Phase 2

Activate

Goal
Kick off the work of transformation together, build community support, and get energized to transform high school

Phase Owner(s)
School transformation team, district transformation team

Duration
Approx. 3–5 months

Embarking on the
Design Journey, Together

In this phase of the journey, districts and high schools come together to kick off the work of high school transformation. Throughout this phase, districts and high schools undertake parallel, complementary work with the ultimate goal of determining which schools are interested and ready to move forward with the transformation process.

They publicly announce the commitment to transformation, assess the student experience within each high school through the Educational Opportunity Audit & Analysis (EOAA), activate the school and broader community around transformation, participate in Design Workshop 1, and determine how to move forward together. Along the way, schools and districts build the case for transformation, raise the ambition of what’s possible, and get energized to transform high schools.

Creating the Conditions for Success

To be successful in this phase, districts and schools develop deeply collaborative relationships, particularly between the district and school transformation teams. These relationships ensure that the district and schools are coordinated in their efforts, that obstacles are addressed as they arise, and that they are able to progress through the journey together. To support this relationship, the district and schools come together at “milestone” moments to check in on each other’s progress, complete shared work, and unlock the next stages of the journey.

The Phase 2 Journey

This map breaks down the key steps to be completed in this phase of the journey. While the exact timing, order, and process for completing these steps is ultimately up to schools and districts, this map offers a recommended pathway for completing these steps.

To ensure that districts and schools are coordinating their work and completing necessary steps before moving forward, milestone moments are marked in the journey where districts and schools come together to check in.

Scroll left and right to navigate the timeline. Click into any step to learn more.

Hotspot

Assessing student experience (EOAA):

The district and high schools participate in the EOAA—providing transcripts, surveys, and focus groups to better understand student experience. Schools attend Student Journey sessions to unpack learnings.

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Activating the community:

Districts work to create broad awareness of the transformation effort in the community while high schools begin to envision the future of high school within their school communities.

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Experiencing Design Workshop 1:

Districts, schools, and the facilitation partner come together for a session to understand the needs of each high school and imagine what transformation might make possible.

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