Unfolding as we go along – what a great way to describe a PhD experience, and my involvement in the Global Open Graduate Network (GO-GN). I admit to being fascinated by magical, mathematical, moving constructions. I am mesmerized by seemingly … Continue reading →

What is a Two-Speed School?

One of the challenges I’ve observed in many schools is the lack of a comprehensive strategy for change. There’s often a strong desire to evolve pedagogy and curriculum, but the approaches typically taken — top-down or managerial — can leave people feeling more confused than confident about new initiatives. Furthermore, many innovations often hit a cultural wall or resistance, and while the idea may be sound and valid, the culture has not evolved to meet it.

“How might we create a school that institutionalizes change as part of its culture?”

This raises the question: how can an organization institutionalize change as part of its culture? My belief is that this shouldn’t be something imposed from above or brought in by a consultant. Instead, it should emerge from within, understood and supported by the community, and implemented with broad support.

I gained some experience with this concept when I worked at Green School. I ran a program called Leap Academy, which operated as a kind of school within a school. Leap Academy focused deeply on project-based learning. Its name stood for Learning through Experiential and Authentic Processes.

The Leap Academy Model

At Leap Academy, we recognized one of the biggest barriers to mainstream adoption of project-based learning (PBL) was time. With the support of leadership, we created a program that operated semi-independently. While we synced on things like lunchtime and some class times, we were exempt from other aspects, such as standard reporting structures and assessment frameworks.

We started with a small cohort of 15 students and grew incrementally, bringing in between 3 and 15 new students every six-weeks (Green School operated with 6 terms of 6 weeks at this time). This structure allowed us to explore interdisciplinary studies and pursue impactful projects with learners, while not straying completely from the mainstream school.

One example project was the creation of a playground. Students identified the need through discussions with younger kids and their teachers, then took charge of design, material sourcing, financing, and construction. Over six weeks, a group of high school students created a fully functional playground. Many of our projects had similar veins: they sought out local impact and worked within defined time limits to create something collectively that was bigger than most class times could ever allow.

Leap Academy also became a space for professional learning. Teachers curious about PBL joined part-time to co-facilitate, gaining hands-on experience. This allowed us to integrate professional development with active experimentation. The teachers who joined generally were curious about how PBL might look given more time and space, but weren’t fully equipped to do so on their own. By the end of their time with the students, they had a clear understanding of the power of a concentrated time coupled with sound design process.

Leap showed me that it’s possible to create a change agent within a school without disrupting its broader structures. However, what we didn’t fully recognize at the time was Leap’s potential to drive long-term, institutional change. While the program became part of the school’s identity and marketing, it didn’t achieve full institutionalization as a change agent. It was missing a key strategic step in coupling experiments in learning to real changes that could be implemented across a school.

Fast forward to today, I believe the lessons from Leap could be expanded into a more formalized framework: a Two-Speed School.

What is a Two-Speed Organization?

The term comes from the tech industry, where some organizations strategically decide to operate with two speeds:

1. A stable core focused on tried-and-tested products.
2. An agile, semi-autonomous division designed to experiment and push boundaries.

This model allows innovation to thrive without disrupting the core business. In education, a Two-Speed School could operate similarly, offering a space for experimentation while maintaining the established systems that parents, students, and accrediting bodies rely on.

What Would a Two-Speed School Look Like?

Most schools today operate at a single speed, characterized by unified pedagogy, standardized assessment, and limited pathways. However, schools already have the resources — students, teachers, spaces, and tools — to create a second, more agile speed. What they often lack is the organizational structure to establish a semi-autonomous unit.

In a Two-Speed School, this second speed would have:

• Autonomy to experiment with new pedagogies, tools, and approaches.
• Professional Learning Opportunities for teachers to learn and implement innovative methods.
• Feedback Loops to ensure discoveries are integrated into the broader school system when appropriate.
• Clear Processes that allow for repeated and diverse design questions to be explored and addressed.

This dynamic allows schools to evolve thoughtfully. By piloting new ideas in a smaller context, schools can gauge community interest and refine approaches before broader implementation. In so many instances great ideas for a school’s evolution are limited by the lack of understanding within a stakeholder group, be it the leadership, the teachers, or the parents (I left kids out of the mix because by and large they are willing and excited to explore alternatives… and in many schools their agency is not completely genuine).

Why Now?

Every school leader I’ve met whether from traditional or progressive schools recognizes that education needs to change. Yet, the conversation often turns to barriers: lack of time, resources, or a clear strategy. A Two-Speed School addresses these barriers by creating a dedicated space for experimentation, supported by but separate from the school’s core.

The concept of a Two-Speed School is an invitation to rethink how we approach change in education. It’s a model that supports evolution while respecting the structures schools have worked hard to build. I would love to hear how such a model is already being applied or could be applied to your school!

Harish, who was previously a Management Supervisor at Ogilvy, brings over 12 years of extensive experience in advertising, brand marketing and integrated campaigns to the team.

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