FETC 2022 10 Questions Workshop

Asking New Questions To Design
A Fresh Playbook for Innovation
Workshop facilitated for you by:
DR. JULIE A. EVANS
CEO, PROJECT TOMORROW
@JULIEEVANS_PT
JEVANS@TOMORROW.ORG
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
Orange County Convention Center - South 200B

▪ Getting to know each other
▪ Why do we need a fresh new playbook for innovation?
▪ Questions & Answers
o 10 most important questions today to ask
▪ Translating data into information to create knowledge
▪ Creating a fresh playbook with new eyes
▪ Additional resources for you
Our time together today

▪Learn how stakeholder feedback data can be an asset to
support innovation in your school or district
▪Gain new insights about how to translate data into information
to create actionable knowledge
▪Examine 10 top questions that every school and district leader
should be asking their stakeholders today
▪Learn about the Speak Up Research Project and the benefits of
participation
Learning outcomes

Creating a community around
today’s discussion
Join us on Twitter:
@JulieEvans_PT
@SpeakUpEd
@ProjectTomorrow
@FETC

Getting to know each other!
Introduce yourself to someone you do not know and say hi!

Imagine you are
going to spend a
month on this
deserted tropical
island.

Imagine you are going to spend a month on this deserted tropical island.
What is the one
mobile
technology
you would want
to have with
you?
▪ Yes, WiFi is available.
▪ Yes, you will be able to
charge your device.

What is the one mobile technology you would want to have with you?
A. Smart phone
B. Tablet
C. Laptop/Chromebook
D. Digital reader
E. Personal Margarita
Blender

Data results
from
Question #1
in today’s
workshop

About Project Tomorrow
(www.tomorrow.org)
▪ Nonprofit education organization supporting K-12
education since 1996 through research, professional
learning and school-based programs
▪ Mission is to support the development of new capacities
and better decisions within the K-12 ecosystem
▪ Programs and research focus on role of innovation and
new learning models within education, notably around
digital learning. We believe in the power of
transformational teaching and learning to support
students’ preparation for future success.

About the Speak Up Research Project
▪ Annual research project since 2003
▪ We provide education leaders with a suite of normed
online surveys to collect valid feedback from their
stakeholders
▪ All preK-12 schools – public, private, parochial,
charter, virtual - are eligible to use the Speak Up tools
▪ Participating entities get summary reports with all
locally collected data + state and national data for
benchmarks
▪ Turnkey service provided by Project Tomorrow with no
charge/fee to participating districts
▪ National reports inform education, business and
policy decisions on K-12 education

▪ We will be using annual Speak Up
questions and national data results in
our workshop today to provide
examples and context.
▪ To learn more about Speak Up and/or
to get a copy of today’s presentation
sent directly to you, add your name and
contact info to our print sign in sheets
or on this online form.

Asking New Questions To Design A Fresh Playbook for Innovation
Why do we need a fresh
new playbook to support
innovation within K-12
education?

The pandemic and necessary
shifts and disruptions in K-12
education have changed
schools forever.
Some people just don’t know
that yet …

What issues are “waking up”
K-12 District Administrators in the
middle of the night today?

Superintendents & District Administrators
say these are the 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 Administrators in
the middle of the night today?
Source: Speak Up 2020-21 national findings

Big picture insights from the Speak Up Research this year:
What has been the impact of the pandemic on K-12 education?
▪ Virtual learning exposed why innovation is so hard in education
▪ New momentum is growing for a broader definition of what constitutes effective learning
▪ Increased awareness of social justice issues – especially in education
▪ Heightened focus on social, emotional and mental health considerations
▪ The role of the school in the community is evolving to meet new, unprecedented local needs
▪ Parents have new demands and expectations for education
▪ Understanding equity is about much more than access to a Chromebook and hotspot
▪ New vulnerabilities to cyberattacks in our education systems

What do you see?
Are we seeing the same thing?
Even looking at the same situation, we may
see different things than our stakeholders.
(and that can be a good thing!)

So, why do we need a fresh new
playbook to support innovation
within K-12 education?
Our schools and districts are
facing unprecedented challenges
… challenges that traditional
solutions no longer can
adequately address.

