching Session #7 Coaching Session #8

Learn More About the School Partnership

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Are you ready to improve student well-being, engagement, and belonging in your school? Get in touch with us to learn more and explore how our team can best support you!

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