Overview
NorthStar Education Partners collaborated with PBSA to design a strategic sequence of people and academic initiatives aimed at unlocking the full potential of PBSA’s remarkable staff. This collaboration included a comprehensive diagnostic phase, iterative design workshops, and the development of a multi-year strategic plan to guide PBSA’s future growth and impact.
Objectives
PBSA partnered with NorthStar to:
- Align PBSA’s talent systems under a common framework and set of goals, from hiring and onboarding to compensation and benefits to development and retention.
- Design and implement a holistic framework and set of programs for personal and professional development for all staff.
- Develop a strong and deep teacher and staff recruitment pipeline.
- Create a compensation strategy that is equitable, fair, and motivating for staff.
- Implement a project-based learning curriculum supported by inquiry-led instruction.
- Refine and update the academic system to support a practice shift from teacher-led instruction to inquiry-based, project-driven learning.
- Use continuous improvement to set specific, prioritized, and measurable goals to support and evaluate stakeholders.
Partner
Purpose Built Schools Atlanta
Location: Atlanta, GA
Enrollment & Schools
PreK through 12th grade pipeline of three APS neighborhood schools serving 1,300 students in South Atlanta
Mission Statement
PBSA cultivates students’ skills and agency in pursuit of their unlimited potential. We do this through authentic and culturally relevant project-based instruction alongside enrichment, a safe and positive climate and culture, and student and family supports.
Key Activities & Deliverables
Phase 1: Kickoff & Current State Assessment
- Design Team Formation: A core design team of PBSA stakeholders was assembled and trained in liberatory design principles.
- Data Collection: Conducted classroom and in-person/video observations, principal and leadership focus groups, and data reviews to ground the team in PBSA’s current context.
- Diagnostic Report: Delivered a high-level diagnostic of PBSA’s strengths and areas for growth, along with recommendations for prioritizing academic and talent initiatives.
Phase 2: Design Workshops
- Iterative Design Workshops: Facilitated a series of design workshops and collaborative input sessions to design and implement prioritized initiatives, producing concrete tools, resources, frameworks, and guidebooks.
- Talent and Academic Frameworks: Developed frameworks for organizing talent practices, identifying current and future investments in staff, and supporting teacher and leader development.
Phase 3: Pilot and Capacity Building
- Pilot Programs: Launched pilot programs for initiatives developed in Phase 2, such as the employee value proposition, compensation strategy, and leadership development system.
- Capacity Building: Supported capacity building for PBSA’s staff to prepare them to lead and sustain strategic initiatives.
Outcomes
- Guiding Team: Design team of key stakeholders formed and aligned on liberatory design principles.
- Project Plan: Detailed project plan for phases of work.
- Talent and Academic Diagnostic: Comprehensive report highlighting strengths and areas for improvement.
- Frameworks and Tools:
- Framework to organize all talent practices.
- Clear employee value proposition.
- Teacher and leader development framework and supporting tools.
- Guidebook for compensation strategy.
- Portrait of a Graduate.
- Updated Visions of Teaching & Coaching Excellence.
- Prioritized evaluation tool.
- Clear goals & outcomes for Instructional Coaches.
- Updated Coordinator Role Descriptions.
- Initial PBL Curriculum Design work.
- Strategic Plan: Three-year strategic plan, including organizational priorities, goals, and associated metrics.
- Implementation Guidance: Protocols, check-in structure, and an implementation website centralizing all tools and resources.
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