Knowledge Center

New Offering: Building Process Awareness

We know that using process collaboratively is easier when all involved have some understanding of how the process tool works.  Our newest offering, Building Process Awareness, helps introduce folks unfamiliar with process to the purpose, structure and questions involved allowing them to focus on the issues vs the mechanics.  The live, virtual, shorter sessions (2 hours/process) increase the understanding and effectiveness of meeting participants while also serving as a refresher for those formerly trained in STEPS 1.

Building Process Awareness

Fall Newsletter 2023

In the post- Covid Era, school districts continue to set new goals and face new challenges.  Our latest newsletter documents some of the ways that districts have successfully met those challenges using process and collaboration. Also, our Benjamin B. Tregoe Award for Strategic Leadership in Education is announced!

Fall Newsletter – October 2023

Spring Newsletter 2023

In our latest newsletter, we share the work of districts on wide-reaching issues such as student assessment, facilities usage, strategic planning and organizational structure as exemplars of the potential positive impact of good decision making.       Newsletter – March 2023

Productively Dealing with Hot Topic Issues

TregoED has almost three decades of experience helping districts navigate some of their toughest and most divisive issues e.g.: school closures, bond referendums, cultural responsiveness, school safety, curriculum concerns, etc.  How they are handled may mean the difference between moving forward productively or remaining mired in persistent conflict.  TregoED analytic process provides the framework to make reasoned, defensible decisions using stakeholder input and data.

Productively Dealing with Divisive Issues

Introducing TregoED's Two New Team Members

TregoED is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to their professional development and consulting team.  Lawrence Harris and Matthew Sipes bring significant insights and experience from their previous leadership positions increasing the capabilities of the TregoED team to reach its mission to help organizations develop the capacity of their greatest resource – their people. Press release Harris Sipes

Curriculum Review and Selection using TregoED Tools

When the Unified School District of De Pere (WI) reviewed its K‐8 math resource as part of a regular review cycle, they used TregoED processes to gather stakeholder input and ensure a sound conclusion. They found the tools allowed them to objectively collect and organize information to avoid conflict and determine the best resources for their students.

De Pere Curriculum Review – Client Example

Addressing Turnover and Retention in your District

Turnover is disruptive, expensive, and affects student achievement. While a certain amount of turnover is to be expected, the pandemic and social climate has accelerated turnover.  What if you could retain people each year by making it more attractive for people to stay? What if you could drastically reduce voluntary attrition? Smart leaders are looking beyond immediate hiring needs and focusing also on retention. TregoED can help districts address root causes of turnover and develop practical solutions tailored to their unique needs.

Staff Retention:  Decreasing Turnover, Increasing Retention

Ever-Ready Leadership in a VUCA World - A White Paper

Education leaders operate in a VUCA world—one characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. And they currently face the most disruptive period in education history with a pandemic, economic problems, social justice issues and rapid technological changes all at the forefront. Add to that scenario a polarized country rife with widespread misinformation and mistrust. The end of the pandemic will not be the end of these problems. It is no wonder then that John Kim, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School states that “Running a school district is one of the toughest, most complex jobs in America”

This white paper provides research-based advice for leaders who want to prepare themselves and others to face the challenges of one of the “toughest, most complex jobs in America” – running a school district.

TregoED Names Two New Board Members

William Baldwin, Board Chairman of TregoED is pleased to announce that Dr. Chris Lowder and Arthur Mills IV have been selected to serve on the TregoED Board of Directors. Each brings a unique set of experiences and expertise to the Board. Read more.   (photo attribution: Alpha Stock Images – http://alphastockimages.com/)

Staff Shortages- Burnout Prevention and Staff Retention

Staff shortages due to physical and mental health issues are reaching “epic proportions.” We have collected some interesting articles and resources that address these exponential problems with creative solutions.

Read more

Fall Newsletter 2022

As we begin the new school year, TregoED highlights the good work being done by districts using critical thinking processes to make the best possible decisions for their children and the community at large.

Fall Newsletter 2022

Article: How Teachers Can Make Better Decisions: 7 Tips from Experts

“Teachers make an untold number of decisions in the course of just a few minutes of class-time, everything from figuring out whether a particular student can go to the restroom to how to tweak a lesson on the fly because a video didn’t load properly.

There are the longer-term decisions: What should my unit plan be? How much late work should I accept? How should I changed my approach to disciplining students if it appears to be not as fair and equitable as it should be?”ve

Decision making is a skill that many are never taught. This article features tips from educators and experts about how to handle that dizzying array of decisions.

