P7 Ecosystem Dynamics.
Framing of this issue:
Education is a complex social ecosystem, with important interactions among stakeholders that are, in many cases, difficult to influence or control.
Problem Dimensions (ecosystem domain & boundaries):
What are the steps that must be taken to mobilize leaders across this Ecosystem to drive change?
Each stakeholder group approaches information, problems and solutions with their own agenda and filters. How do we create space to share perspectives and ideas to better understand issues and drive true solutions?
What data can we review to drive this analysis?
Who Has the Problem (supervising jurisdictions & implementation focus):
All Education stakeholders.
A. Problem Statement:
- How can we harness the complexity that is inherent in Public Education?
- What is the best forum for interaction, collaboration and solution debate?
- Are all stakeholder aware of the need and willing to participate?
B. Process Description (if applicable):
- Document Ecosystem stakeholders, simple rules and flows that comprise the Education ecosystem (P1-P10 process models).
- Create teams to frame problems and solutions in iterative cycles.
- Document current state and future state paradigms.
- Gain consensus.
- Prioritize.
- Pursue innovations where critical mass exists.
C. Actors & Behaviors (desired, undesired): see new GRID analysis here for our latest thinking on definitions, roles, filters & issues for each ALSO- recognition that stakeholder viewpoint and action is interdependent, not independent.
- Federal DoEd
- State Legislators
- School Boards / Districts / LEA's
- School System Administrations (administer policy)
- Principals / School Administrators
- Teachers
- Students
- Employers
- Business owners- local and national- interest in influencing future consumers
- Home-owners (school reputations affect property values)
- Realtors
- Parents
Concepts captured from 5/12 twitter chat:
- Foundational beliefs and culture change- using worldview difference as an analogy of different perspectives of what education 'should be'
- Filters drive stakeholder participation- Senge 'mental models' & Kuhn 'paradigm blindness' - we (& ecosystem actors) view world thru filters
- Social Darwinism (application of Darwin's ideas, not original Darwinian POV or points)
School/ Business Partnerships: strengths and concerns
1) curricular pathways to support specific skills training
2) liberal arts K-12 focus: creativity, rhetorical thinking, general knowledge
3) problem solving/ critical thinking/ practical application of theory
CONCERNS:
1) business driven schooling programs creates false pretense- business agenda drives decision-making
2) career focus- NOT for K-12. 10-12- potentially. 9-10 maybe. before that children need to focus on learning to learn, not end game of future career/ job readiness
3) business pours money into edu w/ specific goals- skills/jobs outsourced or obsolete- then what?
Questions:
1) Who establishes where business investment is needed? Is it a function of community planning?
2) Is the place for partnership more business/community well-being, rather than biz/edu to promote + change in teaching and learning objectives/ curriculum content/ instructional methodology?
3) How do we define Return On Investment? Does it differ by stakeholder? Is there a 'common good' definition? where does it intersect with individual/corporate interest? (IS THIS THE CENTRAL QUESTION OF P7????)
Goals:
1) finding symbiotic, win-win relationships
D. Process Model (picture(s) & flow(s) as needed):
- diagrams of flow that may be relevant to understanding or solutions for this issue?
E. Process Rules:
- what are constraints, actual or implied?
F. Outcomes (desired, undesired):
- Increased cooperation, efficiency and productivity across all actors in the Education space.
- Creation of "pipeline metaphor" for talent development.
G. External Context:
- Considerable "external impact" on this entire issue. Must be fully developed and integrated with external programs to gain desired results.
Other sources or references relative to this topic