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process

Building the School of the Future

Discovery Brief 01: Methodologies for Strategic Planning
Over the next three years, the School District of Philadelphia and Microsoft will collaborate on
the ambitious task of imagining and constructing a “School of the Future.” Bringing together
the best of what industry and education have to offer, our mission is to create a living blue-
print for learning environments in the 21st century.

To get there, we need to capture what we learn, outline key steps, illustrate critical insights,
understand challenges, and share the solutions. Discover the process we developed to identify
essential outcomes and guide strategic planning for building the School of the Future.

6i Development Process
Step one in building the School of the Future was creating a Innovation. Pushing forward new ideas in everything from
process that would guide the development team and provide building design and information technology architecture to
a framework for decision making. The 6i Development Process personnel selection. Engaged with developing novel ap-
outlines our methodology and focuses on the six major stages proaches and critical insights.
of the project.
Implementation. Constructing the actual building, training
Introspection. Establishing pedagogy, culture, project bench- selected educators and other personnel, and, ultimately,
marks, and overall success metrics. Based on objective self- opening the doors to a new generation of students. Grounded
analysis and focused on identifying existing assets and future in the complex tasks of creating tangible experiences from
requirements. visionary ideas.

Investigation. Researching and identifying best practices, as Introspection. Reflecting and reviewing outcomes, as well as
well as innovations within other educational models. Fueled formally creating a plan to adjust and continually move for-
by an advisory council of industry experts tasked with re- ward. Focused on returning to initial concepts and reflecting
viewing and validating strategies and key decisions. on their execution and ongoing implementation.

Inclusion. Engaging community leaders, key stakeholders, Key Learning: Establishing a strong foundation of ideas and
government officials, and other partners. Designed to foster priorities before engaging with the community at large is
support and promote concept evangelization. essential. Involving community members too early in the
process risks losing sight of key objectives.

Stages Duration (36 months)

1] Introspection: 1–3 months

2] Investigation: 4–6 months

3] Inclusion: 30–36 months

4] Innovation: 2–6 months

5] Implementation: 1–4 months

6] Introspection: 4–12 months

These overlapping timelines have been developed specifically for the School of the Future and map directly to the Fall 2006 opening.
 Building the School of the Future 1

Vision & Mission

The School District of Philadelphia has created a systemwide Declaration of Education. The vision and mission of the School
of the Future support the principles of the declaration. At its core, the vision of the School of the Future is to create an
empowered community, where learning is continuous, relevant, and adaptive. To deliver on this vision, we have developed a
mission statement: The School of the Future applies research and development to generate educational practices, creating an
environment involving all members; ignites them to take a passionate, personal responsibility for learning; and inspires a
commitment to active citizenship.

Key Learning: Innovation doesn’t end with the latest technology. Ensuring the constant evolution of instructional practices
requires a commitment to ongoing research and development.

Stakeholders
As a segment within the Inclusion development stage, we Curriculum Working Committee. Consisting of education
have developed a community inclusion plan that is spear- experts from the local district and around the world, this
headed by five key groups tasked with nurturing school committee works to define and develop the school mission
development and providing organizational support. in support of district goals, drives curriculum development,
and ensures that all aspects of the school — from profes-
School Planning Team. This team, formed as part of a pre- sional assets to physical spaces — support curriculum goals.
existing district practice, serves as an advocate for various
constituencies within Philadelphia neighborhoods and helps District Planning Team. Made up of Cabinet-level district
present the vision and approved plans for the school to the officials, this team sets policy and actively governs the imple-
community at large. mentation of school development — including budget allo-
cations and final design plan recommendations — while also
Community Advisory Board. This board, comprising key serving as a liaison to the School Reform Commission and
community leaders within West Philadelphia, advises the Pennsylvania’s Department of Education.
School District of Philadelphia and Microsoft. Offering a unique
perspective that is specific to West Philadelphia, this group School of the Future Advisory Board. Led by national educa-
augments the School Planning Team’s citywide viewpoint. tion leaders and organizational experts, this board reviews
and offers commentary on strategic plans, provides feedback
and insight on design and development activities, and par-
ticipates with community inclusion teams.

“Every student deserves access to the best educational programs and partnerships that we can provide.
The School of the Future is our model for community-based magnet programs, and we are excited about
its impact in Philadelphia and how it will revolutionize education through technology and cutting-edge
initiatives for generations to come.”