Read the article

TregoED Spring Newsletter

As our workshop participants experience the advantages of having solid tools for decision making and problem solving, leaders witness the enduring value of investing in building the capacity of their staff members.  Educators continue to use our tools in a myriad of ways to help them navigate the unique problems and issues faced in this school year.

Spring 2022 Newsletter

Article: Is Your Head Spinning? 7 Decision-Making Tips for Principals

Principals are facing some of the toughest decisions of their careers as students return to schools this fall. Education Week interviewed principals and school leadership experts, including TregoED’s Alicia Tate, to get their advice on how principals should tackle tough decisions this year. The interviews are distilled into seven great decision-making tips.

Read the article

TregoED Fall Newsletter

Education Leaders continue to work hard to build practices that ensure the success of their staff and students in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.  We share what they are working on and how process can help in our latest newsletter.

Fall 2021 Newsletter

Article: Leaders Need Tools to Manage Change

Leading through Change – We’ve just been through one of the most challenging years that we will ever face in education. This year has forced us to learn new skills and continually adapt — as leaders, teachers, students and community members. We have an opportunity to apply what we have learned during the past year and create sustained improvement. If we fail to do this, it will be a huge miss.

Let’s face it: Change is not easy. It never has been, and for most it never will be. However, there are ways to make change more agreeable. Maximizing trust, transparency and communication helps reduce barriers to change.

Read the Article

TregoED Summer Newsletter: District Success Stories and more

As we close out one of the most challenging school years in history, we celebrate the successes of leaders who used good thinking and collaborative tools to get the best results for their students. In this newsletter, we spotlight schools and education agencies for their hard work and feature some of our new offerings such as micro-credentialing, our new workshop for Special Education – “Functional Behavior Assessments using a Problem Solving Approach” and our white paper “Ever-Ready Leadership in a VUCA World.”

Course Offering: Strategic Decision-Making in a VUCA Environment

Educational leadership faces unprecedented challenges, such as:
• Prudent and effective spending of additional federal funds with maximum ROI
• Successfully addressing learning-loss or learning-lag
• Social Emotional Learning
• ELLs/MLLs
• Special Education
• Staff Transitioning
There is no “magic bullet” that will give you all the answers, but having the right tools can help you find the answers and successfully meet the challenges your district faces. TregoED’s Decision Analysis training helps district leaders make defensible, high stakes decisions. This workshop offers a unique combination of teaching, practicing and coaching to provide you with the strategic process tool to tackle the toughest challenges ahead. (Beyond the full day training, additional district coaching is available at no cost.)
Note: This training is also available as an In-District PD, which can be customized to your individual district’s needs. (Please email pdteam@esboces.org if interested.)

DATE: Tuesday, August 10, 2021
TIME: 8:30 am – 3:00 pm
COST: $299 for subscribers / $349 for non-subscribers
AUDIENCE: District, School, and Teacher Leaders
CTLE: Pedagogy
LOCATION: LIVE ONLINE via ZOOM
REGISTER: http://webreg.esboces.org (Out-of-State Districts can register by creating an account and choosing pay by PO)

Success Story: Process Provides Results Beyond Math Achievement

“Every school out there should have access to this…. We’re never going to eliminate the zip code
inequalities that exist in this country. But when you have TregoED tools, you can make up for some
of the inequities through quality problem solving and decision making that benefits students.
High‐quality thinking need not be zip code dependent.”
Dr. Joseph A. Guarino, Superintendent, New Brighton Area School District

The New Brighton Area School District set out to determine the root cause of lagging math achievement in their 6th grade.  The positive results of using process went far beyond math scores – impacting district climate and culture, their effectiveness of issue resolution, and increased collaboration and engagement.

Article: Making Decisions Is Harder Than Ever. How District Leaders Can Manage Tough Calls

“Education Week interviewed district leaders around the country to better understand how they and their leadership teams make decisions in increasingly complex environments. What became clear in those interviews is that this trend started years ago, escalated during the pandemic, and will likely be the environment everyone is living in for the foreseeable future.”

The article features lessons from three district leaders on what they learned as they worked through complicated, volatile decision-making challenges over the past year.

Read the article

Meeting SPED Challenges with Confidence

Check out our Strategic Guide for Excellent Problem Solving in Special Education to see how building the capacity of SPED leadership can help you meet the challenges of providing the specialized and individualized instruction required by our special education students.

TregoED Newsletter: District Success Stories

As we hit the one year mark since the Covid 19 Pandemic began, schools continue to work to provide an equitable and appropriate education for the children we serve, while ensuring the safety and well-being of staff and students.  Our most recent newsletter includes spotlights on districts that are using “good thinking” to achieve their goals, tips and tricks gleaned from our Facilitators Community of Practice, and information on our new refreshers courses and Special Education practice.

