Capstone Activity
Our Case for Change
As you’ve worked your way together through the Discover modules, your team has built a foundation of working knowledge about some very important topics. You know more, as individuals and collectively, about the challenges young people face in the future, what students hope to gain from their high school education, and how brain science is reshaping our understanding of adolescent learning and positive youth development. Together, you’ve explored data, reviewed research, talked to dozens of people (especially students), brainstormed ideas, and surfaced key insights.
In other words, you’ve developed the background you’ll need to take on high school transformation in a bold and powerful way. But you’ll need to convince others of the importance of your endeavor. It’s time to articulate your case for change.
Use this poster and sticky notes to capture ideas from your team, identify themes, and set priorities. You’ll probably find that you want to revise and update the concept you created at the end of Begin, based on all you’ve learned in Discover. To keep your thinking fresh, start with some brainstorming. And, as always, be sure everyone contributes!
Our high school will provide students with the rigorous, challenging, equitable learning they need to thrive in a changing world.
Step 1 – Brainstorm
Work with your team to complete these sentences. Push yourselves to be ambitious, bold, and original!
To make sure all students graduate ready for success in college, career, and life, we will …
We will confront and address inequities that limit student opportunity by …
We will honor the concerns and aspirations of young people by …
We will engage students deeply and authentically at every stage of the design process by …
Our school will incorporate insights from brain science and positive youth development by …
Step 2 – Summarize
Look back at your original school concept—your bold idea, your elevator pitch. Has your collective thinking changed since you wrote it? If so, how? And, even more important, why?
- Create a new version of your school concept, ideally just as short and pithy as the first. Keep sharing it with students, teachers, families, and other members of your community to see how well it resonates and generate additional thoughts and ideas.
- Push yourselves further. Be persuasive! Complete this sentence, “So you’ve heard our concept. We know it sounds bold. Let us tell you why it’s so important that we take this on …”
