Doing school differently

Working with partners to reimagine high school through community-based, student-centered school design.

Our Services

Springpoint’s mission is to enable all students—regardless of environment or background—to succeed in high school, college, and beyond. To do this, we help educators to envision, design, and implement new, innovative school models. While we encourage partners to allocate time in their planning and design process to engage thoughtfully in all three of the below areas, we are available to tailor partnerships based to the unique realities of the schools, districts, CMOs, and foundations we work with.

For those who are looking to design new high school models that are responsive to their communities, we facilitate a design and planning process that features the following components. This work typically spans a full design year but can sometimes be adapted in scope and timing, based on partners’ needs and local context.

School design workshops to immerse stakeholders in student-centered design, youth development theory, and best practices for developing an equity-driven design process

School study tours to give design teams opportunities to learn from innovative practices nationally

Community visioning and engagement to ensure that all key stakeholders have a voice in the school design process

School model development, including design facilitation, project management, training and coaching, exemplar sharing, and assistance in development of school model artifacts such as competency frameworks, flexible schedules, learning experience maps, and more

“Portrait of a graduate” visioning to guide the development of a school model that prepares students for fulfilling post-secondary opportunities and incorporates the experiences, assets, skills, and knowledge that students hope to have upon graduation

For those who are looking to implement innovative designs that empower students to be active participants in their education, we design the following supports and experiences. Depending on where partners are in their model launch and implementation process, these can be customized though we believe the most impactful outcomes result from deep engagement in the full process.

School observation visits to surface rich data and insights that inform continued design and model iteration

Model audits to assess the efficacy of design implementation

Principal shadowing to help leaders understand how to strategically allocate time to drive design and iteration in their school

Virtual and in-person coaching to support school leaders as they reflect on and hone their leadership skills and continuously improve their school models

For those seeking to articulate their vision, implement their theory of action, or build institutional capacity to set students up for success, we provide robust support and customized guidance with a focus on how to develop learning ecosystems where students can thrive.

Initiative development to help partners identify their stakeholders’ distinct needs and high-leverage opportunities for impact

Strategic planning to identify a theory of action, set ambitious goals, and chart a course to achieve them

Landscape analysis to help partners understand the diverse perspectives, considerations, existing resources, and best practices within a particular field or region

Capacity building and strategic resource allocation to ensure that organizations are structured in a way that accelerates success

In keeping with our philosophy that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to school design, our process is flexible and each engagement is tailored to each partner’s distinct challenges and aspirations.

Our Approach

We support our partners as they engage in an intentional design process that prioritizes meaningful participation from students and stakeholders at every stage. Our approach is an adaptive, responsive, and ongoing endeavor to promote a culture of innovation and iteration.

Engage

We encourage partners to conduct a thorough self-assessment of their capacities and needs, and use that assessment to sequence their priorities and identify the time and resources necessary for an effective and collaborative design process.

Understand

School design should be grounded in a deep, foundational understanding of the students and families new models serve. We support partners in conducting quantitative and qualitative research, focus groups, individual interviews, visioning exercises, and other data gathering activities to drive an informed and inclusive design process.

Design

Once the design team has gathered data and established its mission and vision, we work together to define the priorities that matter most to students and their families, and establish frameworks that capture key design decisions across foundational academics, college and career readiness, and personal enrichment. To test the model’s feasibility and establish the right balance of design elements, we also help partners map the experiences that young people and adults will have as members of the school community during each year or phase of development.

Build

As schools prepare for launch, Springpoint supports design teams in building out essential model elements, articulating implementation requirements, and developing artifacts to orient all stakeholders and identify their role in its success.

Iterate

School design is never done. If schools are to be true adolescent learning ecosystems that adapt to each new challenge and opportunity, they must grow alongside their students. We work with partners to develop continuous improvement plans, establish data gathering protocols, and implement inquiry cycles to better understand what is working for students and identify which aspects of the school model may need to evolve.

Design Principles

Springpoint’s work is guided by 10 integrated design principles that are essential if secondary schools are to meet the demands of the 21st century.

We believe that a high performing secondary school:

  • Focuses on Positive Youth Development

    Caring, consistent student-adult relationships that communicate high expectations for student learning and behavior

    Clear expectations for student competencies and standards of performance

    Opportunities for students to contribute to the school environment and have a voice in decisions

    Encouragement of student responsibility for meeting learning and personal goals

    Openness to and encouragement of family participation

    Integration of community participation, assets, and culture

  • Has a clear mission & coherent culture

    Clearly defined purpose, goals, and school culture

    Mission and culture embodied in all aspects of school design

  • Manages school operations efficiently and effectively

    Purposeful use of time, people, and technology to optimize teachers’ ability to support student learning

    All elements of school design organized to maximize efficient use of resources

    Flexible, customizable scheduling

    Clear operational performance goals and accountability mechanisms

    Automation of basic tasks whenever possible

  • Has a effective human capital strategy

    Consistent, high-quality systems for sourcing and selecting teachers and staff

    Individualized professional development that cultivates teachers’ strengths and meets school needs and priorities, including use of blended learning

    Fair and equitable teacher evaluation

    Leadership development opportunities and a leadership pipeline

  • Develops & deploys collective strengths

    Teacher teaming that strengthens instructional design and delivery and enables professional growth

    Mechanisms that promote innovation and initiative among teachers and staff

    Differentiated roles for adults (e.g., multiple “teacher” roles) that enable effective implementation of the school model

  • Empowers and supports students

    Explicit linkages between future academic and career pathways and current learning and activities

    Transparency regarding student status and progress toward graduation for students and parents/guardians

  • Adheres to mastery of rigorous standards

    Curriculum that enables all students to meet rigorous standards.

    Multiple opportunities for students to show mastery through performance based assessments

    Student advancement based on demonstration of mastery of knowledge and skills

  • Is porous and connected

    Effective partnerships with organizations that enrich student learning and increase access to community resources and supports

    Participation in a network of schools that share knowledge and assets

  • Personalizes student learning

    Instruction in a variety of learning modalities, linked to students’ strengths and learning goals

    Data-driven, real-time feedback for students and teachers

    Embedded, performance-based formative assessments

    Effective use of technology for anytime, anywhere learning

  • Continuously improves operations & model

    Use of performance data and analytics to improve curriculum and instruction

    Regular review and revision of school operations and model to increase effectiveness

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