Tag Archives: policy

Expand Your Ed Policy Toolkit with Human-Centered Design

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Design Methods for Education Policy Website

Design Methods for Education Policy Website

In February, I released a white paper making the case that policy professionals can create better education policies by using human-centered research methods because these methods are informed by the people whose lives will be most affected.

Yesterday, we released a companion website (https://designforedpolicy.org/) that curates 54 human-centered research methods well-suited to education policy into one easy-to-navigate resource. We took methods from organizations like IDEO, Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, and Nesta and organized them by the phases of a typical education policy project. We included brief explanations of how each method might be applied to your current work.

To be sure, you probably already use some human-centered design methods in your work, even if you don’t think of them that way. Interviews and observations are commonplace and provide highly valuable information. What the design world brings is a mindset that explicitly and deeply values the lived experiences of the people who are most impacted by problems and an array of methods to capture and analyze that information. It also adds a heavy dose of creativity to the process of identifying solutions. And despite a common misconception, when done well, human-centered design methods are very rigorous, fact-based, and structured to root out assumptions and biases.

When combined, common policy analysis methods and human-centered design methods can result in a powerful mix of quantitative and qualitative, deductive and inductive, macro and micro, rational and emotional elements. Continue reading →

David Esselman Joins Bellwether as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

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Esselman no backgroundThe Bellwether team is very pleased to announce that David Esselman has joined us as an entrepreneur-in-residence to launch a new organization (whose working name has been the “Center for the School System of the Future”). The organization, which will eventually spin out of Bellwether as its own nonprofit, will build upon the most encouraging developments and best thinking around creating ideal urban school systems.

In short: This effort will aim to help city and state leaders generate diverse, high-quality school systems that are designed to succeed, because they are driven by families, responsive to community needs, and constructed to propel their own improvement. These will be systems that give underserved families lots of great schools from which to choose.

This coming organization will spread the word about terrific efforts already underway, build a movement to support those leading the charge, and lend an on-the-ground hand to those engaged in this work.

When we began our national search for a founding executive director, we couldn’t have anticipated the number of extraordinarily talented education leaders who would express interest in the role. It encourages us greatly that some of the most committed, seasoned, forward-leaning professionals in our field want to dedicate their energy and talents to this particular reform strategy. But their interest is also a convincing signal of our strong, collective desire to bring about meaningful, lasting change.

We are so fortunate and excited to have David launch this venture. During our selection process, David impressed us on many fronts. He exuded both a commitment to excellence and a humble, nuanced understanding of the complicated historical, cultural, racial, and class dynamics associated with this work. He brings a sharp intellect and deep knowledge of and experience with complex education systems. Perhaps most importantly, though, David–for a host of personal and professional reasons–is devoted to ensuring all boys and girls have access to great schools.

So you can get to know him a little better, David agreed to tackle a few questions from me, below. Continue reading →