K12 CHANGE LAB
A Proven Way for Schools to Implement Strategic Change
K12 Change Lab is a cohort-based, 18-month change partnership program for school teams that includes coaching, on-site visits, and a 3-day learning conference at Chapin School in New York City in October 2027. This program helps schools make cost-effective, efficient strategic change to improve learning and strengthen school culture.
We are now accepting applications for the third cohort of K12 Change Lab
(April 2027 - Sept 2028)
WHY K12 CHANGE LAB?
Making change in K12 schools has never been more important. As demographics and markets change, so must schools. Yet the work of school leaders and teachers is becoming increasingly complex in this fast-moving moment in history. Change efforts often stall amid the daily pressures of school life.
Schools invest a lot of energy in strategic plans, but often underinvest in implementation. When a goal isn't met, schools enter a frustrating cycle: they invest more time and effort, only to end up back in the same conversations. This cycle costs schools momentum, time, money, and trust.
The K12 Change Lab helps schools make efficient, cost-effective, long-lasting change. This 18-month program helps leaders identify the right team, then gives that team the space and support to move forward. We help schools gain momentum and save time and money by turning ideas into tangible results.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Over the last decade, World Leadership School has prototyped the K12 Change Lab through our annual K12 Purpose Summit where our coaches worked with teams to launch a new middle school, design advisory programs, and create a range of Purpose Learning programs. The K12 Change Lab deepens our K12 Purpose Summit process with more intensive coaching, site visits to each school, and a cohort-based learning model. In designing the K12 Change Lab, we listened to hundreds of leaders and teachers.
To begin, we work with each school to develop a question worth exploring and select the best possible team. We build diverse teams with the right mix of expertise, skills, and social capital. We help teams explore their challenge through data, focus groups, site visits, and other research methods. We support the team through an 18-month journey to gain clarity, run experiments, gather feedback, iterate, mobilize support, and launch bigger change. This process draws on change management science and helps teams overcome common obstacles to change.
Teams gather in theme-specific cohorts at the 3-day K12 Purpose Summit at Sonoma Academy (Santa Rosa, CA). We build community by sharing stories, exploring gifts, and building purpose maps. Cohorts visit exemplary schools and begin the design process.
Coaches hold the first school visit to observe classrooms, meet with school leadership, and work with the team to advance the design. During this visit, coaches and teams mobilize community support by meeting with faculty groups, trustees, and parents.
Participating schools reflect on progress, celebrate wins, and troubleshoot challenges in a virtual summit (90 minutes). Teams celebrate the first few months of work to accelerate momentum and foster cross-school collaboration.
Coaches hold the second school visit to help teams launch prototypes, gather feedback, assess results, and iterate. During this visit, coaches can lead an all-faculty Purpose Launch workshop to help build alignment with purpose-driven learning.
All teams hold a second virtual gathering to celebrate all that has been accomplished and plan for what’s ahead. After exploring, designing, mobilizing, and iterating over the last 18 months, teams are ready to launch the full version of their designs.
Coaches meet with schools to establish goals and select the best possible team. Teams gain clarity around the challenge through focus groups, data analysis, and an AI-assisted literature review. Virtual coaching sessions begin and continue for the next 18 months.
Questions from the 2025-2026 K12 Change Lab:
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Chapin School (NYC, NY): How might we reimagine advisory and other programs to support character, purpose, and leadership?
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Georgetown Day School (Washington, DC): How might we create a connected PK-12 community so that students, families, and faculty experience GDS as a single school with one mission, expressed through aligned transitions, cross-divisional connections, and shared traditions?
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The Field School (Washington, DC): How might we increase the meaning and purpose of our program by translating our Vision for Teaching and Learning into concrete student experiences inside and outside of the classroom?
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Barrie School (Silver Spring, MD): How can we further evolve Barrie’s experiential learning to highlight our progressive roots and create unique diploma pathways?
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Grace Episcopal Day School (Kensington, MD): How do we define our values and align our pedagogy in order to create programmatic cohesion?
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American International School (San Jose, Costa Rica): How can we build upon our mission in order to engage and build trust with parents, teachers, and students as we grow our enrollment?
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Echo Horizon School (Culver City, CA): How do we define deep learning, academic excellence, and rigor at Echo Horizon School?
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Sussex School (Missoula, MT): How do we utilize the expertise of the Sussex staff and current research to develop values-aligned competencies while leveraging community input to create a learner profile?
HOW DO COHORTS WORK?
Learning is relational, and teachers learn best from each other. That is why our process lets teams learn from one another throughout the 18-month program.
During our October summit, teams create community by sharing stories and exploring purpose together. They visit exemplary schools together to find new ideas and inspiration. Finally, teams work together to design a concrete project that addresses the challenge.
Following the summit, coaches make two visits to each school to work with the team. During these visits, coaches can also run faculty workshops, focus groups, parent meetings, and meet with trustees – whatever it takes to move the change along. Between site visits, coaches engage with each team virtually to move through the change process.
COST AND OTHER DETAILS
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K12 Change Lab is a non-profit initiative from World Leadership School.
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The cost is $20,000 per school
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Payments can be made across two school-year budgets
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Independent schools with a high school may qualify for matching grant funding from EE Ford.
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Teams contain between 4 and 6 members
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This third cohort of K12 Change Lab is capped at 16 teams
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To learn more, email Jessica Catoggio at jessica@worldleadershipschool.com
Included in the Price
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Participation in the entire K12 Change Lab process for one school team of 4-6 people
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K12 Change Lab Summit at Chapin School in New York City in early October 2027, including most meals, materials, and site visits to local schools
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Virtual coaching throughout the program
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Two on-campus site visits from the team’s coach, which can include team meetings, presentations to parents and trustees, the Purpose Launch Workshop for faculty, or the Youth Purpose Summit for students.
Not Included in the Program Price
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Travel expenses for faculty to and from the K-12 Change Lab Summit (flights, hotels, airport transfers, spending money, one dinner)
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Travel expenses for the coach during site visits
