July 1st, 2024
How Uplift Education Enhanced Life and Character-Building Skills through Strategic Stakeholder Engagement
This case study is provided directly from the named school district and may not be applicable to every community’s needs. Examples are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the position of SecondMuse or its partners, The Jed Foundation (JED) and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute.”
Challenge
Uplift Education's digital products for student well-being faced implementation challenges due to lacking stakeholder engagement, resulting in ineffective use and uptake. This highlighted the critical need for comprehensive stakeholder involvement.
Approach
Uplift Education restructured their engagement strategy, involving students, teachers, and leaders in decision-making to improve implementation.
Results
Proactive stakeholder engagement fostered a commitment to students’ needs, enabling smoother implementation and digital product expansion across grades. This enhanced Uplift's ability to support student character development district-wide.
About Uplift Education Public Charter Schools
Uplift Education (Uplift) is a Texas charter network of 45 schools stretching across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Uplift is led by a superintendent, chief of schools, and regional directors who oversee multiple campuses. The network serves approximately 22,000 students and offers a unique educational path that prepares students for success, whether they are headed to college or entering the trades. Uplift supports its students through:
- A globally-focused learning model based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) program
- A Whole Scholar Approach to support students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being
- A strong student culture supported through life and character-building skills programs, staffing a licensed mental health professional at each campus, implementing a safe space anti bullying program, and more.
Uplift Education’s Challenge: Enhancing Mental Health Support Across All Levels
Uplift identified a critical gap in their mental health support system: they lacked an inclusive and comprehensive approach across different school levels. The Director of Restorative Practices pinpointed the need for a unified system after observing inconsistencies in how mental health resources were implemented, particularly with the uneven application of two digital well-being products across schools. This fragmented approach hindered the district's ability to provide consistent mental health support, prompting a strategic reassessment to enhance the effectiveness and reach of their mental health initiatives.
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Student Challenges: Bridging Gaps in Emotional Support and Life and Character-Building Skills
Through an analysis of student surveys, counseling referrals, and discipline records, it became evident that there were substantial gaps in addressing key areas of student well-being, particularly in emotional support and life and character-building skills. The data revealed that while some supports were in place, they were not adequately helping students develop crucial IB-aligned character traits such as being balanced, open-minded, caring, and reflective. Character development is intrinsically linked to mental health as it equips students with the resilience and emotional intelligence necessary to navigate life’s challenges, thereby supporting their overall well-being and academic success. The gaps were especially pronounced in younger students who lacked access to the more structured life and character-building skills programs available at the high school level, highlighting the need for an integrated approach that supports both emotional and character growth across all school levels.
Existing Programming
Previously, Uplift implemented two separate digital products aimed at supporting student mental health and well-being: one for elementary and middle schools (DP1) and another for high schools (DP2). DP1 facilitated emotional check-ins without providing real-time support, and DP2, used exclusively in high schools, offered a structured character-building curriculum. This disjointed approach led to uneven implementation and limited the effectiveness of the interventions.
Barriers to Change
The initial rollout of these tools faced multiple barriers:
- Inadequate stakeholder engagement, particularly excluding key regional directors who oversee school principals
- Insufficient involvement of teachers and students in the decision-making process, which limited their buy-in and reduced the effectiveness of the digital tools
- A lack of comprehensive training and readiness among staff to handle the digital tools' integration and subsequent student referrals
Opportunities for Change
Learning from these challenges, Uplift reevaluated its strategy, emphasizing stakeholder engagement and the integration of feedback into the development of a unified digital mental health tool. By involving a wider array of stakeholders– including teachers, students, parents and caregivers, and administrative leaders–the district aimed to enhance the effectiveness of its student wellness support. This facilitated the expansion of DP2 district-wide for its real-time data capabilities and comprehensive approach to life and character-building skills, aligning with the IB curriculum.
Strategic Priority: Deepening Stakeholder Engagement to Improve the Rollout of Digital Products to Support Life and Character-Building Skills
The Director of Restorative Practices embarked on a new stakeholder engagement process to understand what went wrong with the roll out of DP11– whether it was the product itself, a shortcoming in the implementation, or both. The goal was to meaningfully engage all key stakeholder groups across campuses in order to get input on product selection and implementation, facilitating the effective integration and sustainability of digital products to support student well-being across all campuses.
Objective 1:
Conduct a meaningful stakeholder engagement process to ensure the successful selection and implementation of digital products to support life and character-building skills
Why:
The Director wanted to ensure that all key stakeholder groups across campuses were meaningfully engaged to set a solid foundation for the effective integration and sustainability of a district-wide digital well-being product.
