Your Name and Title: Elizabeth Ross Hubbell, Consultant

School, Library, or Organization Name: McREL

Co-Presenter Name(s): Bryan Goodwin

Country from Which You Will Present: USA

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience (such as primary school teachers, high school administrators, students, etc.): K-12 administrators

Short Session Description (one line): How Scenario Planning Can Help Your School Prepare for an Uncertain Future

Full Session Description (as long as you would like): How does a school respond to a rapidly changing world where students' needs in understanding global economies, politics, and histories continue to become more and more crucial? One option could be to engage teachers, administrators, parents, and students in scenario planning - or using current trends to create four plausible, hypothetical futures and considering the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats these scenarios could create for your school or district.

Prior to 2003, McREL rarely considered the implications of an aging workforce and the associated stresses it could place on public and private resources for education research and development. The same was true of our understanding of the impact of rapid advancements in information technology. Yet one thing was clear – the world was changing rapidly and the ten years between 2004 and 2014 could be unlike any experienced in recent history.

So we began collecting data on workforce and student demographics, the costs of various education and healthcare programs, emerging technologies and their likely impact on education, generational characteristics, economics, globalization, and emerging new models of “school.” The more data we collected and analyzed, the more apparent it became that we must begin planning now for our future.

Come and learn how McREL changed its practices by using the process of scenario planning. Hear our four plausible scenarios for education in 2020 and how we suggest educators prepare for any of these possible futures. School leaders will learn how they can apply scenario planning to their own organizations.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: www.mcrel.org