In 2017, the Barr Foundation launched Engage New England (ENE), an initiative that provides a unique opportunity to develop innovative school models designed to serve students who are off track to high school graduation.

We are honored to partner with the Barr Foundation to lead three cohorts of school designers through a three-phase planning year: Understand, Design, and Build. During the Understand phase, grantees conduct research to understand the needs of their student populations. During the planning year, our first group of school-based partners dove into the design work, collected and analyzed data to learn about their current or potential students and community needs and capacities, articulated design priorities, and began to plan for the launch of their new school model.

SRI Education, the research partner for the ENE initiative, captured the learnings from the planning process through interviews, classroom observations, and student focus groups conducted during March and April 2018. They published a brief that highlights key lessons learned during the initial Understand and Design phases of work.

Take a look at the publication for reflections of the school and design leaders and staff members involved in the design process as well as our coaches and staff members who supported the design process. This brief is designed to benefit all three cohorts of ENE grantees as they plan and build their schools and to highlight key elements of planning for innovative school models.

There were many great lessons learned across sites, especially about the importance of student voice and how to structure the design team and engage in the process:

• Establish structures to capture student voice
• Define clear research questions
• Recognize the critical role of the school lead
• Ensure access to broad expertise
• Be intentional in constructing the design team
• Protect design time

Read the full publication for even more learnings and more details about what stuck out for us and our partners.