What it Took:
Uplift refocused its efforts on integrating feedback from a broad spectrum of the school community. This renewed approach involved actively consulting with a diverse group of stakeholders to fully understand and incorporate their unique perspectives and insights, using the following steps:
- Identified key stakeholders
The Director mapped out key stakeholders to include in the process. They engaged multiple levels of administrative staff, including the superintendent, chiefs, well-being department, and regional directors. The process also included teachers, school staff, parents and caregivers, and students. - Understood each stakeholder group’s unique perspectives
Uplift prioritized deep discussions with each group to better understand their specific experiences and views on the role of digital products in enhancing student well-being. - Solicited feedback and engagement for optimal decision-making
The district facilitated forums and surveys to gather detailed feedback, ensuring that each stakeholder’s voice was heard and considered in the decision-making process. - Built support and consensus through the decision-making process
By fostering an inclusive environment during these engagements, Uplift strengthened community support and achieved a consensus that respected diverse viewpoints and prioritized student needs. - Leveraged the expertise and resources of all stakeholder groups
Uplift harnessed the specialized knowledge and resources available within its community to enrich the implementation strategy and enhance the digital product’s effectiveness.
These focused engagement efforts emphasized the critical role of regional directors, who are instrumental in the practical application and sustainability of the digital product across various campuses. Uplift ensured that this key stakeholder group was involved in the initial discussions, remained integral in ongoing consultations and strategy sessions, and continually engaged through regular meetings to align on each campus' specific needs and challenges.
This approach facilitated a smoother roll-out, built a robust support system, enabled real-time adjustments, and fostered a sense of ownership among campus leaders. Bridging the gap between network-level decisions and campus-level execution ensured effective integration of the digital life and character-building skills product into the daily routines and educational strategies of each school within the district.
Objective 2:
Analyze feedback to inform strategy to use digital well-being tools to support life and character-building skills
Why:
The next step was to analyze stakeholder feedback and turn it into actionable guidance. Uplift aimed to determine which digital well-being products to use and how to implement them most effectively to ease implementation, improve student engagement, and, ultimately, enhance life and character-building skills.
What it Took:
Uplift leaders learned from stakeholder feedback that they needed one product that:
- Was customizable to include their IB character traits
- Included a catalog of life and character-building skills lessons and digital tools and resources
- Could be used for student climate and belonging surveys that provide real-time data
- Could be easily implemented with a low-lift for teachers using it the most
Uplift determined that the digital well-being product initially implemented at the high school level met stakeholders' needs because it:
- Provides real-time, in-the-moment data to enable timely and effective interventions. District leaders are able to quickly review data and provide campuses with immediate recommendations, tips, and support for improvement.
- Facilitates engaging, practical education in essential traits like empathy, integrity, and resilienceIs designed to fit seamlessly into the school schedule without overburdening students or staff
- With these new insights, Uplift put together a new implementation plan and continued to engage key stakeholders in the implementation process so that the digital well-being product could be expanded across elementary and middle schools throughout the district.
District and Student Outcomes
Consolidated from two to one digital well-being products
Increased access to the digital well-being product for 13,000 students
Key Takeaways and Learnings
Uplift learned valuable lessons about engaging stakeholders in the selection and implementation of digital products to support student mental health and well-being:
Insight #1
Early and comprehensive engagement is crucial:
Identifying and engaging stakeholders from the outset fosters a deeper understanding and commitment to the project, enhancing its likelihood of success.
Insight #2
Feedback loops enhance solution fit and satisfaction:
Regular feedback mechanisms allow for continuous improvement of the implementation process, ensuring the solution remains aligned with student needs and stakeholder expectations.
Insight #3
Sustainability requires strategic buy-in:
Identifying and securing stakeholder buy-in is essential in the sustainability and scalability of using digital products to support student well-being.
Insight #4
Consolidate products where possible:
The use of one digital mental health tool across all grades enhanced and streamlined support, ensuring consistent, comprehensive assistance that fosters students' emotional resilience and character growth for their overall development and academic success.
Plans for Sustaining and Expanding the Program
Uplift used a proactive funding strategy to ensure ongoing support for the program, using a combination of district funds and grant funding specifically aimed at character-building. These funds are instrumental in sustaining the initiative, allowing the district to plan for long-term implementation across all grade levels.
Uplift is currently seeking additional funding to expand the role of the character specialist position. The character specialist's role is to build a strong student and school culture by implementing and managing the expansion of the digital product program within schools. They help customize content to meet school-specific needs, train educators, and facilitate alignment with educational objectives. They also monitor and adapt the curriculum to meet students’ evolving needs and maintain the program's effectiveness over time.
Uplift will continue to gather consistent input and feedback from key stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation, expansion, and evaluation of the product.
Uplift is currently seeking additional funding to expand the role of the character specialist position. The character specialist's role is to build a strong student and school culture by implementing and managing the expansion of the digital product program within schools. They help customize content to meet school-specific needs, train educators, and facilitate alignment with educational objectives. They also monitor and adapt the curriculum to meet students’ evolving needs and maintain the program's effectiveness over time.
Uplift will continue to gather consistent input and feedback from key stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation, expansion, and evaluation of the product.
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Conclusion
After an initial failed attempt to implement two digital well-being products, Uplift realized it needed to conduct an inclusive and comprehensive stakeholder engagement process involving students, teachers, parents and caregivers, and administrators. This ensured its implementation of a digital well-being product was aligned with the needs and expectations of its school community. Uplift's network-wide adoption of just one product fundamentally transformed its approach to life and character-building skills and education.