Spring 2021 Newsletter

Quick Resources for the Difficult Days Ahead

With schools in flux with Covid-19 – here are 3 great resources to help school and district leaders prepare for the difficult days ahead.  Read more

TregoED Newsletter: Sharing Success During these Stormy Times

September 2020 Newsletter (1)

Recorded Webinar: Transitioning Back to School: What could go wrong?

Whether back to school means physically, virtually, or some hybrid of the two—you can protect your plan and ensure a smooth implementation by preparing for the worst. Learn how our four-step Potential Problem Analysis can help you avoid or minimize problems during the school year.

Watch recorded webinar.

Success Story: Managing Continual Change in the Age of COVID

When you have capable, committed people—and you know they havewhat they need to succeed—you can trust them to get the job done—and to do it right.” Christopher Lowder, Ed.D., Superintendent, Cabarrus County Schools

Decisions like “how best to close or reopen schools during a global pandemic” are ones you hope you only face once in a career—although you know there will be other “firsts.” Certainly, these issues are fraught with complications, unknowns, and tremendous conflict—and there is no existing playbook. But how well we handle these crises often correlates to the groundwork that’s been laid ahead of time. No matter what lies ahead, Cabarrus has a recipe for success in tackling the toughest issues!

Recorded Webinar: Transitioning Back to School for Special Education

• Individual student problem solving
• Action planning for complex district/school/student level issues
• Defensible decision making at the student and district level
• Structuring real and virtual IEP, Staff and Department meetings

Recorded Webinar

Recorded Webinar: Guide to Preparing for the Challenges Ahead

Webinar: How to Prepare Your Team for Decision Making During Turbulent Times with Dr. Victor Shandor

Learn tips and procedures for preparing your team for the tough decisions ahead as we return back to school.

Recorded Webinar

Registration Open for Upcoming Webinar: Approach your Daily Covid Storms with Confidence

• October 20, 2020 – 3:00-4:00 pm (ET)

• October 28, 2020 – 12:00-1:00pm (ET)

Article: Ready for Anything: Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Clarity

This article in District Administrator features lessons learned by Superintendent, Dr. Victor Shandor and his team at York County Division Schools as they faced tough decisions in both “normal times” and when faced with a series of serious challenges –  a fire in a school’s electrical system followed shortly after by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Learn about the work being done in this district to make sure that they have an “ever-ready” team capable of making complex decisions with confidence and clarity.

Article:  Ready for Anything:  Making Complex Decisions with Confidence and Clarity

Recorded Webinar: Transitioning to the Next Normal Part 2: Decision Making

How will you approach complex decisions as we move into the next school year?

What strategic decisions do you need to make?

How can you develop defensible decisions to address the “next normal?”

Planning the next steps forward for schools will involve many high impact, conflict-laden decisions in multiple areas.
• How do we make those decisions with confidence and clarity?
• How do we include stakeholders in a meaningful way?
• What decisions need to be made first?
• What are the risks with substantial change?
In this webinar, we will provide key elements of decision making for district and school leaders as they prepare for the next phase. These strategies will introduce a collaborative, structured approach useful for decisions around budget, staffing, program models, mental health support, transportation, food service, etc.

Resources:

Recorded Webinar

Transitioning to the Next Normal Part 2: Collaborative Decision Making Webinar PDF

Decision-Analysis-e-Worksheet

District Tackles Tough Salary Issues Using Clear Processes

Faced with a complex budget challenge involving the allocation of budgeted funds to support staff, Winchester Public Schools recognized the need for a clear process.  Using Situation Appraisal and Decision Analysis, District leaders were able to collect data, identify criteria and work to clarify what needs had to be met.  The positive results solidified the district’s commitment to using TregoED processes on issues both formally and informally.

Webinar: Transitioning to the "Next Normal"-When Students Return

How do you approach your next set of challenges?

What strategic questions do you need to ask?

How can you develop a comprehensive action plan to address the “next normal?”

There is nothing that has been normal about the past few weeks and the challenges this pandemic has presented to schools. It has and continues to challenge every aspect of being a school leader. But one thing we can be sure of, is that we all will soon be facing the challenge of the return to a “next normal.” And the “new normal” presents a multitude of complex issues and decisions that need to be addressed.

In this session, we will provide strategies for district administration, school leaders and teachers to identify, organize and initiate planning for the many complex issues facing schools as they prepare for the return of students. These strategies will help participants use a collaborative, structured approach as they consider issues such as equity around achievement, staffing, curriculum and assessment, mental health issues of students and staff, communication, safety/hygiene protocols, building preparedness, etc.

