In Schools, On Schools
SPI's blog is named to emphasize that our best ideas come from observations in our own schools as well as at high-performing schools across the United States. We are proximate to the work going on in high-poverty schools that get results for students, and we are working to share these bright spots with others. Through generous sharing of best practices, our mission is to increase access to high-quality schools for all students, regardless of zip code.
Most goal setting I see in schools is ineffective and counterproductive.
The typical approach is to increase the most recent results by some round percentage such as 10 or 15 or 20%.
But absent certain conditions, these “stretch” goals end up completely disconnected from reality.
I want to teach you three conditions that will lead to much more effective goal setting.
Read MoreThe final insight from the systems view is the role of feedback within the system. A deep and technical dive into feedback loops goes beyond the scope of this post; I’d encourage readers to check out Donella H. Meadows’ Thinking in Systems: A Primer for anyone interested in an accessible introduction to learning more about this critically important concept. However, it is worth touching on a few important points as we wrap up this series.
Read More