Scaling up is a hot topic at the 2011 Achieving the Dream Strategy Institute. As we've said here before, expanding the reach of successful policies and programs is an integral part of institutional improvement and increasing positive outcomes for community college students. But managing the cultural shifts, design challenges, and resource development for scaling up requires creativity and persistence. In such situations, it's always good to hear from someone that's already been through the ringer. In one of today's Strategy Institute spotlight sessions, I met Dr. Jim Knickerbocker--a survivor of that scaling ringer and managing director of the Academy for College Excellence. ACE is an integrated, project-based program for developmental education students that accelerates student progress by focusing on both the students' cognitive and affective experience. Jim, with experience scaling in the corporate and the community college sectors, introduced us to ACE and what they've learned about scaling up. Here's a few headlines:
- CODIFY: use products to formalize key insights and promote fidelity
- TEST: Verify that the program can be delivered by someone other than the orignator and run tests that push the limits of the design
- STRATEGIZE: look for economies of scale, identify the roles that are critical for success, and clarify the difference between required and recommended
- MANAGE THE CHANGE: secure shared sponsorship, pay attention to the necessary systemic change, and adapt rewards for early and mainstream adopters of the program.
I'll definitely be inviting Jim to share more of his insights here on Accelerating Achievement, but until then, you can check out his presentation and handouts on the ATD Strategy Institute presentation website. Jim's materials are first in the list under the "Thursday" heading.
Abby Parcell is MDC's Program Manager for the Developmental Education Initiative.
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