If schools are truly built around the needs of young people, they must be living, breathing organizations that—like the young people they serve—never stop growing and adapting. We’ve learned that, in order to be successful, schools must commit to continue learning, designing, refining, improving—in the school’s model design, the practices that evolve around it, both within the classroom and without.

The work of school design is often described as a series of decisions leading up to students’ first day: choosing and developing curricula, hiring and onboarding staff, readying the space, purchasing hardware and software. While these decisions are critical to building a foundation for launch, the real work of school design is in iterative, in-the-moment decisions made by leaders, teachers, and students alike as they co-create new teaching and learning environments. These iterative processes and decisions are often messier—and much harder to track—than the controlled process of pre-launch planning. This work, which begins once schools open and never really ends, is key to creating transformative learning experiences for students. These iterative decisions are at the center of our work with our partners.

Change is the only constant in effective school design efforts. The work does not stop when the first students arrive (or when they graduate). Rather, the best schools are always aware of the context in their communities and in the field as a whole, and they shift and change their designs in response to the needs of students and community members.

To shed light on what this iterative process looks like in action, we are sharing stories from four of our partner schools in their second and third years. These profiles provide a window into how each school is actively retooling their models as they grow to full enrollment. These schools were launched as part of Opportunity by Design—an initiative funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and focused on supporting new, innovative high schools that prioritize mastery-based and personalized learning. While each school has a different focus and serves students with different needs, they share the goal of bringing all students to college and career readiness.

In the coming weeks, we will share these stories here on The Launch Pad. Each story highlights how the school has iterated on its model in response to the evolving needs of their students, along with the tools and resources that have been most useful to leaders during these critical first years. We’re excited to share what these schools have learned, even as they continue to change and adapt. We welcome your thoughts and feedback: reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, or via email at info@springpointschools.org

See part one about iteration at Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design
See part two about iteration at Eagle Academy
See part three about iteration at PACT Academy
See part four about iteration at The Urban Assembly Maker Academy

Stay tuned for more profiles!