Resources:

Slides:  PDF of Transitioning to the Next Normal -When Students Return – ppt slides  

SCAN Template:  Situation Appraisal Worksheet

Meet our New Executive Director

TregoED is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Curran‐Hays as the new Executive Director. Michael joins TregoED from Kepner‐Tregoe where he was a Practice Leader, Principal, and member of the KT Board. He led efforts in business process improvement, operational improvement, strategy formulation and capacity‐building with a special focus on regulated industries. Michael has been a member of TregoED’s Board since its inception and has a deep commitment to education and its ability to positively change lives. He hails from a family of educators and began his career as a middle school teacher in Tucson, AZ. Read More…..

TregoEDge Newsletter - What's new, process highlights & more!

Our May newsletter highlights the great collaborative work going on in the districts we are working with.  This work features TregoED process being used on student achievement, advisory, school start times, curriculum choices, special education and more.

Great decisions reap great results!

Using TregoED tools, Sewanhaka Central High School District began a long journey to increase student access to technology, that has reaped so many rewards including simplifying accommodations for  special education students, equal access to technology and tools in a diverse socio-economic community, improved testing equity, increased parent communications, etc.  We are proud that our Decision Analysis and Situation Appraisal tools helped them select the best device for this long term project and gave them an implementation plan that ensured their success.  This Case Study describes some of the positive results they are achieving every day.

How Leaders Use Balanced Decision-Making Skills to Move Organizations Forward

Our parent organization, KT recently published this white paper that speaks directly to all decision-making leaders.

In every organization, decisions must be made and actions taken. Usually the realm of decision making is the responsibility of leaders. They must select the actions, determine how they will be carried out, and be accountable for the implementation of the decision and for the subsequent results.
Gut feelings and years of experience may be sufficient for most day-to-day decisions, but major decisions that move an organization forward come with a real element of risk. Leaders need a structured process that is based on an informed analysis and participation from key stakeholders to arrive at a balanced decision that everyone can support.

Creating a Culture of Collaborative Decision Making

After leaders at Johnston County Public Schools (NC) developed a new strategic plan, JOCO 2020, they worked hard to ensure that their new plan would be implemented with fidelity and commitment from each stakeholder.  Change can bring anxiety as well as exciting opportunities to a district.  Before implementation, several big decisions needed to be made. One such decision was the need to reassess insurance benefits. Previously, emotion‐laden, big‐money decisions of this nature had not utilized a formal, transparent, and systematic evaluation process. Consequently, there was a lack of confidence and trust in decisions that had been made. Read how they used process in this decision and more to take the plan from the aspirational to the operational.

TregoEDge Newsletter-Process Highlights, Success Stories & More

Our spring newsletter highlights the great work going on in the school districts we are working with.

Involving Diverse Stakeholders in Complex Decision-Making

York County School Division (VA)  faced several key issues affecting multiple stakeholders, including: revising a primary grading scale, addressing school website needs, assessing high school mid‐term exam expectations, and expanding special education classrooms and staffing. Each issue required collaboration from several diverse departments. YCSD needed a shared, systematic, and proven way to successfully tackle these complex issues and ensure critical objectives and priorities were fully considered. Division leaders hoped that a common approach could improve communications, use of time, and progress monitoring. In addition, they needed to capture the best thinking of the community and secure the involvement and commitment of multiple departments and stakeholders.  Read More.

Benjamin B. Tregoe Strategic Leadership in Education Awards

Benjamin B. Tregoe Strategic Leadership in Education Awards highlight individuals or organizations for achieving exemplary results using TregoED strategies. These awards, conferred by TregoED, recognize educational leaders in school districts and agencies for using problem-solving and decision-making processes to more effectively address the issues, decisions, and problems they face.

Winning entries for the Strategic Leadership Awards are selected by TregoED based on several criteria including but not limited to:

• Demonstrated problem-solving and decision-making skills that have increased collaboration, cost savings and/or the resolution of critical issues
• Sustained improvements within the school district or agency which have increased leadership capacity and/or improved procedures and implementation of strategic decisions

We look forward to recognizing the work and success of districts who have used systematic problem solving to approach the myriad of challenges that the last two years have rendered.

The 2023 Award Application deadline has passed.

Winners will be notified October 2, 2023

If you would like more information, contact swozniak@TregoED.org.

