Our Work: Policy and Strategy Services

Our Work

Policy and Strategy Services

We make decisions every day based on our perceptions of what will happen tomorrow, next month, or years from now, but is it possible to really prepare schools and organizations for changes that lie over the horizon? Not only does McREL help policymakers, district and school administrators, and other educators anticipate future needs, we also help them plan and act so that they thrive now and decades into the future.

Group of two women and two men at a table reviewing a document

Policy analysis &
evaluation
Educators and policymakers need evidence that programs and policies work. McREL helps fill this need by conducting rigorous, scientifically based research and evaluations to guide new policy and educator practices. Our reports provide practical guidance to policymakers and educators in order for them to confidently address the most pressing issues of today while also thinking about future education needs in their states or nationwide.

Community engagement &
needs sensing

McREL offers a wide array of services to help policymakers engage and listen to their communities and constituents. We have extensive expertise in the National Issues Forum process, which brings community members together for thoughtful dialogue on complex and controversial topics, helping them identify key consensus points and take more thoughtful action. We’ve also helped state and district leaders from around the country use focus groups, surveys, and in-depth personal interviews to gain a better understanding of community support for or resistance to education initiatives and polices. Whether you need to take the pulse of your community or engage them in thoughtful conversation on complex education issues, McREL’s policy and research experts can help you.

Policy Development Workshop

McREL engages policymakers from around the country in a unique approach to policy development, one which combines a rigorous focus on research with the practical concerns and political realities of the policymaker. We help teams of policy-makers clarify and define a true policy problem, evaluate options, select and build consensus for a chosen policy, and develop an action plan for generating broader buy-in, implementing, and evaluating a new policy.
Audience: Local or state teams of policymakers

Strategic planning

Analyze where you are
(see also Support for district and statewide systems improvement)

McREL can show you how to strengthen the decisions you make about the future through a better understanding of where you are today. Our strategic planning services include

Recording observations during site visits.
Reviewing background documents.
Analyzing student data.
Conducting interviews & providing summaries.
Recommending a research-based course of action.
Identifying relevant, helpful research for your unique situation.

Develop a plan for the next year or next 10 years with scenario planning
McREL can help your school, district, or state develop a strategic plan that draws upon decades of research on what works in schools and relies upon our extensive analysis of key trends that are likely to affect the future of education. Through a process called “scenario planning,” which businesses and organizations worldwide have used to plan for the future, McREL helps education organizations prepare themselves for inevitable changes.

Schedule One of These McREL Workshops Today & Be
Prepared for Tomorrow

Introductory Workshop
In a one-day session, you’ll learn about future trends and their implications for education, and how business and other organizations use “scenarios,” or stories of the future, to anticipate and plan for changes that lie over the horizon.

Key concepts include
■ Drivers of change.
■ Critical uncertainties.
■ Implications and options of potential futures.
Audience: A group of any size

Customized Workshop
Depending upon the nature of your strategic question, McREL can customize a single workshop or a series of workshops to meet your unique planning needs.
Audience: A leadership group with a
shared mission

Comprehensive Workshop
Over 6–12 months, learn how to use the
scenario planning process to identify and plan your response to critical uncertainties that could influence the life of your organization. Through a series of workshops, you and your organization’s
leadership team will

■ Learn the basics of the scenario-planning process.
■ Write scenarios that help you plan for
the future.
■ Create strategies and develop an
implementation plan for responding to the
scenarios.
■ Begin to monitor key drivers of change, critical uncertainties, and other trends related to your scenarios.
Audience: A leadership group with a
shared mission