Laying the Foundations for Systems Change
The way we work, teach, live and learn is changing at an accelerating rate.
We must consider how their practices today will shape the future of learning
tomorrow – and what roles students, educators, community leaders and
policymakers might have in shaping that future.
Systems transformation is a continuous, community-driven journey. The purpose is to ensure the system is responsive to the needs of each learner, allowing individuals to meet their potential and be prepared for their desired future.
True transformation requires a foundation built on a shared vision, agency, culture and transparency. These elements ground systems that are working to shift from traditional schooling models. Attention to them is essential in designing for and implementing student-centered learning. By embedding these elements, constituents of education systems can bridge the gaps between policy and practice, ensuring transformation efforts are both lasting and impactful.
- Shared Vision: A shared vision unifies the state’s commitment toward a common purpose, ensuring ownership through collective decision-making and accountability.
- Agency: Agency grows from a culture of trust that enables individuals to have a voice in achieving the shared vision.
- Culture: Culture is a set of collective behaviors, beliefs and values that drive transformation toward the shared vision.
- Transparency: Transparency builds inclusivity and trust through common language, shared decision-making and accountability that are visible and accessible to all members of the statewide learning community.
Driving systems transformation
Every generation of learners challenges the capacity of the system to meet their unique needs. KnowledgeWorks supports partners with systems transformation efforts that address these challenges to meet the needs of each learner. We embed conditions that foster agency in partners and communities to lead and sustain the systems transformation journey.
Leading Through Systems Change
Nevada’s 2024 Teacher of the Year, Laura Jeanne Penrod, explains how educators and learners can lead systems change through collaboration and advocacy. Join her and other education leaders in driving student-centered change with Lead for Learners.
“I believe in modeling and culture to my core, and that starts with changing how we lead,” said Theresa Ewald, former assistant superintendent of Kettle Moraine School District in Wales, Wisconsin. Strong leadership can make or break a shift to personalized, competency-based learning and a more student-centered approach. Investing in leadership training and focusing on mindset shifts at the outset can help create sustainable transformation. Ewald gives education leaders five growth mindset tips. Learn more »
Developing shared visions
KnowledgeWorks partners across various levels of education systems – including policymakers, educators, learners and business and community leaders – to develop shared visions for the future of education within their local contexts. For true systems change and long-term success, a shared vision must be created by and live throughout a community.
Changing policy for education innovation
State leaders play an important role in supporting the growth of personalized, competency-based education at the school and district levels. KnowledgeWorks is committed to helping policymakers advance their shared visions by working together to build capacity for sustaining systems change by creating flexible policy environments and closing opportunity and outcomes gaps.
Envisioning your future of learning
Futures thinking tools equip learning communities to consider their preferred futures and identify strategies for bringing them to life in a changing world. KnowledgeWorks helps people across the education spectrum build their capacity to shape the future by examining education trends in our forecasts, providing actionable resources and facilitating sessions based on your specific needs.
Tools to Start Systems Transformation
It can be hard to start the journey of systems change. We’ve been developing the tools to help you do that.
Looking Beneath the Surface is a guidebook that introduces education stakeholders and changemakers to the theories, language, mindsets and tools of systems thinking for the purpose of informing approaches to systems change.
