Co-Design
WE CO-DESIGN
How can co-design support educational systems change?
We work alongside other researchers, educational leaders, and funders to co-design everything we do. We build tools, routines, and shared ways of working that help insights move into action, adapting to changing conditions.
OUR APPROACH TO CO-DESIGN
- Problems, aims, and questions are defined together—grounded in real-world conditions and shared priorities.
Co-design turns shared goals into shared work.
- Convenings include large collaborative groups, bringing together broad perspectives in the design of frameworks and tools.
- Programs, policies, and research agendas are developed with clear roles and practical plans for implementation.
- Evidence-building is embedded in the work itself, enabling real-time learning and continuous improvement.
- Voice is built into design choices, including who participates, what is measured, and how findings are interpreted. Our advisory boards aren’t just “advisory,” they’re active co-designers.
- What we build is iterative and adaptable to the needs of potential users, whether researchers or practitioners.
- Educators, students, and communities—especially those historically underserved—inform priorities and design decisions.
EXAMPLES OF OUR CO-DESIGN
Co-Design of Timely Research Memos
As part of our work with the Wallace Foundation's Equity-Centered Principal Pipeline Initiative, we work closely with district leaders leading equity-centered systems change to design Research Insight Memos to support communication and justification of their work. We collaborate with district leaders throughout the design process to ensure that format, length, and content will be useful, timely, and relevant to their unique district contexts.