The Model Provider Journey: Turning a Spark Into a Flame
By Leo Bialis-White, Senior Associate Partner
Designing a new school is one way to bring an innovative concept to education. Another option is to create innovative solutions within an existing school. And, at NewSchools, we believe there is a third option: the model provider. Let me explain how that might work.
I used to work as a school psychologist. One of the things I enjoyed most was being able to have a direct impact on the students I served. And, yet, even in those moments of making great impact, my joy was tempered because I knew I would never be able to reach all the students who needed help. I was aware that my colleagues were also doing great work, but we were all moving so quickly, trying to meet the students’ myriad needs.
That was one thing that always bothered me. My coworkers and I were not able to share solutions and challenges in our work more broadly to affect change. Therefore, our impact wasn’t as significant as it could have been.
Today, I’m working on the Model Providers team at NewSchools. My colleagues and I are able to support innovators who are making the kind of impact I dreamed about when I was in the classroom. Maybe you’ve dreamed about that, too. Or maybe you’ve wondered how to access the practices, tools or resources that others have already found successful. If so, you might find our new white paper on model providers to be a helpful guide.
By developing scalable solutions, model providers are able to have an impact on multiple schools. These organizations provide bundled solutions — comprehensive, aligned, and well-informed instructional resources, teacher supports, and operational tools. They have the opportunity to achieve scale and impact.
At NewSchools, we see the model providers approach as a way to support redesign efforts in schools across the country, making it easier for educators to better serve their students. Over the past 18 months, we supported 23 model providers, ranging from innovative new single-subject approaches to whole-school solutions. We also spoke with more than 140 organizations interested in potentially becoming model providers. We collected lessons from efforts within and outside the education sector, all to better understand how model providers can best meet the demand from schools.
Through this work we distilled important insights about the origin, evolution and pathways of model providers. This includes the entry points and challenges innovators may face along the way. We hope it will spark interest in the potential of model providers among schools, funders and the larger education community.
