The Challenge

The organization wished to shift from a grant-funded organization towards a self-sustaining non-profit by developing products and services that it can offer to educators on an earned-revenue basis.

The Outcome

Developed a product and go to market strategy for a teacher certification program that would ensure that teachers trained in personalized learning are engaging in highly effective instructional practices.

Focus

LEAP Innovations is a non-profit organization out of Chicago that has developed a framework for personalizing education in the K-12 field. As the organization began to grow, they realized they needed a digital strategy to scale their ability to provide training and development for teachers and leaders interested in personalizing education in their existing environments.

This project entailed developing a revenue-generating product strategy that would enable the organization to sustain itself without continual grant funding. as well as extend its reach nationally without expanding their staff.

Process

As a leading authority on the skills, knowledge and professional practices necessary to implement authentic, high impact personalized learning for all students, LEAP had developed successful professional development programs to train teachers in its Personalized Learning framework. However, the organization was interested in extending their arc to develop a rigorous certification program that would ensure that teachers could demonstrate what they had learned in real world contexts and earn a credentialing badge in instruction for personalized learning. To support the development of this product, the project entailed engaging stakeholders within the organization to develop a product and go to market strategy:<

Research. Reviewed existing plans, research, and strategies and analyzed state initiatives to identify potential funding streams and early adopter states to test and establish a beachhead.

Design. Conducted design sessions with the client, stakeholders, and potential customers for the service. A set of user personas, process flows, and messaging was developed to support the development of a certification program.

Strategy. Created a product strategy to certify teachers in personalized learning through an online system for teaching, assessing, and evaluating work. The product strategy included an analysis of the market, competition, and positioning as well as a design for the certification program.

Execution. Co-developed competency map, assessment rubrics for certification, and learning model for the certification modules. Facilitated the first stages of execution to create the foundation for the product and handed off to the organization's innovation team to implement further.

The Deliverable

When fully implemented, the product established the organization as the leader in teacher development and certification for personalized learning.

Published first set of core competencies for personalized instruction and rubrics for evaluating practice in the field.

Designed initial product offering to go to market with first instructional certification product for personalized learning in the market.

Facilitated the initial phase of implementation.