1. Connecting the Dots:
The Speak Up Research Project
and TCEA Stakeholder Feedback
Julie A. Evans, Ed.D., CEO, Project Tomorrow March 9, 2022

2. Many thanks to our longstanding valued partner:

3. ▪ Getting to know each other
▪ Introducing the Speak Up Research Project
▪ Realities today about digital learning in our schools
▪ Education leadership priorities
▪ Connecting the dots
▪ Next steps & additional resources
▪ Let’s talk! Your questions or comments
Our discussion today

4. Getting to know each other!
Say hi in the chat and tell us your role and location today!

5. About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
▪ Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12
education since 1996
▪ Mission: to support the development of new capacities
and better decisions within the K-12 ecosystem
▪ Core belief: the power of transformational teaching and
learning to support students’ preparation for future
success.
▪ Programs and research : focus on role of innovation and
new learning models, particularly digital learning.

6. About the Speak Up Research Project
Speak Up:
▪ A leadership support tool for education leaders in
schools, districts and supporting organizations
▪ A suite of normed online surveys to collect authentic
feedback from your stakeholders – K-12 students,
parents, teachers, site administrators
▪ A Turnkey service with no charge/fee to participating
districts
▪ Provides summary reports with 100% locally collected
data + state and national data for benchmarking
▪ Accessible for all preK-12 schools and supporting
organizations – public, private, parochial, charter, virtual
Since 2003, nationally aggregated Speak Up reports inform
education, business and policy decisions in K-12 education

7. ▪ Speak Up Research reports and infographics
▪ Evaluation and efficacy reports and infographics
from special projects
▪ Information about using Speak Up to support
your work and your stakeholders
▪ Engage with us to further explore how to
improve education for all students
Resources for you at www.tomorrow.org

8. ▪ Online surveys for K-12 students, parents, teachers and school site
administrators
▪ Student and parent surveys in English and Spanish
▪ Parent survey also available in a group format
▪ Stakeholders sharing their views and ideas to impact change both
locally and nationally
▪ Schools, districts and organizations like TCEA have a normed
national survey from an unbiased third party to learn more about
your stakeholder views
▪ Learn more about registering your school or district here:
https://tomorrow.org/speakup/index.html
Inviting your district to participate in
Speak Up!

9. ▪ Our education ecosystems are more dependent upon technology than
ever before - but the “job” of technology within learning has changed.
▪ Views differ on the value and best use cases – does the loudest voice
represent the majority?
▪ Experimentation with new learning models continues, but we are still not
using technology effectively for learning.
▪ There is a deficit of valid and effective ways to leverage the views of our
stakeholders to inform plans, decisions and communications.
▪ Stakeholder perspectives are an asset if collected and used effectively.
▪ It is imperative that we address the impacts (positive and negative) of the
pandemic – and use the CARES/ESSER funds appropriately.
▪ The stakes are high – it more important than ever to get it right.
Digital Learning Realities

10. Digital Learning Realities
We are at a pivotal point with
new possibilities and optimism,
but we need a new playbook ….
Speak Up can help

11. Are we all seeing the same things?
Do your stakeholders see what you see?
Do school leaders see the same things as
parents do?
How are these different sightlines
influencing or affecting education
decisions?
Speak Up research findings provide a new
way to understand and appreciate the
diverse views and different perspectives of
your key stakeholders.

12. Let’s start with your needs!
What education issues are
“waking you up in the
middle of the night?”
Share your “waking up issues” in the chat box now!

13. What issues are “waking up”
K-12 District and System Administrators
in the middle of the night?
From the most recent national Speak Up data:

14. Superintendents & District Administrators
say these are their top “wake up” issues:
1. Student learning loss/recovery
2. Staff morale and motivation
3. Mental/emotional supports for students
4. Effective use of technology
5. Adequate funding
What issues are “waking up” K-12 District and System
Administrators in the middle of the night?

15. Equity concerns are top of mind for most
educators today.
60% of district leaders say the effective use of technology
within learning can support equity of
educational opportunities within their district.
But are our teachers ready to leverage technology to support equity?

16. Replicating in-school, in-person
teaching practices in an online
environment was less than
successful.
New learning model adoption
requires re-thinking and
re-engineering practices,
curriculum, tools …. everything.
Online teaching during remote learning was not an effective
representation of virtual learning

17. Empowering student agency & engagement in learning
Did the pandemic and remote learning
change students’ perceptions of the value
of school and learning?
How did these experiences impact
student agency?
What are the implications of this on the
purpose of education?

18. We all know that students like learning ….
“I like learning how to do things” –
65% of students
“I like learning about new ideas” –
59%
“I like learning how to make things”-
54%
But is school intrinsically
motivating or engaging for
students?
Did the pandemic impact
student engagement in school?

