The Case for Belief
Based on insights, stories, and data from the past five years, we have observed that belief is essential to creating equitable change in schools
To access the latest Teachers Guild x School Retool report, “The Case for Belief,” please click here.
Along with educators, families, and communities around the country, we’ve been asking ourselves, “Where do we go from here?”
From the COVID-19 pandemic to the reawakening of racial injustice in the U.S., the last few months have highlighted the uncertainty and deep inequities of our communities and schools. Fundamental questions about how we teach and learn can no longer be considered slowly; the urgency to evolve is upon us. The education system has long been ripe for radical and imaginative redesign, and nobody knows this more than educators, families, and students.
When schools come together to engage in the challenging, but essential work of designing together, amazing things are possible. Schools can co-design the types of changes they dream for students by leveraging expertise from within, among the families, teachers, and school leaders in their communities. Co-design requires building a team and pursuing collective aspirations together. It’s people, not policies, who will create the equitable, lasting change that our schools desperately need.
What The Teachers Guild x School Retool has observed over the past five years is more relevant today than ever: co-designing better schools starts with believing in each other. A collective belief that you can positively impact students is the foundation for creating more equitable schools. And so, with this report, we are making the case for belief. The case for taking risks and trying new things. The case for radically prioritizing student needs.
How might we translate feeling into collective action? Where do we go from here? We go forward. Together.
Our report, “The Case for Belief,” includes insights, stories, data, and best practices for building collective belief in service of equitable change in your school community. Click here to access it, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at TGxSR@ideo.com with any feedback or questions.
