GFS Strategy Through Inquiry

S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H INQUIRY

www.germantownfriends.org | 215.951.2300 | 31 West Coulter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144

CONTENTS 2

A LETTER TO THE FUTURE

4

A G U I D I N G C O M PA S S

6

INQUIRY LABS: A COMMUNITY DISCERNMENT PROCESS

8

QUAKER TRADITIONS MEET DESIGN THINKING METHODOLOGIES

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A MAP OF MILESTONES

12

A CALL TO ACTION

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BY THE NUMBERS

A LETTER TO THE FUTURE

WHY PLAN FOR THE

Future?

W H Y DO A S T RAT E G I C V I S I ON I N G P R OC ES S AT A L L ?

Living organisms, unlike abiotic matter, share the ability to be adaptive and responsive, and it is this characteristic that has provided nature with the raw material to continue to adapt and respond, to ensure longevity and the future.

Every healthy institution is in a constant state of inquiry and self-r eflection—examining its appr oach and raison d’etr e. Every so often, this pr ocess merits extra attention, coor dination and focus in or der to give all members of the community the chance to come together ar ound a shar ed understanding of the or ganization’s appr oach and dir ection.

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S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

GFS embarks on a for mal planning pr ocess using a framework for cr eative, community-wide r eflection that encourages us to think holistically about the educational experience we of fer while considering both our curr ent and futur e context.

Our last strategic plan was completed in 2004, when our seniors wer e in Kinder garten. That was the year the tsunami devastated Southeast Asia, Howar d Dean’s pr esidential bid ended in a .96 second scr eam and Facebook was launched. Since then, climate change has pr ogr essed far faster than expected, the political stage has become dramatically mor e divided and Facebook has become a dinosaur in the social media ar ena.

The pace of change is r emarkable and calls us to look mor e closely at the world in which our students will live and work.

We begin this pr ocess on historical terra fir ma. For 171 years, GFS has pr ovided an extraor dinary education, gover ned and infor med by Quaker tradition. We will build on this history thr oughout our planning pr ocess, with the confidence that this context has consistently set us on the right track, seen us thr ough har dship and, most of all, pr ovided our graduates the foundation to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.

This will be a deliberative and inclusive pr ocess that is designed to draw on the wisdom of our extended community thr ough conversations about our strategic dir ection.

IN DOING SO, WE WILL IMAGINE, ARTICULATE AND BECOME THE GFS OF THE FUTURE WHILE IMPACTING THE NATIONAL DISCOURSE ON EDUCATION.

Sincer ely,

Dana Weeks 3

A G U I D I N G C O M PA S S

WE WILL BE GUIDED BY OUR

Testimonies IN Q UI RY W I LL S I T AT T H E C EN T ER of our strategic

visioning pr ocess, and the Quaker testimonies will guide us in exploration and dialogue. The Germantown Friends School Faith & Practice booklet r eminds us that “our ef forts to live by these truths ar e a constant work in pr ogr ess,” and that “we continue to be open to seeing [them] evolve and change.” This is an opportunity to actively explor e how our testimonies can lead us in new dir ections.

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S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

P E AC E

Pe

S IMPLICIT Y

To stand against war and violence, pr omoting open

Si

To minimize the distractions that can draw our attention

discussion of dif fer ences,

away fr om what is important

understanding and tolerance.

in life, cr eating space for r eflection and balance.

INT E G R IT Y

In

Co

E Q U A LIT Y

To expr ess ourselves with openness and honesty in

Eq

To tr eat one another with mutual r espect and work against

pursuit of the truth.

pr ejudice and discrimination.

C O M M UNIT Y

S T E WA R D S H IP

To understand that many dif fer ent voices together bring forth wisdom that exceeds

St

To be r esponsible and pr oactive in pr otecting our world and one another.

any individual contribution.

Pe

Si

I N Q U I R Y I S AT St

I N Q UIRY

In

THE CENTER OF A PROCESS GUIDED BY OUR TESTIMONIES.