19. 50%
48%
49%
50%
52%
51%
20-21 SY
19-20 SY during closures
19-20 SY before closures
Grade 6-12 students’ assessment of engagement
in classroom learning
Engaged Not Engaged
Student response to:
“I am engaged in what
I am learning in school
most of the time”
Our student engagement crisis precedes the pandemic

20. Designing a better school – the student perspective
What types of learning experiences do students say will best prepare
them for future success?
Experience: Having real work experience or internship
Real world: Participating in authentic problem solving around real-world issues
Leadership: Being part of a leadership group at school
Community: Engaging with the local community on collaborative projects
Fluency: Developing communications skills including learning a second language
Technology: Using technology outside of school to pursue self-directed learning

21. Understanding the Student Vision for Learning
Per the students, the essential
elements for an effective
learning environment:
▪ Socially-based
▪ Un-tethered
▪ Contextually rich
▪ Independently driven

22. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
Using the Speak Up tools can help you create and
execute this new digital learning playbook in your
school or district by:
1. Providing valid, normed, trusted data that
represents your audiences
2. Offering comparative data with valuable
benchmarks for planning, decisions and
communications
3. Creating a new culture of engagement that is
professional, recognizable and sustainable

23. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
Questions on the Speak Up surveys : top priority themes
What audiences can you poll with the Speak Up surveys?
Students Parents Teachers School
Admin
✓ Student learning loss/recovery – learning preferences
and communications
X X X X
✓ How is technology being used – is it effective? What are
the benefits and outcomes?
X X X X
✓ Social-emotional learning and concerns about the
impact of the pandemic
X X X X
✓ Student engagement in learning X X X X
✓ School climate issues and considerations X X X X
✓ Homework gap / access to devices & the Internet X X X
✓ Teacher PD needs and comfort with new learning
models
X X
✓ Funding for technology needs X X

24. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
1. What can you learn about student learning
loss/recovery from using Speak Up with your
stakeholders? (sampling of actionable knowledge)
▪ What are parents’ concerns about learning loss?
▪ What are students’ preferences for learning
models?
▪ How do principals think pandemic funds should
be used to address learning loss?

25. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
2. What can you learn about staff morale and
motivation from using Speak Up with your
stakeholders? (sampling of actionable knowledge)
▪ What are principals’ concerns about their
teachers?
▪ What do teachers say about school working
conditions and climate?
▪ How comfortable are teachers with new learning
models?
▪ What are the PD needs of teachers – and what
are the most effective and preferred modalities?

26. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
3. What can you learn about mental and emotional
help supports and needs from using Speak Up with
your stakeholders? (sampling of actionable
knowledge)
▪ What are principals’ and teachers’ levels of
concern about their students?
▪ What are the benefits and challenges of SEL
programs or curriculum?
▪ How do parents want schools to address SEL?
▪ Are students okay? What do they say about
themselves and their classmates?

27. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
4. What can you learn about the effective use of
technology from using Speak Up with your stakeholders?
(sampling of actionable knowledge)
▪ Why is effective technology use important for student
learning?
▪ How are teachers using various digital tools?
▪ What do teachers say they need to use tech more
effectively?
▪ What are the outcomes or benefits of effective tech
use – per teachers and students?
▪ What are parents’ concerns about tech use in school?

28. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
5. What can you learn about funding priorities from
using Speak Up with your stakeholders? (sampling of
actionable knowledge)
▪ What are the priorities for pandemic funds?
▪ Are those funds meeting the top priority needs?
▪ What the most effective ways to engage/communicate
about funding priorities with the greater community?
▪ What are the technology funding needs?

29. Use Speak Up to connect the dots between district
priorities and stakeholder feedback
Using the Speak Up tools can help you create and
execute this new digital learning playbook in your
school or district by:
1. Providing valid, normed, trusted data that
represents your audiences
2. Offering comparative data with valuable
benchmarks for planning, decisions and
communications
3. Creating a new culture of engagement that is
professional, recognizable and sustainable

30. Next steps? Julie’s recommendations ….
1. Make a list! Identify the types of valid data or information you
need/want from your stakeholders to inform planning, decision
making and communications.
2. Let’s talk! Schedule a call or zoom meeting with us to talk
about those needs – and discuss how Speak Up can support
your efforts.
3. Build momentum! Invite other leaders within your district or
system to the planning call with us.

31. Speak Up resources for you
Speak Up reports and infographics with the
latest national research results
https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_data_findings.html
Speak Up 2021 Congressional Briefing
Recording
https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html
Learn more about Speak Up: https://tomorrow.org/speakup/about_SU.html

32. Use the Speak Up resources to inform your plans this year
Want to learn
more?
• Contact me
directly for a
personal
consultation
Value proposition:
• Comparative
data for context
• Normed surveys
for data validity
• No cost to
participate

33. Why should your district or system
participate in Speak Up?
District Leader perspective:
Ann McMullan
former Executive Director - Educational
Technology, Klein Independent School
District (TX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4LVw_Tzztw

34. What are your questions?
Let’s talk .. We can help with the answers!

35. Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
@JulieEvans_PT
949-609-4661