What’s the Problem?

As a consultant, I am able to step back and take a larger view of situations than those in the middle of their circumstances. This week, I had the observation in reviewing a corporation’s data and it is not clear they are working on the right “problem”.

Their data highlights very clearly to lacks of support for English Learners and special education. These are two populations most recently impacted or further behind as a result of the COVID pandemic. However, the corporation spent time and attention working on a new grading scale. While I hope and believe the new scale will provide benefits to students and all populations, I am not sure this solves the greater issue about the types of supports these students will receive.

Sometimes, when we focus on the whirlwind, we go to those things that are “shiny objects”. However, these may be different than the strategic or systematic plan would define to implement change in a coordinated manner. I believe we need to start with the planning process and be thoughtful about which aspects require urgency and which are nice to have or lesser priorities. Thoughtful planning allows us to manage change to support students who may need our help the most.