Co

Eq

5

INQUIRY LABS: A COMMUNITY DISCERNMENT PROCESS

INTRODUCING INQUIRY LABS We have identified thr ee primary ar eas of inquiry: our students, our composition and our context. Within each of these ar eas, we will explor e two specific topics thr ough a series of queries that encourage discussion, exploration and perhaps some pr ototyping or testing.

This pr ocess will activate a pop-up laboratory of sorts, bringing members of our community together ar ound queries they find particularly r elevant or aligned with their inter ests.

WHOLE BEING

TEA CHI NG + L EA R NI NG

Si

S TU DE N TS

Pe St

In

EX

6

CO

T PU BLIC IMPACT

A CCESS + AF F OR DA B I L I T Y

MP

NT

OS

ITI

CO

LIVIN G SYSTEMS

ON

I NQ U IRY

Co

Eq

DI VER SI TY + I NTEG R ATI ON

S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

OUR STUDENTS We begin with our students; they ar e at the heart of all we do.

WHO L E B E I N G

T E A CH ING + LE A R NING

Given that our students spend a significant portion

In considering the educational experience of our

of their childhood on our campus, their wellness

students, what ar e the pr ograms and practices

and well-being is, in lar ge measur e, our concer n.

we must explor e, enhance and cr eate in or der

We strive to help each of our students r ealize his

to pr ovide an experience that examines deeply

or her fullest physical, psychological, social and

and celebrates the human condition, such that all

spiritual potential. As a Quaker school, what

ideas, people and beliefs ar e worthily consider ed?

intentional practices, pr ograms, systems and vehicles must we cr eate and implement to ensur e this optimal state of well-being for our childr en as they gr ow, develop and matur e at GFS?

OUR COMPOSITION A diversity of voices r equir es a diversity of backgr ounds, and we want to ensur e that the GFS experience is accessible to all.

A C C E S S + A F FO R DAB ILIT Y

D IVE R S IT Y + INT E GR AT ION

Is GFS truly available to students of varied economic

What would a fully integrated, diverse

means? What r evenue model or tuition structur e

GFS community look like? What operating

would best support access to a GFS education for

methodology should be in place to set us on

childr en fr om the full range of economic strata?

a course to r ealize and sustain this vision?

OUR CONTEXT We ar e committed to making a distinctive contribution to the gr eater societal and envir onmental conditions.

LIVING S Y S TE M S

PU BLIC IMPA CT

How do we encourage, pr omote and pr otect

As an educational or ganization, how can we

the health of our physical spaces for the

enhance, cr eate and implement pr ogramming

better ment of the GFS and Ger mantown

to dir ectly serve our Ger mantown neighbors?

communities? How can we include envir onmental

How can we develop and institute exchange,

stewar dship in the educational experience

understanding and collaborative action between

of our students such that it r emains dynamic

our school and the br oader community?

and central to our school’s mission?

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QUAKER TRADITIONS MEET DESIGN THINKING METHODOLOGIES

Activating INQUIRY LABS

Each of the six inquiry topics, or “Inquiry Labs,� will be facilitated by co-clerks. Together these 12 clerks for m the Working Gr oup, and will be r esponsible for or ganizing and hosting an ongoing series of small gatherings, discussions and meetings ar ound their queries.

These conversations will be guided by many of the same principles employed by Meeting for Business or Meeting for Worship: r eflection, open-mindedness, listening and consensus building. The co-clerks will bring the findings, insights and r ecommendations gleaned thr ough the conversations they host to the Working Gr oup, wher e they will synthesize and codify their lear nings. We will then open up this conversation, inviting br oader participation fr om our community, and perhaps beyond, in a series of lar ger-scale events. These events will serve to shar e our thinking and dir ection on each of these queries within our community, as well as of fer an opportunity to test and r efine our ideas outside of our immediate community.

To participate in a particular Inquiry Lab, please reach out to the co-clerks to join the conversation or request more infor mation via an email to InquiryLabs@ger mantownfriends.org.

