How We Work
SKIP DesignEd is a non-traditional think tank that develops system-level solutions to ensure that young people have access to great educational opportunities. We work with people at the center (e.g., families, students, educators, community organizations, foundations, and businesses) using system dynamics and rigorous community-based participatory research. We are located in St. Louis, MO, but our work also extends nationally through various learning partners.
OUR APPROACH
We envision a day when the quality of one’s educational opportunities is not determined by family income, race/ethnicity, language preference, or the neighborhood in which one resides.
We engage at the intersection of research and implementation by inviting those who are most affected to help us drive change. This comes from the belief that the only strategy that we can act on is the one in our heads. And often, the strategy in our heads only represents one part of the system unless we expand our understanding from different perspectives.
Therefore, we use methods of radical listening to learn how rules and structures affect the daily lives of young people and their families. We do this by creating safe spaces for key stakeholders–children, parents/caregivers, educators, foundations, and business and nonprofit professionals–to share their experiences and perspectives and check our collective assumptions.
Insights are paired with rigorous data analysis and system dynamics mapping and computational modeling to co-design system-aware strategies that make explicit the implicit feedback loops, accumulations or drains, and change over time needed to enhance hoped realities.
We believe that the same system that can create inequities in education can be restructured to create rich opportunities for all young people.
CORE STRATEGIES
Undertake rigorous qualitative, quantitative, and community-based research with a systems-lens to understand the challenges facing the education system.
Research “what works” and collaboratively identify best practices and potential solutions.
Develop and support new ideas to provide initial “proof of concept” and ensure there is a “backbone organization” in place to carry forward implementation.
Engage in learning with stakeholders. Advocate for promising practices and work with partners (e.g., schools, foundations, and community organizations) to support implementation.