Unlike other projects that are scrambling to pivot and shift as a result of COVID-19, the work in VBCPS has remained very much on track - in fact, in many ways, the work has accelerated in the midst of the pandemic. We’ve been reflecting quite a bit on what conditions are in place in VBCPS that have allowed the district to shift quickly to accommodate this new reality, while continuing to prioritize the work of our implementation networks during this time.

Now that we are weeks into a global pandemic, the entire planet has been thrust into unprecedented waters and is frantically trying to adjust to current circumstances. While we are also in the process of figuring out a new path forward, it has become so clear how polycentricity is thriving as our system transforms to accommodate new ways of living, learning, teaching and working. While many are anxious for “things to go back to normal” (as quickly as possible), I am left wondering how we might instead pause and use this moment to interrogate the “normalcy” we left behind with a more critical eye, investigate the ways in which change is already transforming our systems, and find ways to harness this change for good in launching us into deeper transformation for the future.

As we work with partners who want to transform their systems, schools, and capacity, one common denominator runs as the central challenge in all of our work: managing change. In each context, our partners want drastically different outcomes for students. While our desire for education innovation drives many school transformation efforts, we believe that in order to truly unlock system transformation, we must approach the challenge of change with a new understanding and from a different perspective. 

Youth voices matter. Far too often, transformative education efforts, albeit with the best intentions in mind, happen in service of students, but fail to truly center youth voice within the work. What would happen if we not only included youth and students as central end users in our work, but intentionally amplified their voices to transform their own education system? 

That’s precisely what happened in Denver over the past few months. Our partners at Turn Corps (in collaboration with RootEd and the Denver Scholarship Foundation), spearheaded a community-based outreach effort that intentionally amplified recent alumni and student voices in efforts to transform schools.