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S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

CLE R KS W H O LE BEI NG

TEA CH I NG + LEA R NI NG

WITH A WORKING GROUP OF 12, THERE WILL BE TWO

LIVING SYSTEMS

A CCESS + A F F O R DA BI LI T Y

PUBLIC I M PA C T

DI VER SI TY + I NTEGR ATI O N

CLERKS LEADING EACH QUERY

EMPOWERED BY DESIGN THINKING TRA I N I N G F O R C LER KS

PILOT PR OJE CT S

Members of the Working Gr oup will

Pr ototyping is a part of the design

be given pr ofessional development

pr ocess and a way to test ideas quickly.

training on meeting facilitation,

We will take what comes out of the

clerking in the Quaker tradition and

discer nment pr ocess and begin to

Design Thinking befor e initiating

build mini models and pr ograms in

the Inquiry Lab pr ocess.

or der to lear n fr om their viability.

I N QU I RY LAB T O O LKIT S

ID E A S S A LONS

These boxes will be filled with

We will use these social R+D gatherings

design thinking tools, including

to accelerate new thinking, for m

pr ompts, exer cises, games and

strategic collaborations and launch

sets of car ds to encourage ideation

new opportunities. They will pr ovide

and new perspectives.

an opportunity to bring our ideas to a br oader national discourse.

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A MAP OF MILESTONES

SLOW DOWN IN ORDER TO

Speed Up THIS I S A LO N G V I E W

Investing in the long view is the best way to bring r esilient new models to fruition. Thus, we ar e embarking on a jour ney that will draw on our community’s collective wisdom to define our strategic dir ection and open the

If I had 60 minutes to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I’d spend 55 minutes deter mining the right

way for us to begin to embody

question to ask. Once

a shar ed vision for the futur e.

I got the right question, I could easily answer it in five minutes.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

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A CALL TO ACTION

We cannot see what is “out there� merely by looking around.

Everything depends on the lenses through which we view the world.

By putting on new lenses, we can see things that would otherwise remain invisible.

PA R K E R J . PA L M E R The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life

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S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

HOW TO ENGAGE

E N C A P S U L A T E W H O W E A R E T O D AY As we enter into this pr ocess of considering

community—perhaps artifacts that speak to our

and planning for our futur e, we would also like

times, even messages to futur e generations. The

to devote some time to r eflect upon who we

time capsule will r eside in a central location on

ar e today. Over the r emainder of the strategic

campus thr oughout the strategic planning pr ocess.

planning ef fort, the GFS community will be invited to contribute to a time capsule. The idea is to submit items that r eflect or r epr esent those things that we hold most dear about our school and

J O I N T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N OF TOMORROW One of the most important aspects of this particular

These forums will be managed by the Working

planning pr ocess is the involvement of all members

Gr oup clerks and accessible to our extended

of our community—students, par ents, faculty and

community. Stay tuned for instructions on how

staf f, School Committee members, alumni and

to join this platfor m, or feel fr ee to r each out

friends of the school. In addition to the in-person

to InquiryLabs@ger mantownfriends.or g to

conversations that Working Gr oup clerks will lead,

r equest mor e infor mation.

we have set up an online forum on a platfor m called Ryver, wher e those inter ested in engaging virtually can shar e articles, r esear ch, questions and ideas on the pr oject’s six inquiry topics.

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BY THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS 6

TESTIMONIES

3

CORE AREAS OF INQUIRY

1

GUIDING PRINCIPLE

500 12

COMMUNITY MEMBERS WORKING GROUP MEMBERS

7

MONTHS OF DISCERNMENT DIALOGUE

6

QUERIES

2

FA C I L I TAT I N G C L E R K S P E R Q U E R Y

9

MONTH PROCESS

6

DESIGN THINKING KITS

3-6

IDEAS SALONS

3-6

DIRECTIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF GFS

1

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O N L I N E P L AT F O R M F O R C O N V E R S AT I O N

S T R AT E G Y T H R O U G H I N Q U I R Y

A R E C I P E F O R I M PA C T

GUIDED INQUIRY

+

COMMUNITY DISCERNMENT

+

DESIGN THINKING W E W I L L I M A G I N E , A R T I C U L AT E A N D BECOME THE GFS OF THE FUTURE W H I L E I M PA C T I N G T H E N AT I O N A L D I S C O U R S E O N E D U C AT I O N 15

I nquiry L abs

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