SPARK*SF Public Schools

GOAT 23: Disruptive Innovations in Post-Literacy

Model and Strategy

GOAT 23 is a cohort of 46 students and 4 educators participating in an 18 month fellowship centered around 3 key elements: Calling, Craft and Career. SPARK*SF creates a learning experience that prepares students to excel in future jobs. By age 23, each young leader will need to be ready to approach problems as a change agent, manage multiple streams of work, critically consume media, and create structure from ambiguity. In this fellowship, student fellows serve as consultants to an employer, taking initiative to disrupt a workplace problem aligned to their Calling, seeking out a credit-bearing course that refines their Craft, and ultimately, articulating how this experience makes them competitive in college and Career. While an internship often puts a student at the bottom rung of the workplace, the fellowship entrusts participants to engage in a network of leaders, iterate and present a prototype, and gain career and entrepreneurial skills.

Impact

If we offer a revolutionary introductory work experience that positions students as high-level contributors and change agents instead of entry level employees, then participating youth will enhance their self-perception and efficacy in a way that expands their career trajectory and better prepares them for a rapidly changing workforce.

Success requires the following preconditions: students must develop problem solving skills, leadership dispositions and a range of communication skills. We assume participants and hosts are willing to experience the disruptive change process and will employ a growth mindset. Our interventions include identifying host worksites; providing training to worksite hosts on how to successfully implement the fellowship; selecting fellows; effectively placing fellows; providing ongoing support for fellows (including project management, problem analysis, post-secondary course selection, developing leadership and communication skills); coordinating professional presentation opportunity; and providing honorarium for participants.

Indicators include: (1) 85% of fellows develop a successful solution to the workplace problem; (2) 85% of fellows present their solution to host site leadership and receive a presentation ranking of good or better; (3) 85% of fellows can identify at least five marketable employment skills gained from their fellowship experience.

Leadership

  • Guadalupe

    Guadalupe Guerrero

    Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Innovation and Social Justice