Tuscaloosa City Schools (2023)

Tuscaloosa City School’s College and Career Readiness Team, led by Director Kelly Norstrom, worked to strategically develop a comprehensive plan to prepare students for success beyond high school in an ever-evolving world.  Their work with internal and external stakeholders helped maximize resources and student opportunities. Read more

Summit Academy Schools (2019)

Summit Academy Management (SAM) faced a major budgetary shortfall that had been building for some time, due to lower enrollment, top‐heavy organization structure and previous short‐term focused decision making. This imbalance resulted in insufficient resources for classrooms. It became clear that the organizational structure needed to change in order to allow Summit to put essential resources in direct support of its mission.  Read more

Winchester Public Schools (2019)

WPS leaders were seeking to enhance decision‐making within the district and improve the pace, surrounding communications, and final outcomes of the decisions themselves. Prior to using Decision Analysis, some decisions had to be revisited or changed, leading to confusion and inconsistent implementation. District leaders determined they needed more consistent protocols and approaches. Thus, more than 40 senior leaders including Superintendent, Cabinet, school‐based administrators, and instructional coaches were trained in TregoED processes.  Read more

Colquitt County Schools (2019)

Colquitt County is in the enviable position of offering a robust universal pre‐K program for every eligible four‐year‐old in the district. The district prides itself on ensuring pre‐K students receive the same high‐quality resources available in K‐12 classrooms. Read more

York County School Division (2018)

York County School Division (VA), under the leadership of Dr. Victor Shandor, Superintendent, was recognized for their systemic use of process to increase confidence and clarity in decision making with diverse stakeholders. Read more

New Brighton Area School District (2018)

New Brighton Area School District (PA),  under the guidance of Dr. Joseph A. Guarino, Superintendent was recognized for using process to determine cause and develop solutions for a disparity in math scores on one grade level.  Read more

Johnston County Public Schools (2018)

Under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Ross Renfrow, Johnston County Public Schools (NC) are being recognized for their use of process to ensure the successful implementation of their new strategic plan, JOCO 2020.  Read more

Charleston County School District (2018)

Charleston County School District (SC), is being recognized for meeting challenges with transitions in the Exceptional Children Department and increasing leadership capacity.

2018 Benjamin B. Tregoe Strategic Leadership in Education Award Winners

Charleston County School District (SC), Dr. Gerrita Postlewait – Meeting challenges with transitions in Exceptional Children Department and increasing leadership capacity.

Johnston County Public Schools (NC), Dr. Ross Renfrow, Superintendent-Using process to ensure the successful implementation of their new strategic plan, JOCO 2020.

New Brighton Area School District (PA), Dr. Joseph A. Guarino, Superintendent-Using process to determine cause and develop solutions to disparity in math scores at a given grade level.

York County School Division (VA), Dr. Victor Shandor, Superintendent- Systemic use of process to increase confidence and clarity in decision making with diverse stakeholders

Ann Arbor Public Schools (2017)

TregoED adds Special Education Expertise to Team

TregoED, providers of collaborative problem-solving and decision-making processes for K-12 education leaders, welcomes Dr.  Alicia Tate to their professional development team.  Alicia is an expert in using process to successfully navigate the complex demands put on today’s education leaders.  She brings a high degree of technical knowledge as well as experience in instructional leadership and using collaborative problem solving in Exceptional (Special) Education. Read more

Newsletter Highlights Fall Success Stories

Our latest newsletter features the power of collaborative decision making and problem solving done by leaders at Tuscaloosa City Schools, Clarke County School District, Cheltenham School District, Colquitt County Schools, NC Principals Fellow Program, and Summit Academy Management.  Also highlighted is our Golden Nugget Series available in the Leadership Portal.

Read More.

Learn more about TregoED's Services

Need more information?  Our new brochure provides the information that you need to determine if we fit your needs.  Download the TregoED Corporate Brochure.

Strategic Tools for Excellent Problem Solving 1: Build Skills

Our flagship workshop, Strategic Tools for Excellent Problem Solving 1: Build Skills (S.T.E.P.S.), helps education leaders build essential skills in collaborative problem solving and decision making. Participants learn practical, systematic methodologies to effectively resolve a school or district’s toughest issues.

Consulting for Special Education

Special Education leaders often face challenging situations in helping meet the complex needs of our most vulnerable populations.  When timely resolution- or impartial, expert facilitation – is needed, TregoED consulting services can help you develop lasting solutions for your most vexing issues including:  leadership transitions, facilitation of legal and other high-stakes issues, departmental planning and effectiveness, and implementing change with cross-collaborative support.

Consulting for Special Education

Find Root Cause to resolve complex student achievement issues

Using our systematic Problem Analysis tool can help you understand and address student achievement issues, resolve discipline problems, and diffuse emotions on controversial issues involving special education, safety, school violence, etc. using your school data.

Special Education

Successfully navigating the demands of today’s special education environment requires educators to have diverse skill sets for the job. Procedural knowledge alone is not sufficient. Individuals who provide, lead, or manage the provision of special education services require a high level of collaborative problem-solving skills. TregoED process provide a framework that can help leaders navigate high-conflict and emotionally-laden issues with transparency and confidence.

