Why does this happen?
I believe this happens for the following reasons:
- The initiative lacks a full-circle, complete plan from the start.
- Success criteria is not created up front.
- The project group lacks consistency, variety, commitment, and/or time.
- The mission is not well chosen in the first place.
- People don't act on related information and issues in a timely manner.
As I think about initiatives in and around my world, some have been very successful and some have been less successful. The successful initiatives had all the pieces mentioned above, and the unsuccessful ones had few to none of them. Also, at times, it seems like the unsuccessful initiatives may have been started for wrong reasons or to satisfy a constituency rather than to truly engage and forward education in meaningful ways.
In my own work some initiatives go full circle and some do not. The ones that don't go full circle generally don't match closely with my overarching school/life goals. They tend to be side interests that prove to be less meaningful as I explore more. The initiatives that tend to reach the best success are those that the entire learning team is interested and invested in.
Also by acting on initiatives and endeavor regularly in a timely manner helps those initiatives and endeavors reach success.
When it comes to school dollars and time, it's important that our efforts are carried out with a full circle set of steps and commitment. To see initiatives that are not well planned or executed use important dollars and hours, is evidence of lost potential.
I will think more on this as I sign up for and contribute to teaching/learning endeavors. Which work has good value for students' learning and future success and which endeavors hold less or no promise? This is an important consideration as we move our work forward to teach children well.