Paul Vallas
CEO of the School District of Philadelphia
2

Learning Environment Principles

The School of the Future is focused on creating a learning Relevant. Learners are inspired by the connections they make
environment with three critical attributes: continuous, rele- between curriculum and the real world, so the School of the
vant, and adaptive. [figure 1] Future will leverage community interaction and the latest
instructional tools to increase relevancy.
Continuous. Teachable moments should not be limited to the
classroom alone. We will create environments powered by 1:1 Adaptive. Individual students learn in individual ways. The
access to the tools of the digital age to nurture anytime, any- School of the Future will not be a one-size-fits-all offering.
where learning. Instead, we will use technology and adaptive instructional
models to effectively and efficiently offer learning opportunities
to every student.

Analysis
To develop a highly actionable plan for bringing to life the SWOT Assessments. The Curriculum Working Committee
vision of the School of the Future and achieving the goals spearheaded a systematic SWOT analysis and then sub-com-
outlined in our mission statement, we conducted an in-depth mittees shared their assessments with other team members
examination of factors influencing development. This essen- who provided additional feedback and helped adjust the
tial process included an organizational analysis, identification findings. The team identified the strengths and weaknesses
of success factors, and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Oppor- within the organization and extended community that will
tunities, and Threats) assessments — all of which helped in- impact achievement of the critical success factors. The team
form a comprehensive plan for asset development. then identified the opportunities the critical success factors
could create, as well as the weaknesses that could potentially
Organizational Analysis. For each goal outlined in our mis- create an opportunity for failure.
sion statement, we analyzed three core factors: environment,
process, and people. Examining the organization through Asset Development Plan. Following the organizational analysis,
each of these critical lenses both focused our analysis and critical success factor identification, and SWOT assessments,
broadened our perspective. The exercise allowed us to iden- the team was comprehensively informed and prepared to
tify critical — and specific — success factors from a much move forward with strategic planning. Specifically, the team
more comprehensive “whole system” point of view. [figure 2] was able to identify desired assets that will mitigate chal-
lenges and threats and optimize strengths and opportunities.
Critical Success Factor Identification. During a daylong facili- Also, the team was able to map asset allocation according to
tated retreat, the Curriculum Working Committee and other particular teaching and learning goals.
team members identified the five critical success factors that
would need to be addressed to achieve our mission. Key Learning: Clearly defining internal and external threats is
imperative to success. Though process-centric, these activi-
ties are essential to developing actionable strategies.

Continuous Environment

Relevant Process

[figure 1] Adaptive [figure 2]

People

These new principles are redefining These interconnected factors influence

optimal learning environments. aspects of organizational development.
 Building the School of the Future 3

Five Critical Success Factors

Based on the results of the organizational analysis, the Cur- allows all students to realize their full potential. The learning
riculum Working Committee identified five critical success environment must limit the dependency on time and place
factors during an intensive one-day retreat. for instructional opportunities to occur and must demon-
strate instructional relevancy for students. Also, the environ-
Involved and connected learning community. An ment created must be systemic and independent of changes
involved and connected learning community acknowl- in faculty and administrative personnel.
edges that all stakeholders — students, parents, community
organizations, higher education, businesses, and others — Cross-curriculum integration of research and
must participate if we are to succeed. The learning community development. To ensure a continuously evolving
is a dynamic, vibrant society that incorporates and represents integrated curriculum, the professional staff, led by the
the voices of all constituents. Multiple means for communi- director of research and innovation, must actively incorpo-
cating, sharing information, and soliciting input must be rate the latest findings in research and development from
established. Digital tools and electronic and print media business, technology, and institutions of higher learning. In
must support inclusion, eliminating language and socioeco- addition, the school must act as a learning laboratory where
nomic barriers. Finally, the learning community must provide staff and students can design, carry out, and evaluate appro-
opportunities that promote learning as a lifelong process. priate projects to enhance the teaching and learning process.

Proficient and inviting curriculum-driven setting. The Professional leadership. Professional leadership for the
physical setting must support and be conducive to the entire community encompasses the abilities to:
continuous and changing needs of the learning community. 1. Positively impact instruction
The technical infrastructure must support current and future 2. Think strategically
wireless and fixed technical equipment, and should enable 3. Motivate and engage stakeholders
the sharing of all data types. All learning spaces must provide 4. Engage technology at every appropriate opportunity
the necessary elements that allow for instruction and learning 5. Design and present professional development to address
at all times, and be mobile and flexible to adapt to changes in identified needs
teaching and learning activities. 6. Interact and communicate with the community
7. Demonstrate fiscal responsibility
Flexible and sustainable learning environment. A 8. Continuously evaluate and revise instructional programs
truly effective learning environment is one that is in a collaborative manner
fluid and responsive to the ever-evolving needs of community
members. Such an environment is adaptable, differentiated, Key Learning: Understanding critical success factors from the
and focused on student-centered instructional models, and outset is irreplaceable for accurately and effectively supporting
the mission during the planning stages.

