Build what you need. Upgrade what you have.
We’re a small, nimble team that thrives on relationships and a “yes, let’s do this” attitude. We bring expertise and a proven approach to the table, but we know your context is king. That’s why we work with you to shape every step of the process—whether it’s crafting a plan, putting it into action, or refining along the way. Together, we’ll build what you need, improve what’s already working, and create change that sticks.
Create and implement doable plans.
We meet you where you are. Our partnership begins with understanding what matters to you as a leader and really getting to know your community. We bring our authentic commitment to your success to design a meaningful planning process that is flexible and customized to your needs.
Review
Use our Capacity Framework to take a snapshot of your system’s current capacity to deliver results for students and their families. This snapshot serves as the basis for critical leadership conversations about strengths to leverage and gaps to address to meet your goals.
Envision
Develop a multi-year roadmap beginning with the end in mind. (“What do you want to do?”)
Plan
Define action steps, milestones, and publicly reportable metrics for success. (“How are you going to do it?”)
Implement
The secret sauce: We work with your doers to set up workable, meaningful progress monitoring routines focused on problem solving and results. (“How will you know if you’re on track? How will you get back on track if you fall off?”)
Check out some of our partners’ publicly available plans:
Make existing goals possible.
We support your team to build the muscles you need to be successful; think of us as your sideline coaches. Through an “I do, we do, you do” model, we facilitate your already strong leaders to become great at implementation.
Progress Routines
Put in place habits and processes that facilitate repeatable success.
Implementation Support
Craft targeted solutions to persistent challenges, allowing teams to break through and move forward with progress.
Goal Management
Train a highly skilled team or individual to hit milestones, achieve targets, and manage roadblocks before they become insurmountable.
See a sample public dashboard built with one of our partners here
Get better at getting better.
Connect with us and each other to accelerate your progress. Our approach to coaching includes a listening ear and an orientation toward action. We will push you to make progress on your commitments and help you hold yourself accountable to change. Or we can facilitate groups of educators to learn from each other and accelerate progress toward their goals.
Leadership Coaching
Learn skills that turn individual commitment into team-wide steps toward student success. Good for: New system leaders; deputy leaders responsible for implementing major initiatives.
Educator Learning Networks
Build a community of implementation-focused educators committed to getting better together. Good for: Philanthropic organizations that want to foster collaboration & learning among grantees; Initiatives with multiple organizational partners
What We Do
We partner with schools, school districts, state agencies, and education organizations to provide:
Strategic Planning
Implementation-focused strategic planning that starts with big goals and then builds out the detailed metrics and milestones for specific priority strategies
Read more about what makes our strategic planning process unique!
Progress Monitoring
Support to establish and run continuous improvement routines (we call them “stocktakes”) focused on progress, problem-solving, and impact
Preview our customizable Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring tool or watch a video overview!
Delivery Support
Development and capacity building of “delivery units” within education organizations (i.e., a highly-skilled team or person focused on managing delivery of the organization’s goals)
Coaching & Change Management
Leadership coaching and change management for education leaders who are focused on student success
Implementation Support
Targeted, structured problem-solving support around implementation challenges
Watch an overview of our comprehensive rubric for capacity building and implementation support!
Network Facilitation
Design and facilitation of adult learning communities/networks to share effective education practices and tools across contexts
We are a small, flexible group - we value our relationships with partners and approach our work from a place of “yes.” While we believe our expertise and the delivery approach add tremendous value, we also honor the needs of your context. We will work with you to customize a scope of work to achieve your goals.
We do it with you. Not for you.
Our work is built on collaboration and trust. We help teams develop processes that foster ownership, accountability, and growth. In return, we ask for your commitment to show up, embrace the process, and prioritize results over convenience—every step of the way.
What We Offer
- A plan that produces, not just hopes for, equity
- Experiences that teach people and teams to work better together
- Routines and processes that demand ownership and accountability
- Tough love partners who name the elephant in the room
- A pace that allows change to naturally unfold and persist
What We Ask
- Partnership over transaction, every step of the way
- Self-imposed discipline to consistently show up and put what you’re learning to work
- Willingness to change – and have the tough conversations that lead to real results
- Trust in the process, even when it’s hard to see what’s next
- Commitment to excellence over convenience
What People Are Saying About Us