Question:
But, where do we
start to design that
new playbook?

Answer:
One of the most powerful
assets you have are the
ideas and views of your
stakeholders – notably,
students, teachers and
parents

Stakeholder feedback can be an incredibly
valuable asset for planning …..

▪ If done well.
▪ If not done well, it can be a detriment
and actually have a negative impact.

What are the “pros and cons” of using stakeholder feedback
data to inform your new playbook?
Pros
Authenticity
Different perspectives
Engagement tool
Meaningful validation
Demonstrates listening
Potential to impact plans
Can open eyes
Other:
Cons
Needs interpretation
Hard to interpret
Too many perspectives
Feels flat
Need to build validation case
Warrants response
What to do with it
Other:

What are the “pros and cons” of using stakeholder feedback
data to inform your new playbook?
Pros
Authenticity
Different perspectives
Engagement tool
Meaningful validation
Demonstrates listening
Potential to impact plans
Can open eyes
Other:
Cons
Needs interpretation
Hard to interpret
Too many perspectives
Feels flat
Need to build validation case
Warrants response
What to do with it
Other:
Reality: it is hard to do it well!

Success factors to keep in mind:
✓ How to ask the right questions? What are the right questions?
✓ How to interpret stakeholder feedback data?
✓ How to use that data effectively to create a new playbook for innovation?

Process matters with stakeholder feedback
Good stakeholder feedback process
▪ Right questions at the right time to the
right audience
▪ Right expectations are set: the why is
well defined
▪ Audience buy-in to value
▪ Feedback data is interpreted
appropriately
▪ Data is used impactfully
▪ Results (at least some) are shared with
the audiences
▪ Institutionalized as part of culture
Bad stakeholder feedback process
▪ Wrong or incomplete questions / wrong
timing / wrong audience
▪ No clear “why”
▪ Audience doesn’t understand value of
participating
▪ Feedback data is interpreted
inappropriately or incorrectly or not at
all
▪ Data is not used
▪ Results are not shared with the
audiences; collection is sporadid

And then what about the feedback data ….
▪ So much (too much) data available
▪ But all data is not the same
▪ Data is subjective to context
▪ Needs to be handled effectively to be valuable
“Without data you are just another person with an opinion.”
W. Edwards Deming, Business Author and Consultant

In the past two years
have you collected
feedback from any
key stakeholder
groups to inform
your plans?
What have been your experiences?

How have you
collected feedback
from those key
stakeholder
groups to inform
your plans?
Typical methods:
▪ Anecdotes (“I heard”)
▪ Selected interviews or inputs
▪ Social media analytics or tools
▪ Focus groups
▪ Surveys or polls
o Paid a company to do this
o Created your own
o Used a national service like Speak Up

How did you use
the feedback data
to inform plans,
policies or
programs in your
school or district?
Was the data meaningful?
Was it valid?
Was it generalizable?
Was it trusted?
Was it used effectively?

Home connectivity: common school district data collection effort
Let’s get real about asking the right questions!

Students:
“Do you have Internet
connectivity at home so you
can connect to remote
learning?”
Home connectivity: common school district data collection effort
Sample question used by many school districts:

Students:
“Do you have Internet connectivity at home so
you can connect to remote learning?”
What do you think
about this question?

Students:
“Do you have Internet connectivity at home so
you can connect to remote learning?”
Potential concerns or challenges with this question
as worded for students:
▪ What level of connectivity is required for remote
learning?
▪ What if students are not at home?
▪ What is the quality of the connectivity –not just
speed by convenience, safety, consistency?
▪ What does a yes or no answer really mean?
▪ Are students the right audience?

