Key Benefits

Tegy training & tools support school teams seeking to...

 

1. Adapt to Changing Needs 

​Our world looks very different than it did when the basic public school model was developed a century ago. Many of today's jobs, for instance, did not exist when today’s high school seniors were in kindergarten. Opportunities, needs and challenges for students are changing. Schools are seeking ways to be more nimble. Whole-school design thinking can help schools take smart steps to better align their school experiences in ways that prepare all students well for the world they will enter.

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2. Organize for All Students to Become Well-Rounded and Ready

All students need to develop robust skill sets, varied expertise and proven experiences to be fully prepared for the many important roles they will have throughout their lives. At Sensible Innovation, we utilize a framework we call “Well-Rounded and Ready” to guide our school-design thinking. We ask schools to consider how they organize to help ensure that all students develop essential competencies in four inter-related areas: academic, organizational, solution-finding and personal. See the Framework by clicking on the PDF to the right. 

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3. Support Teachers & Staff Better

Teaching and supporting young learners as they grow is some of the most challenging and important work there is. We help schools develop structures that help promising new teachers as well as masterful veterans to develop their practice and to support the growth of their colleagues. 

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4. Leverage Existing Resources Smartly

It can be surprising how much more is possible. Better blocks of learning time for students, more professional collaboration time for teachers, more enrichments and supports are goals that most schools can achieve. Our services help prepare school teams to leverage more fully the resources they already have—including talent, time, technology and space.

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5. Implement Promising Initiatives & Innovations Successfully 

​Ultimately it is difficult for educators to implement many of the emerging innovations in our field successfully without addressing how they organize time. By focusing on scheduling specifically, our unique training programs can benefit a school regardless of its instructional focus.

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While many workshops and conferences may touch on this issue, it is typically a small part of another topic: blended learning, personalized learning, competency-based assessment, project-based instruction, school culture and climate, academic interventions, etc. People often are hungry at the end of these conferences for much more guidance on how to adapt their schedules. We seek to address that need. 

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6. Continuously Improve

The longest lasting scheduling solutions tend to take place thoughtfully over time. We help schools, districts and networks clarify their mission and visions and then help them build road maps to accomplish their goals. Smaart steps lead to successful ideas. Our support services help schools of all kinds to develop individual concepts they can implement, evaluate and refine. 

 

It is important schools to think of their adults in as learners. We often talk about developing a “growth mindset” for students. Great schools build the same mindset for their staff.  Our programs are designed to help schools take steps that make sense for their school community. No cookie cutter approach will do. 

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7. Streamline Planning & Reporting

We ask a lot from school leaders and staff when it comes to accountability. By adapting how the school day/week/year is organized, school and district leaders can provide accountability while simultaneously enhancing the learning and teaching experiences. 

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8. Become Skilled at Whole-School Design Thinking

​Transformative scheduling is a skill set that takes guided practice in order to master. Schools are complex organizations with many moving parts. Yet few people are trained and experienced in both the puzzle building and change management required to transform a school’s inter-related operating structures. Unfortunately, decisions often get made in silos. Like a Rubik’s Cube, changing one part can significantly impact many others.

 

Our services help school leaders and key staff to develop expertise needed so they can fit all their parts together in ways that align with their mission and vision. This is an essential priority for all schools, and it can require adaptations each year as needs change. Being successful at this work takes time and guidance and practice for a school team to do well.