Futures Planning Update

As our strategic plan is ending in 2018, we are in the midst of creating our new Futures Plan 2018-2019. Below is the most recent version of our thinking: 

A.Strategic Objectives

Strategic Objectives are the long-term focus areas of the current Strategic Plan and the emergent Futures Plan.

B.Strategic Pathways

Strategic Pathways articulate three-year vision statements around core priority areas. Annual Goals and Actions Plans will support the vision in our Strategic Pathway Areas. 

Strategic Objective: Learning

We will align expected outcomes, assessment, teaching, learning and reflection on practice in order to support our mission and student learning objectives.

Pathway: Learning & Experiential Opportunities (Sectional)

AISC develops programs for students to deepen their capacity to contribute with courage, confidence, creativity, and compassion to a diverse and dynamic world.

Pathway: Learning & Innovation in the System (Sectional)

AISC implements innovative learning experiences incorporating the inquiry framework and transdisciplinary skills, and alternative schedules to engage the vision of the AISC learner.

Pathway: Learning & Vision for the Learner (Inter-Sectional)

AISC integrates the vision for the learner as a means to achieve the mission.

Pathway: Learning & Inquiry in the Curriculum (All School)

AISC integrates the inquiry framework and project-based learning into the curriculum (development process).

Pathway: Learning & Wellness (All School)

AISC creates an integrated curriculum for students to incorporate social, cultural, physical, and emotional student well-being.

Strategic Objective: Resources

We will strategically use all possible resources* to create a learning community aligned with our core values and mission.

Pathway: Resources & Data (All School)

Develop and evolve systems and processes to facilitate the convergence of data collection and use, assuring that stakeholders have access to beneficial data to make informed decisions. 

Pathway: Resources & Building Spaces  (All School)

AISC implements the Building Spaces 2020 Plan approved by the Board of Directors in November 2016. 

Strategic Objective: Talent

The school will hire, develop and retain staff members who embody the school mission and core values.

Pathway: Talent & Professional Growth (All School)

AISC develops a professional growth, well-being, and evaluation framework that is aligned to best practices and to the vision for an AISC learner, incorporates faculty learning and development.

Strategic Objective: Community 

We will actively communicate, support, and contribute to our core values, mission and vision for an AISC learner so that our community lives the shared vision.

Pathway: Community & Advancement (All School)

AISC enhances its reputation locally and globally and expands engagement and support across all stakeholder groups. 

Pathway: Community & Environmental Sustainability (All School)

AISC enlists the participation of all stakeholder groups to incorporate environmentally sustainable policies, practices, and programming in alignment with our mission and core values. 

We'd love to hear thoughts on our big ideas. Please leave a comment below. 

AI is Going to Change Your Life

As we head into the holiday season, it is a good time for reflection. How much has my life changed over the last year? What will my life look like in a year?

The World Economic Forum recently published an article, AI is Going to Change Your Life. In it, Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and an adjunct Stanford professor who founded the Google Brain Deep Learning Project, says that "AI is the new electricity."

There is already an abundance of stories that support this, but here are a few more from the last few weeks.

Rwanda is building a droneport.

Nvidia’s new AI creates disturbingly convincing fake videos

New robots can see into their future

I wonder how AI will impact my life in the year to come? What challenges and opportunities might it create.

In the comments below share your thoughts on the changes that we might see in just one year. 

Futures Summit Summary

Last Saturday, Katherine Prince from KnowledgeWorks facilitated a day-long experience that delved into the possible futures that might exist by 2040 and what that might mean for AISC. 

The first part of the day was spent focusing on two drivers of change in society today, the role of artificial intelligence and the decline of full-time employee, or the rise of the gig economy.

We then looked at four possible scenarios that might exist in the world by 2040. The four scenarios exist on two axes, the amount of technological displacement and the amount of governmental coordination in the response.

Partnering for Mobility describes what the world could look like if there is low technological displacement, with job creation outpacing job loss, and coordinated social innovation with systemic and intentional adaptation.

Checking for Upgrades describes what the world could look like if there is low technological displacement, with job creation outpacing job loss, and a laissez faire response with market driven adaptation.

Working the Platforms describes what the world could look like if there is high technological displacement, with widespread replacement of human workers, and a laissez faire response with market driven adaptation.

Finding New Meaning describes what the world could look like if there is high technological displacement, with widespread replacement of human workers, and coordinated social innovation with systemic and intentional adaptation.

We then looked at A New Foundation for Readiness, which identifies what we can do to better prepare ourselves for any of these possible futures.

The afternoon was spent looking the implications of the futures scenarios on future graduates, and learning experiences while looking at the overall implications of these for AISC.

The day ended with each table group identifying 3-5 opportunities and challenges coming from the conversations. They can be found below:

Table 1
Autonomous Students
Relevance of schools
Self-motivated
R/project/experience-based learning
Financial Reality
Resources are key to everything
The best opportunity and learning environment
Real-World Readiness
Internships/service opportunities
Self-awareness instruction
Interface with college/life

Table 2
Connecting better through service and participation to the local community and culture
Experiential learning
Developing a program to focus on values, ethics, and nurturing talent

Board and leadership readiness: schedule, resources, finances

Table 3
Multi-age learning environments and flexible schedules based on different needs
Enhanced differentiation (opportunity)
Peer leadership opportunities
Organization and flexibility in the system (challenge)
Redefining what assessment is and what it’s for
Concept and competency-based (opportunity)
Not “deficiency-based” (opportunity)
Stakeholder perspectives (challenge)
Student-driven curriculum
Self-advocacy (opportunity)
Metacognition (opportunity)
Transfer to higher ed or other schools (challenge)
Educators must “let go” (challenge)


Table 4
Tension that needs to be solved: Exposure to a broad curriculum or range of subjects → how does it fit with children’s agency to follow their passions and create their own personalized path

Ability to thrive in ambiguity
Having empathy and agency to make a positive difference in society

(These should be key outcomes.)

Table 5
Opportunities are challenges

Developing self-awareness through…
Real-life experiences and mentoring
Process of reflection
A language of leadership/followership
A language of well-being

(These are for both staff and students.)

Table 6
Reframing education for community (this was spoken of as parents, staff, students, etc.)
Cultivate growth model to deprivatize pathways (this was spoken of as opening up classrooms)
Embrace that problems are inherently trans-disciplinary and cross-conceptual (this was spoken of in terms of integrated curriculum)

Table 7
Developing social-emotional skills, education, support
Restructuring of school (to more than one option)
Instructional specialist teams (e.g., all X grade teachers being one flexible team)
Digital citizenship

If you weren't able to attend, please take time to look over some of the materials and share your thoughts about the future and what it might mean for AISC in the comments.