Development Done Differently: Our Product-led Approach
In the for-profit world, customers wield power over companies. If a product isn’t serving customers, the company must change it. Why should development be any different? Educate!’s approach to model design embodies a “product-led mentality.” Our focus is on providing meaningful impact through our models over merely counting the number of young people who come through our doors. This means youth immediately start translating the practical skills they’ve learned to improve their lives in the real world. Product-led also means we solve a problem in stages, rather than allocating all of our time and resources to one approach. If a model achieves our desired impact, we double down on it. If it doesn’t, we pivot.
Innovation and Iteration
Scalable, Evidencebased Models
Centering Youth Voices
For us, iteration means we aren’t attached to a single solution and understand we likely can’t solve a problem on the first try. Instead, we invest deeply in continuous experimentation — even after we receive positive results — to ensure we are always improving.
Our goal is to offer repeatable and sustainable solutions capable of delivering proven impact. As a learning organization, we depend on data to improve design. From rapid assessments to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), we evaluate our model at every step of development.
To ensure we build solutions that uplift young people, it is critical that they drive decision-making. For example, when bootcamp participants told us that a lack of support is a barrier to participation, we recruited local leaders to facilitate family “meet and greet” sessions to boost buy-in.
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