Consulting

Approach the toughest problems with confidence! TregoED consultants provide impartial facilitation while helping you resolve issues with effective, enduring solutions.

• Plan for Improvement
• Resolve high-impact decisions, disparities or situations
• Receive Individual or Team Coaching

Cultivating a Community of Trust...and Good Thinking

Read our most recent case study which describes how 2018 Michigan Superintendent of the Year, Jeanice Kerr Swift, challenged her staff to develop a collaborative and systematic approach to get the best thinking of those in her community.  The outcome? Dr. Swift states that “we are refreshing and renewing the learning environment across our 32 schools to enhance the learning experience for every student, yet we are also transforming our organizational capacity to listen and engage meaningfully with students, staff, parents, and community to build trust and work toward shared decisions that lead to durable and sustainable progress in our Ann Arbor community.”  Read more…

Great New Resource in our Spring 2018 Newsletter

Our Spring Newsletter features a link to our most requested resource—our digital process worksheets. Now you can type your collaborative work right into the document and share! Our newsletter also highlights our recent work with Charleston County School District (SC), Richmond County Schools (NC) and Scotland County (NC).

Read More

Problem Analysis Workshop for PA School Leaders through MCIU

We are excited to be partnering with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit to offer PD that will help school leaders develop problem-solving skills to deal with their most pressing issues. Network and collaborate with other leaders from your area on the unique issues that you face.

*Seats still available for these three sessions:

Friday, April 20, 2018
8:30 am–3:30 pm

Register here

 Invest in the capacity of your leadership team! Please share this opportunity with colleagues!

“School leadership is second only to teaching among school-related factors in its impact in student learning, according to research.”  The Wallace Foundation

Find the Cause-Lose the Problem A White Paper

Research shows that problem‐solvers often jump right to developing solutions—missing the
opportunity to fix a problem once and for all.
Problem solving that fully and permanently eliminates problems requires us to know true
cause. Too often problem‐solvers act quickly on one problem and then move on to the next
problem—only to have the original problem later reappear. Effective problem solving requires
us to:
1. Identify and understand the problem
2. Determine true cause
3. Develop a solution
4. Implement the solution
This white paper explores research on the common pitfalls of problem solving and
the best practices that ensure lasting solutions.

Intermediate Unit Offering Benefits PA School Districts

In order to provide leaders with the opportunity to gain problem-solving and decision-making processes, Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County Intermediate Unit (MCIU) hosted a TregoED introductory workshop. MCIU provides support to meet the educational and social service needs of the County’s 200+ schools, including 25 public school districts, 150+ nonpublic schools, 4 career-technical schools and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Over 40 education leaders from 25 districts/organizations participated. After each of the three one-day sessions, participants applied the processes to issues in their own districts.

Read More MCIU Success Story (1)

How will you achieve your ESSA goals?

State ESSA plans demand an even greater focus on improving schools and ensuring the success of all learners. How will you: Engage stakeholders and secure commitment? Achieve equity and excellence for all students? Implement accountability measures? Identify and address root causes for struggling students and schools!  We can help!

Creating and Sustaining Decision-Making Excellence - A White Paper

Does your district…

• See people at all levels and positions as capable decision makers?
• Eagerly seek stakeholder involvement…even when conflict is likely?
• Use data to assess results, measure outcomes and drive decision-making?
• Have well-run, purposeful, and productive meetings?
• Plan proactively for meaningful change?
• Have a positive climate characterized by collaboration, trust, and transparency?

If you could not answer yes to all of these questions, you may be missing some key components for building organizational capacity.

Download our White Paper:  Creating and Sustaining Decision-Making Excellence

New Features on TregoED's Refreshed Site

TregoED is a small nonprofit with a great passion for what we do – help leaders in education solve complex administrative issues and build the leadership capacity of the people around them.  Our new website is designed to share that passion in a clear and simple manner. Read more..

News and Resources for School Leaders: Spring Newsletter 2017

Our newsletter describes the many unique ways that school leaders have used TregoED processes to improve everything from grading systems to budget recommendations in our success stories, project highlights and latest blog post.  In addition, you can find out about our next open sessions for TregoED workshops, Benjamin B. Tregoe Award Applications, and our latest board news.

Our Fall Newsletter is Here!

Our fall newsletter features districts who are making clear thinking a part of their culture in dealing with issues like student achievement disparities, increasing budget transparency, student behavioral issues and supporting achievement.  Also included are Fall open sessions in New York and Pennsylvania, our latest blog post,and information about our upcoming Community of Practice for TregoED Facilitators.