New 4 ingredient recipe for leveraging stakeholder
feedback as an asset to drive innovative thinking
▪ ASKING (the right questions to the right audiences at the right time)
▪ ANSWERING (getting appropriate feedback from your stakeholders)
▪ ANALYZING (translating your data to meaningful information)
▪ ACTING (creating actionable knowledge that you can use)

ASKING:
A. Smart phone
B. Tablet
C. Laptop/Chromebook
D. Digital reader
E. Personal Margarita
Blender

Results of our poll
Data statements:
___________% of the workshop participants
chose a __________________ .
___________% of the workshop participants
chose a __________________ .
ANSWERING:

ANALYZING:
Information statements:
More workshop participants would like to
bring a ______________ to the deserted
island than a _______________ .
The least popular mobile device that
education leaders would bring to a deserted
island is a ________________.
Results of examining and reflecting on the data

ANALYZING:
Identification of more data and information needed
▪ Familiarity of workshop participants with
different devices
▪ Comparative to other educator groups
▪ Information about the connectivity quality
on the island
▪ Desired frequency of usage of the device
and apps they want to use
Queries such as:

ACTING:
Leveraging the data and information to make
better decisions that reflect today’s realities
Knowledge statements
Educators that use a _______________ in their personal lives were more likely to
choose a ______________ than other educators. Compared to educators nationwide,
the FETC workshop group were less inclined to choose a ____________.
Potential decision or action: Based upon the desired frequency of usage and the
desired apps this group of stakeholders want to use, the Internet bandwidth on the
island may need to be upgraded to support the needs of our workshop participants.

Data
+ Information
______________________
= Actionable Knowledge
Information:
Analyzing
Knowledge: Action
Data: Asking
and
Answering

Acting
Analyzing
Asking and Answering
Common risk:
Spending too much
time and effort
on asking and
answering, and not
enough time on
analyzing and acting

Better plan:
Make sure your focus
is on the analyzing
and acting on the
stakeholder feedback,
not just the data
collection
Acting
Analyzing
Asking and
answering

Let’s leverage the Speak Up Research Project and annual
questions to understand the dynamics of effectively and
efficiently translating stakeholder feedback into
actionable knowledge.
Be a Speak Up data analyst!

10 questions that are important
to ask your stakeholders
right now
*** On the 2022 Speak Up™ surveys –
surveys available for your usage right now
▪ Students
▪ Parents
▪ Teachers

On the 2022 Speak Up™ surveys – surveys available for your usage
Students
1. What life (future-ready, college or career ready) skills do you think are most
important for you to acquire to be successful in the future?
2. What are the benefits to you of using technology within your learning
experiences?
3. Do you agree or disagree? Administrators and teachers at our school are
sincerely interested in listening to and acting upon ideas from students about
how to improve school and our education.

Teachers
4. What are your top concerns about this school year?
5. What are the outcomes of your use of digital tools and resources on your
instructional practice?
6. What teaching topics or models are you interested in learning about this year as
part of your professional learning?

Parents
7. When you think about your child’s future, what are your worries today for your
child?
8. Besides strong subject content area knowledge (English, Math, Science, Social
Studies/History), what life skills are most important for students to acquire to
be successful in the future?
9. How satisfied are you with current communications from your child’s teacher
(or school and district) about (various topics)?

Students, Teachers and Parents
10. Imagine you are in charge of building a new school. Which learning tools or
approaches would you include in that new school to help students be the most
successful with their learning?

10 questions that are important to ask your stakeholders right now
Provide hands-on experience with understanding “asking and answering”
Assignment:
▪ Be a stakeholder – three groups
▪ Reflect together on your assigned question:
how would your stakeholder group answer
that question?
▪ Share out your answers in a whole group
discussion

10 questions that are important to ask your stakeholders right now
Provide hands-on experience with understanding “asking and answering”
Student: in 6th grade
What are the benefits to you of using technology within your learning
experiences?
Teacher:
What teaching topics or models are you interested in learning about this year as
Parent:
When you think about your child’s future, what are your worries today for your
child?

10 questions that are important to ask your stakeholders right now:
What we heard from these stakeholders in the 2020-21 school year
experiences?
Teacher:
What teaching topics or models are you interested in learning about this year as
Parent:
child?

