Piloting Your Theory of Change
VJ Brown (he/him)
Moonshot edVentures
Branta Lockett (she/her)
5280 Freedom School
Objectives
2
Our Time Together
3
The Moonshot Team
Kat Ling
she/they
CEO
Sasha Green
she/her
Program and Operations Manager
Alex Chavez
she/her
Finance & Operations Senior Manager
VJ Brown
he/his
Alumni & Partnerships Manager
Daranee Teng
she/her
Managing Director, Program
Problem #1
Over time, if our city does more of the same, students of color in Denver will fall further behind
5
White students
Latinx students
Black students
White students
Latinx students
Black students
The Problem: #2
Though 75% of students in Denver are students of color, 75% of the teaching force is white
6
4,910 Teachers*
Source: Denver Public Schools
Note: 0% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Note: 0% Native American
* 75% of Denver’s 92,000 students are children of color
Two Needs
VISION
Our Foundation
MISSION
OUR CORE VALUES
Moonshot envisions a learner-centered system, led by individuals who share and empathize with the experience of the students and communities they aim to serve, where all children become lifelong learners who persist through life and meaningfully contribute to their communities.
Moonshot edVentures surfaces and supports a diverse set of leaders to design and launch the schools and learning environments of tomorrow.
Respect
Trust
Love
Collaboration
Equity
Pay it forward
Respect
Trust
Love
Collaboration
Equity
Reciprocity
84
Fellows
81%
BIPOC
4,500 students served in 2021
27 ventures
In
five years…
What is a pilot and why should I run one?
25
What is a pilot?
Small-scale, short-term experiences that founders run with the families they ultimately want to serve to test their idea while the stakes are low
What do pilots help us learn?
Will my instructional model be successful?
Do students and families actually want what I’m offering?
Do I actually enjoy, and am I good at leading this work?
Why do we pilot?
Prototype
Iterate
Learn
Why we do pilot?
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Your idea
You’ll want to test your assumptions while you don’t have far to fall - through a prototype!
Why Assumptions?
Assumptions are things about your venture you believe to be true, but haven’t fully tested yet.
Your idea
Testing assumptions can save you time, $$, energy, confused potential users
POW!!
Hmm… what did I learn?
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Assumption
Types of Assumptions
Assumptions are the things that are believed to be true about a model. You do not know an assumption is true until you test it.
Demand
Capacity
Efficacy
Why do we pilot?
Learnings from your pilot should help you make informed decisions about how to iterate.
Why do we pilot?
Piloting puts users at the center and gives them a voice
Why do we pilot?
Prototype
Iterate
Learn
What are major benefits of piloting?
It’s a process
Piloting can be complex. Embrace this opportunity to flex a new muscle!
Piloting at Moonshot
Explore
Cultivate
Prepare for Launch
The Piloting Journey: Perspective from a Moonshot Fellow!
Branta Lockett,
Co-Founder & Executive Director
5280 Freedom School
Moonshot Cohort 1
5280 Freedom School
5280 Freedom School
Mission: 5280 Freedom School teaches Kindergarten - 5th-grade students to become racially literate and civically-minded by centering Black knowledge, people, and principles so that students can dismantle oppressive systems, liberate themselves, and transform the world.
Vision: 5280 Freedom School is a place where people are loved, valued, safe, and free to be themselves and students are leaders for social change.
School Model
Kindergarten - 5th Grade Prospective Public Charter School
Assumptions to Test using Pilots
Created in 2017
1st Pilot
Arts Integration
Spring 2018
2nd Pilot
Design Ideal Learning Environment
Spring 2018
Classroom- based
3rd Pilot
Summer Freedom School
Summer 2018
Survey Results from Freedom School 2018
100% of students expressed that they wanted to attend the Freedom School in 2019 |
100% of parents had positive reviews for the Freedom School |
100% of students and families felt a sense of community within the Freedom School |
Continued Summer Piloting
•2019
•2020*
•Virtual
•Saturday Sessions
•2021
•2022 (enrollment is at capacity)
Summary of Growth
Benefits of Piloting for 5280 Freedom School
•Helped build supporter base (financial, prospective families, prospective teachers, social media following, and more)
•Demonstrated demand and results overtime (useful for charter application)
•Provided insight into proposed models
•Allowed opportunities for continued feedback
•Student feedback
•Parent input through surveys and focus groups
@moonshotEV
info@moonshotedventures.org