“Technological advancement drives the creation of jobs and influences the way in which we educate our young people.
The School of the Future will equip Philadelphia school children with the skills they need to advance to college and
gain a distinct competitive advantage in the workplace. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the School District
of Philadelphia, and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce commends Microsoft Corporation for its gener-
ous contributions to education.”

Mark S. Schweiker
President & CEO, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
4

6% 4%
10%
18%
11% 20%
21% 28%
6% 33% 6%
20% 42%
11% 8% 6%
15%
20% 4% 24% 18%
33% 10% 21%

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

In our SWOT assessments, 42% of opportunities and 28% of threats relate directly to leadership issues, ultimately informing our decision to allocate
significant resources in that area.
 Building the School of the Future 5

SWOT Assessments
The SWOT assessments set the stage for critical insights that high-profile mistakes, since the School of the Future has no
would ultimately help inform our next steps in asset devel- precedent — is also fundamentally a leadership challenge.
opment planning. Many of the assessments revealed a com- Within the “Cross-Curriculum Integration of Research and
mon theme. For example, an identified strength within the Development” success factor, a core strength is our ability to
“Involved and Connected Learning Community” success factor develop unique partnerships with industry, colleges, and
is the proximity of community partners to the school itself. universities. That said, realizing the promise of that strength
However, a related weakness is the need for creative leader- relies on dynamic leadership to overcome resistance among
ship to develop academic programs that link the school with educators from more traditional models and push them
community members. Similarly, one of the key opportunities towards innovative cross-curriculum efforts. Put together in
within the “Flexible and Sustainable Learning Environment” a combined analysis, the area with the greatest influence on
is sharing best practices with other learning institutions as our success and, therefore, the area requiring the greatest
we develop the school. The corresponding threat — making support is clearly evident: leadership.

Asset Development Planning

Results of the organizational analysis, identification of success For more information regarding this process, including
factors, and SWOT assessments clearly illuminated what detailed results of the organizational analysis, SWOT assess-
areas of asset development required the greatest support. Pro- ments, and assets being developed, go to:
fessional leadership topped the list, with other key areas also www.microsoft.com/education/schooloffuture.aspx
represented. Breaking down the combined analysis in quanti-
tative terms has allowed the teams to more easily understand
the various development needs of the project — policy and
governance, community relations, technical infrastructure
and support, financial issues, and skill-based requirements —
and improve decision making within strategic planning.

Key Learning: Using the analysis process to describe issues

qualitatively, then breaking down the qualitative findings
into quantitative terms, provides clarity for making complex
strategic planning decisions.

23% 19%
Leadership
Policy & Governance
External Community 11%

Technical Issues SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) offers an

19% analysis framework for understanding complex issues in their simplest
9%
Finance terms. Represented quantitatively, SWOT assessments inform high-level
Stakeholder Skills 19% decision making.

Combined Analysis
 Partners in Learning
Technology is a powerful tool that can help people, communi-
ties, and nations realize their potential. But for millions, the
promise of technology is still unrealized. Microsoft Corporation
has made a comprehensive commitment to digital inclusion —
helping individuals, communities, and nations gain access to
the technology tools, skills, and innovation they need to realize
their potential in the changing economy. Microsoft’s flagship
digital inclusion initiative is Partners in Learning.

Despite real improvements in accessing and using information

and communication technology in education, many students
and teachers still lack basic access to technology and training.
The result is a widening skills gap that contributes to disparities
in quality of life, competitiveness, and economic development.

Part of the Microsoft® Partners in Learning initiative, the School

of the Future is an important example of our commitment to
addressing the digital inclusion issues facing education today
by providing tools and support that enable educators and
schools to deliver on the promise of technology in education.

For more information on Microsoft Partners in Learning, go to:

www.microsoft.com/education/partnersinlearning

www.microsoft.com/education/schooloffuture.aspx

© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and Your Potential. Our Passion. are either registered trademarks and/or trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

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