Frequently Asked Questions

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A colleague is asking for your insight. By sharing your experience, you can help build a body of knowledge that helps the field better understand what has been missing in our efforts to ensure school systems consistently meet the needs of every student and the adults who support them.

Margaret Mead is widely credited with saying, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.” Your candid insights will help ensure practitioner experiences are well represented. They will also help us better understand where we are aligned, where experiences differ, and where greater attention may be needed.

In my view, what has been missing is a shared understanding of how our systems are experienced across the different roles and levels of the K–12 ecosystem. We need to move beyond individual experiences and organizational analyses to see that larger picture.

Thanks for your consideration.

Survey findings will be used to identify themes and patterns, inform stakeholder focus groups that deepen understanding of those findings, contribute to field learning, and support ongoing research related to organizational operating systems. Individual responses will never be reported publicly. 

The survey is intended to begin a learning process rather than conclude one. Participants can expect national findings, learning opportunities, webinars, and practical resources based on what is learned. Future phases may include benchmarking, comparative analyses, community dashboards, implementation tools, and additional professional learning opportunities.

Individual survey responses will remain confidential. Findings shared publicly will be presented in aggregated, anonymized form and will not identify individual respondents.  Additional data governance policies are being developed as the initiative evolves.

The K–12 Operating System Health Survey emerged from years of leadership experience supporting organizational transformation across public education, philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, and independent consulting. Grounded in the Accelerator's K-12 Operating System framework, it has been refined through pilot testing and practitioner feedback. 

Building the body of evidence that supports the survey as a valid measure of district operating system health is an ongoing priority. In the meantime, the survey as designed will provide valuable descriptive insights into stakeholder experiences, patterns and differences in perspective, and areas for deeper exploration. Growing participation will create the foundation for deeper analysis and continued investment in the instrument. 

The initiative draws on longstanding thinking across organizational leadership, systems thinking, implementation science, organizational development, and continuous improvement. Together, these fields reinforce the importance of looking beyond strategy and individual performance to the systems and conditions that shape how work gets done. 

Most improvement efforts focus on improving strategy, programs, or implementation. The K–12 System Transformation Accelerator works one level deeper by examining the operating system that supports every strategy and initiative. Rather than replacing existing improvement efforts or partners, it helps communities modernize and continuously refresh the operating system that underpins their ability to achieve their mission and realize their vision. 

Student voice is essential, and we recognize that not including students leaves an important part of the picture incomplete.

For this inaugural survey, the privacy, ethical, and research requirements involved in surveying children and youth were more than we could responsibly address within the launch timeline.

We intend to complete that work so student perspectives can be included in future surveys.