Read More

Ann Arbor Schools Win 2017 BBT Award for Strategic Leadership

The Ann Arbor Public School District (AAPS), led by Superintendent Dr. Jeanice K. Swift, has been awarded TregoED’s 2017 Benjamin B. Tregoe Award for Strategic Leadership in Education.

The award recognizes the district’s comprehensive and diligent work in developing a fair and inclusive process to disseminate bond monies by fully evaluating and understanding current conditions, prioritizing immediate needs, detailing what could be included in the budget and developing a long-term vision for each of four selected areas. The project included multiple stakeholder groups and created transparent, meaningful community engagement. According to Jenna Bacolor, Executive Director of the Community Division of AAPS, it has given the district “a model, tools, and staff capacity to use this process in systems change work for years to come.”

Ann Arbor News Online

Case Study demonstrates Strategies that break down Workplace Silos

A recent case study demonstrates how one school district used an approach developed by Kepner-Tregoe to increase collaboration and build the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of departments formerly working as independent silos.  Read More

At the Heart of What We Do

2016 Winter Newsletter

Meeting the challenge of equitable access to technology and using Problem Analysis to focus on closing the achievement gap are just two of the ways that TregoED processes have been used in school districts.  Read our latest newsletter to find out how other districts have benefited from clearer thinking.

Making Tough Technology Choices

No school districts want to be featured on the nightly news because of their poor choices in technology decisions or for implementing technology plans that end up wasting the taxpayers’ dollars.

But technology decisions are tough, first, because there are so many options—simple upgrades, new purchases, different platforms, tablets, laptops, 1:1, BYOD—and second, because there are so many other considerations such as cost, curriculum needs, deployment, professional development, and public relations, which all seem to be the purview of individualized departments. Read More

Burlington County Institute of Technology & Burlington County Special Services (2016)

The Burlington County Institute of Technology and Burlington County Special Services School District (BCIT/BCSSSD) will be recognized for their systemic use of TregoED processes to face several district‐wide challenges including transparent communication of expectations, vertical alignment of organizational goals, analysis of data to inform instruction, identifying the root cause of achievement issues, and discovering ways to capitalize on new initiatives.

Cabarrus County Schools (2016)

Cabarrus County Schools is being recognized for creating a system‐wide culture of collaborative decision making and problem solving to develop a comprehensive and systematic budget process. Their commitment to the collaborative approach has enabled them to move the district forward in math achievement and to develop and implement a comprehensive choice plan for their schools. Read more

Sewanhaka Central High School District (2016)

Sewanhaka is being recognized for using TregoED processes to help them make tough, collaborative decisions including selecting a student technology plan, determining device and platform, and developing a viable roll out and implementation plan to increase student access to technology in a manner that is both equitable and sustainable across the district.  Read more

Newton-Conover Schools (2015)

This district needed to replace an extremely popular and successful high school principal. A team used Decision Analysis to create the criteria and crafted interview questions. They then split up into interview teams, each with a different focus. When teams compared results, it became clear which candidates were consistently strong and which performed well only with some groups. “TregoED ensured no strong personalities swayed the group and that all voices were heard…. No longer does bias play a role in hiring and other decision-making processes. If board members or other stakeholders have questions, we can provide qualitative and quantitative data to share how crucial decisions were made.”  Read more

Colorado Springs School District 11 (2015)

District 11 used Problem Analysis in order to ensure a stronger correlation between school improvement efforts and student achievement. Problem Analysis was used at the district level and with school improvement teams. Teams identified four major areas of root causes affecting student achievement. District departments realigned themselves to support schools in addressing these 4 root causes and schools have focused their efforts on research-based, high-impact solutions. “The increased ownership by individuals has caused an infusion of excitement because the path is clear, the work is more defined and the work is being supported. The identified root causes have illuminated “fixable” problems of practice.” Instead of dozens of possible causes and solutions, the district and its schools are focusing efforts and resources on those that have been verified to be most relevant and influential. Read more

Sewanhaka Central High School District (2015 Winner)

A district team used Decision Analysis in order to find three million dollars in savings from its operating budget. Every proposed cut was accompanied by a Potential Problem Analysis to assess and mitigate accompanying risks. The clear criteria, stakeholder input, and decision-making transparency resulted in not only the desired savings, but in “very little push back or outcry from the community as they understood the decision-making process.” The district eventually had a successful voter-approved bond referendum – something that had never before been accomplished there.  Read more

Sewanhaka Receives Leadership Award

For the second consecutive year, the district was presented with TregoEd’s Benjamin B. Trego Award for Strategic Leadership in Education.

