Some one-off comments, too: more pizza days, new basketball uniforms. But I\u2019m listening for patterns that may point toward a strategic priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our team\u2019s job is to help this school with a strategic plan. We talk to staff, review curricula, read leadership meeting agendas, analyze the master schedule, synthesize years of data, and sit in the back of 20 classrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As usual, the students had pointed us in the right direction. The math teachers are not trained on the new curriculum, and they tell me they do not like it. The morning schedule has no breaks, and from the back of the classrooms I watch student participation fall with each passing period. The data shows that some juniors and seniors are dropping out of school to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The students did not diagnose every problem or hand us the strategic plan. In under an hour, they told us a lot about where we should pay attention. Many of the students tell me they have never been asked a question like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I first tried this as a teacher, and the habit quickly made me better. Later, in business school, I read Talking to Humans<\/em> (available free online, if you\u2019re interested). Its big idea: if you\u2019re building something for people, talk to them while you\u2019re building it. Here\u2019s a cartoon from that book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I recently led a workshop for a partner on human-centered design. Here\u2019s one slide from it about talking to students:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple of things to keep in mind: One comment is not a trend, and a trend is not a solution. I\u2019ve found I get the best info when my questions are broad and fun to answer, and when I follow up to ask why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next time you\u2019re around the people your school, program, organization, or grantmaking is meant to serve, you might try the question I used, or adapt it to your context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/adgneducation.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-F1.png\")
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