Assessing a School Community’s Readiness for a New Idea

Understanding ‘readiness’ is the first step in working with a school community to move forward with a new idea. This will help you to choose the most effective, evidence-based strategies for advancing that idea based on the specific characteristics of the school community.

Complete the checklist to determine the level of readiness for a new idea within your school community (e.g., individual school, school board, school jurisdiction, etc.). There are 10 rows in the checklist – each row provides 3 options for characterizing a school community. Choose one option (A, B or C) in each row. Select the option that most closely describes the school group that you plan to work with – it is okay if the option you choose does not exactly match the group you have in mind, as long as it is the most applicable of the three choices.

The checklist typically takes 3-5 minutes to complete. It can be completed by an individual or as a group. It can be completed in a single sitting or returned to again and again.

If you are unsure how to best complete the checklist, it may help to complete it along with someone else who is also familiar with the school community (e.g., principal, administrative staff, teacher, or parent who is actively engaged). If you are still unable to select an option, leave the response section for that row blank.

No level of readiness is better than another; each level provides a starting point for launching your new idea.  It is also important to know that a school community may be one level of readiness for one idea and another for a different idea, so it is important to come back to the checklist for every new idea.

You will notice that the descriptions in the checklist sound very similar from line to line. This was done on purpose to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of your target school group and its innovation characteristics.

Important Disclaimer:

You will notice that the questions sound very similar. This was done purposively to help you thoroughly understand your school community. Please read each question carefully.

In addition, the questions used are a good starting point for thinking about the characteristics of the school community you are working with and approaching your idea from a perspective that works for them. In other words, the Tool is not meant to provide you with a definitive adopter category for the school community you are working with, rather it is a starting point for engaging in the process of adopting your idea.

Complete the Checklist