The award recognizes the district’s comprehensive and diligent work in including multiple stakeholders to develop and implement a plan that increases student access to technology in an equitable and sustainable manner. Read More

TregoED Awards Honor Collaborative use of KT Critical Thinking in Schools

The value of the Kepner-Tregoe problem solving and other critical thinking strategies is not confined to the world of business. Benjamin Tregoe recognized that there were other fields of endeavor where these skills would be of huge value, but where it is likely that budgets would not be available to invest in this type of education. Read More

TregoED Announces 2017 Board Members

TregoED, a leading expert in collaborative decision making and problem solving for school leaders, has announced changes for its board of directors.  Read More

Colorado District 11 recognized for "Strategic Leadership in Education"

Colorado Springs School District 11 is one of three school districts nationwide to receive the 2015 TregoED’s Benjamin B. Tregoe Award for Strategic Leadership in Education.

Tackling Student Achievement: Aligning Cause, Solutions, & Support

After multiple years of using several standard root cause analysis tools (5 Whys and Fishbone), District 11 decided
they were not getting deep enough in their analysis to address the true root cause for lack of student achievement growth. School improvement efforts abounded yet few had sustainable embedded changes that resulted in higher student performance. They resolved to try a different, more systematic approach to dig deep enough to determine true cause to guide school improvement efforts and use resources more effectively.

Collaborative Processes Help Cut through Complexity to Bring About Successful Change with Clarity and Confidence

Each of these school systems, with their wide range of programs, multiple campuses, complex legal requirements, multitude of sending districts and diverse student needs and abilities, required leadership at all levels that could quickly understand the issues and work with a wide variety of staff and community members to coordinate, collaborate, and problem solve. In addition, they wanted leaders prepared to create opportunities to move the district forward in its goals to provide innovative programs ensuring students have the skills needed to be college- and career-ready in the 21st Century.

Critical thinking Processes Help District Develop Complex Technology Initiative Plan for Digital Transformation

The Sewanhaka Central High School District was faced with the enviable challenge of using a one-time infusion of state funds to accelerate their district digital transformation in a manner that is equitable and sustainable across their five (7-12) high schools. Among the goals of their technology plan was to make students more competitive and college ready, have the support of the community and to ensure that the plan would be sustainable after funds were depleted. Along with meeting those requirements,the challenge necessitated developing a comprehensive
transformation plan including a shared vision for teaching and learning, selecting and purchasing devices, ensuring a supporting infrastructure, preparing for a smooth roll out, writing new policies to support the changes, building a professional development plan, and forming plans for assessment

Problem Solving Processes Help Large District Improve Communication, Transparency and Trust

In a district this size, it is very difficult to maintain clear communication, transparency, trust
and good outcomes without a common language and system-wide process for decision
making and problem solving. The district was experiencing disagreement, lack of buy-in,
unrest, and objectives moving in different directions particularly around the budget
process. Leaders were looking for a set of common tools that everyone could understand
and employ to help move the district forward.

High Stakes Position Filled

Newton-Conover City Schools in North Carolina faced the daunting task of hiring a replacement for a beloved administrator. Given the visibility of this position and the affection that the community had for the outgoing principal, district leadership knew it was very important to include stakeholders in the process. Leaders used TregoED’s Decision Analysis to provide a structured, visible, collaborative, interview process which increased buy-in, trust and confidence.

Budget Challenges

Leaders from the Sewanhaka Central High School District in Long Island, NY faced complex budget challenges made worse by aging buildings and new property tax caps. Using multiple TregoED tools, they were able to use innovative thinking and new solutions, while building trust and transparency, to find cost savings and pass a bond referendum.

Root Cause and Student Achievement

Just Released! Better Schools through Better Thinking

Common Issues with Unique Solutions

2016 Spring Newsletter

Many school districts deal with the same problems and decisions but solutions are often unique to their circumstances.  Read how school districts use a common process to find the solutions that are right for them!

Dealing with Budget, Hiring, and Achievement Gaps

2015 Fall Newsletter

Using process to deal with tough budget decisions, filling a key leadership position, and determine cause of achievement gaps made these districts stand out as Benjamin B. Tregoe Strategic Leaders in Education.

Cabarrus County Receives Award for Strategic Leadership

Cabarrus County Schools has been selected as a recipient of the 2016 Benjamin B. Tregoe Award for Strategic Leadership in Education, which is given to school districts that achieve enduring results using TregoED tools for collaborative problem solving and decision making.  Read More

Reshaping Community Engagement

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District faced severe budget cuts and a series of difficult decisions surrounding school closures, program consolidation, facility use and attendance rezoning. TregoED’s critical thinking strategies helped reshape community engagement to facilitate tough decision making in the district.

Lasting Solutions

Newsletter Spring 2015