McREL's Future of Schooling -- Suite of Services

McREL offers an innovative suite of services based on a proven strategic planning method called "scenario planning." Participants write scenarios, or stories, about the future, taking into account key "drivers of change" that shape education in the areas of economics, policy, demographics, globalization, and technology and use the scenarios to guide strategic planning and manage change.

Forward Thinking: Drivers of Change
Half- to Full-Day Workshop

This workshop is for anyone who wants to become familiar with future trends and the scenario-planning process. Participants learn about key drivers of change and their implications for education.

This workshop is appropriate for a leadership group from a single organization, a collaborative group interested in using the scenario planning process to answer a common question, or a role-alike group interested in both exploring the future and identifying plausible futures for common organizations. During the workshop, participants will:

• learn about key trends of the future (drivers of change) and discuss their implications
• learn the basics of the scenario-planning process
• develop multiple scenario frameworks in response to a compelling question or issue
• identify strategic recommendations and leadership responsibilities to prepare for the future 

Forward Thinking: Comprehensive Scenario Planning
6-12 Month Series of Workshops

This workshop is appropriate for a leadership group from a single organization or a collaborative group interested in creating unique scenarios to answer a common question. During this series of sessions, participants will:

• learn about key trends of the future and their implications for education
• develop a scenario framework and four relevant and plausible scenarios of the future
• analyze the implications of these scenarios and develop strategic options
• identify recommended actions to take today to prepare for the changes of tomorrow

Customized Follow-Up Services
Various Options

McREL offers a full set of follow-up services for organizations wishing to implement recommendations that have been developed during the scenario planning process. McREL's follow-up services for scenario planning include

• DVD Production: We can capture your scenarios in a DVD video to help get the message out and spark conversations about the future in your community.
• Trend Monitoring: We can help monitor trends related to your organization's scenarios in order to determine where and when the present meets the anticipated future
• Community Engagement: We can support a community engagement process to deepen your stakeholders' understanding of the imperative for change and recommended strategic plan 
• In-Depth Strategic Planning and Policy Development: We can help your organization construct an in-depth strategic plan using a research-based policy development process and other tools
• Consultation: We offer ongoing consultation and thought partnership in transforming education systems

All of our work is targeted for each individual client, and we are happy to discuss customizing our services to meet your unique needs.