What students
say are the
benefits of
technology use
within learning
Benefits of using technology to support learning % of students in Grades 6
who agree
✓ Improved academic outcomes
Better grades and test scores 61%
Stronger understanding of class content 55%
More likely to complete homework assignments 51%
✓ Future-ready skill development outcomes
Creativity skill development 57%
Application of knowledge to practical problems 48%
Critical thinking skill development 48%
Collaboration skill development 47%
✓ Personalized learning outcomes
Learning at one’s own pace 58%
In control of the learning process 50%
Fits personal learning goals and style 50%

But what about increased
engagement in learning ….?
Doesn’t make the student top 10 list:
only 45% of 6th graders identify
increased engagement as a
key outcome of using technology to
support schoolwork

What we may see as the
“student engagement”
the students themselves see as the
“process of developing creativity
skills and being in control of their
own learning.”

10 questions that are important to ask your stakeholders right now:
What we heard from these stakeholders in the 2020-21 school year
experiences?
Teacher:
What teaching topics or models are you interested in learning about this year
as part of your professional learning?
Parent:
child?

What teachers say are their
top 5 professional learning topics
1. How to use technology to differentiate learning
2. How to create project based learning experiences for their students
3. How to personalize learning to meet individual student needs
4. How to effectively engage with students in online learning environments
5. How to implement an SEL program in my classroom

More context please …
▪ 50% of Gr 6-8 teachers, 38% of K-5 teachers
▪ 65% of first year teachers, 40% of teachers with 16+ years of experience
▪ 52% of teachers in urban schools, 41% of teachers in rural schools

▪ No difference based upon community type – urban, rural or suburban

▪ 37% of K-5 teachers, 29% of Gr 9-12 teachers

Parents’ top concerns about their child’s future
Parents’ top concerns:
1. Impact of COVID and school closures on my
child’s social and emotional well-being (67%)
2. Impact of COVID and school closures on my
child’s academic achievement (61%)
3. My child’s lack of engagement in school (50%)
4. My child is not learning the right skills in school to
be successful in the future (43%)
5. Taking on too much student tuition debt for
college or job training (32%)

What are 2-3 potential
actions you could take
based upon this type
of data from students,
teachers or parents?
Elbow partner discussion

“The voyage of
discovery is not in
seeking new
landscapes, but in
having new eyes.”
Marcel Proust

@fetc @SpeakUpEd
Reflection time:
1. What was the most important or
interesting thing you learned today?
2. What is one thing that you will share
with a colleague from today’s
workshop?
3. How will you use this knowledge to
become a more effective leader?

Speak Up reports, infographics,
briefings and data insights for schools
and districts www.tomorrow.org
Additional resources
▪ Use Speak Up research to inform your programs
and initiatives – including local advocacy
▪ Share Speak Up resources with your colleagues as
a value-add and trusted source for information
▪ Encourage your school or district to use the Speak
Up tools and be part of the larger Speak Up
movement
▪ Engage with us to further explore how to use
stakeholder feedback data more effectively

▪ The Speak Up surveys and data
reporting process is 100% free and
accessible by every K-12 school or
district.
▪ To learn more about Speak Up and/or
to get a copy of today’s presentation
sent directly to you, add your name and
contact info to our print sign in sheets
or on this online form.

@fetc @SpeakUpEd
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
8:30 AM to 10:30 AM
W015
Your reflections and feedback are appreciated.
Submit your survey responses on the FETC Mobile App

@fetc @SpeakUpEd
Dr. Julie A. Evans CEO, Project Tomorrow
Other FETC workshops and sessions this year
Session Title Code Date Time Room
Creating and Leading School Culture:
Innovation, Leadership, Communication
W45 Tuesday, 1/25/22 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm South 200B
Building Teacher Capacity for Mobile
Learning in Rural Communities
CO19 Wednesday, 1/26/22 1:00 pm – 1:45 pm South 320D
Infusing Computational Thinking into
Everyday Elementary Curriculum – Yes,
You Can!
W820 Thursday, 1/27/22 10:30 am – 12:30 pm North 322
Addressing the Leadership Disconnects
on Cybersecurity
C91 Thursday, 1/27/22 4:00 pm – 4:45 pm South 210B

Julie A. Evans, Ed.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Project Tomorrow
jevans@tomorrow.org
@JulieEvans_PT
949-609-4661
Thank you for joining me today!

FETC 2022 10 Questions Workshop

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