Role: Project Management

About: The demand for personalized learning environments in schools is growing rapidly as the education landscape continues to evolve. The inherent high stakes of standardized testing pose a roadblock for this innovative practice to be currently implemented during the regular school year. In an effort to create a no-stakes environment where new methods and approaches can be tried without fear, the DPS innovation lab embarked to create a three week, multi-site summer personalized learning camp, and hired me to manage the bulk of the project management work. This personalized learning academy is the first of its kind in the nation.

This was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I've worked on for multiple reasons. First, I was brought on one month before the camp was to launch, and virtually every aspect of the project had to be built and managed from scratch. Second, Denver Public Schools is the fastest growing urban district in the country, and coordinating relationships from scratch across multiple departments spread out across multiple buildings to accomplish goals was crucial. Third, coming in with such a short time span as an unknown outsider meant I would need to build rapport, respect, and proof of leadership quickly. I worked hard to establish myself as a leader who was willing to manage multiple streams of accountability between departments, and to build team capacity toward a shared vision. This meant taking a large, complex, and ambiguous vision and making it concrete, measurable, and actionable for a variety of stakeholders across multiple departments.

Outcome: The program was a success, with 45 students across two schools receiving unprecedented levels of personalized instruction and exposure to new technologies - from building computers to solar robots to learning new virtual tools. The teachers and staff ensured this was a one-of-a-kind experience for the students, and the impact was palpable as student after student expressed their desire to keep learning in the new way.

I managed and led:

• Transportation route scheduling
• Student recruitment
• Teacher recruitment
• Student data and forms
• Master scheduling
• Project management for entire operation
• Materials ordering
• Staff orientation
• Team onboarding