Education Catalyst™ (“EduCat™”)
Frequently Asked Questions
What will a school district have at the end of the Education Catalyst™ workshop?
- A new and broadly supported vision of the school or district’s future
- A list of objectives essential to achieving the vision
- A list of projects and tasks for achieving each objective
- A clear understanding of where the district currently stands in relation to achieving its vision
- Names of volunteers who will help achieve or lead each objective
- Short term goals and dates for achieving them
- A new way of working together openly, cooperatively and wisely
- A written report of the strategic plan.
Can't the “EduCat™” be done in less than three days?
This much time is required for a group to create a new shared vision and to identify the goals, priorities and specific actions needed to achieve it. Time to express varying points of view, share unfamiliar content, understand potential for compromise, and develop a sense of co-authorship, all lead to collaboration and thoroughness. And “sleeping on it” enables people to digest new thoughts, come to terms with differences, and improve on ideas and judgments.
The Education Catalyst™ saves staff and volunteer time compared with the typical series of multiple meetings spread over many months. And the software supports rapid modification, updating and adaptation to change.
How are Education Catalyst™ participants chosen? Who chooses them?
A small group of people who know the district well chooses a group of 30-60 participants that includes the full range of diverse backgrounds and opinions (administration, faculty, staff, community leaders, union leaders, parents – and students). This works better than voting for participants which often results in selecting well-known, popular or strongly opinionated people but not necessarily those who can express the community’s diversity of background or opinion.
What questions does the Education Catalyst™ address?
What is the community’s future vision of the education it provides?
What are our highest priority objectives for achieving the vision?
How can we organize our work into practical projects with clear goals?
What resources (people, time, money) will we need?
Who will take responsibility for achieving our vision?
Doesn't the Education Catalyst™ produce a lot of conflict?
Conflict often gives rise to doing an Education Catalyst™ (although in the ideal world the motivations are improvement, growth, success). However, conflict can energize change and creativity. The challenge and the opportunity are to harness conflict constructively. The “EduCat™” creates a shared vision and plan of action that inspires the entire group of participants. Unlike traditional strategic planning, it does not force choices between competing points of view but rather synthesizes group wisdom to produce transformative, new and better ideas. Conflict is supplanted by collaboration. The process isn't complete until all participants sign the vision in public and make personal commitments to help achieve it.
What happens after the vision statement is finished?
On the second day participants develop goals, identify priorities, determine their present stage of accomplishment and reflect on where they need to focus resources. On the third day they produce a detailed action agenda for achieving their vision, identifying expected results, specific projects, milestones and project teams. After the conclusion of the workshop the consultants provide a draft of the strategic report.
What can we expect to see during the Education Catalyst™?
Education Catalysts™ are held in large, public facilities such as school gymnasiums, auditoriums, or community centers. Participants sit around small tables near the front of the room. One facilitator asks for input from participants; another enters their ideas and comments into a computer and projects them onto a large screen at the front of the room. Observers sit at the side or in back of the participants and may contribute ideas periodically.