School Retool Fellowship

Design Toward Deeper Learning For Every Student

What Is School Retool?

A professional learning fellowship for School Leaders that supports Principals, Assistant Principals, and Dean of Students to design a culture of equitable Deeper Learning at their school. Developed by the K12 Lab at Stanford’s d.school, School Retool uses human centered design and design mindsets to support the learning process.

 

What Is Deeper Learning?

The Hewlett Foundation helped underwrite the School Retool Fellowship and invested in a multi-year research study to better understand the competencies that young people will need to be successful in a complex and rapidly changing world. They call them Deeper Learning competencies. Additionally, in their research, Hewlett looked for the “conditions” that support Deeper Learning in schools as a way for School Leaders and their teams to design toward.


 

How Will We Start Designing Toward Equitable Deeper Learning?

First, we will introduce you to the School Retool Change Framework and guide you  as you develop a school wide Equity Aspiration. We will connect you with the Deeper  Learning community (through video) and you will see practical examples of how School Retool Fellows are designing toward equitable deeper learning at their schools. 

The “Big Ideas” will help you point toward your first “Hack”

How Is The Design Process Used?

We Begin With Empathy And The Shadow A Student Experience 

Walking in the shoes of your students will help you identify opportunities to improve or  alter system structures that prevent Deeper Learning experiences to happen. 

From your shadow a student experience and considering the Levers for School Change, you will build your first “hack”


Build Hack #1 and Hack #2

A “Hack” is a prototype of your new experiment that will help you students get to the  Deeper Learning Aspiration that you developed. 

Coaches will help you design your first hack and then design a second hack. 

After each hack you learn how to look for shifts in student behavior using “uncommon  measures” that suggest that the conditions for Deeper Learning are happening. 

Finally, we will help you put it all together, bring your team into the vision, and learn how to  replicate the process.

We Believe Small Acts Lead To Big Change!