What's Your See-It Score?
We all need to get out more and see the work in action - and share what we learn
About 15 years ago, I was working with a school and the leader asked if I could go on some school visits. He wanted to know: How does our school compare to schools that have been identified as high-performing? What are they doing that we could be doing? What seems attainable that would make a difference? Where are we falling short?
While it is not possible to get answers to all of those questions through a few short school visits, between the two of us visiting schools together and separately, observing classrooms in action, meeting with other leaders and educators, asking lots of questions, and taking some good notes, we came up with some clear takeaways, a few concrete, actionable next steps, and a whole lot of inspiration.
Yet so often, policy makers, funders, school leaders, government officials, and others in the education ecosystem do not take the time to actually see the work in action. To ask educators what they see as the opportunities, bright spots, pain points. To see students in the classroom, to see learners in the program, to go to where the work is happening.
Are you seeing the work?
When is the last time that you stepped foot in a school building — one that was not the one that you work in, or the one your child or a child you care for attends?
Ask yourself right now: How many school visits, program visits, or site visits to see nonprofits or other partners in action have I been on over the past year?
In contrast, how many panels have I spoken on or attended, how many conference networking events have I stopped by for, how many flights have I taken to go to a few meetings in another city or town where I barely stepped outside the conference room hotel?
Subtract the number of school, program, or site visits from the number of panels and conferences. That’s your See-It Score.
What’s your name, what’s your number?
Is your See-It Score over 10? I imagine that may be a lot of readers of this blog — VIPs who do a great job connecting with others in this space, but see a lot of conference hotels and not too many learners who aren’t living with them.
Under 10? I’m with you. I have young kids — I’m on a break from cross-country work flights. I still need to do a better job getting out to schools and sites.
Under 5? Perhaps you’ve sworn off conferences, or actually do see a lot of the work in action.
Are you getting a negative number? I’m impressed. Give yourself a pat on the back.
Yes, yes. I can already hear the protests. But when we go, it’s a dog and pony show! We don’t see what’s real. We may be disruptive to the work. We may be extractive. We may over-weight or over-generalize what we see and fail to take into account context, or other factors. We might learn more from a well-designed panel than a random visit.
Plus, the See-It Score undoubtedly lacks validity. Possibly it should be proportionate, or adjusted in other ways. I bet many of my readers can make a much better See-It Score. It’s true, I’m not a psychometrician. But stick with me.
The point is: conference panels are numerous. Opportunities to see the work in action tend to be limited and pose challenges. And yet…
We can seek to mitigate any adverse impacts on schools, providers, and communities. We can continue to learn from panels and convenings and networking events. We can approach visits with respect, kindness, sharing highlights and spotlights if that is of interest to broaden understanding of school impact, even potentially provide compensation.
The benefits of staying grounded in what really happens in schools far outweigh any negatives. We may also be able to find new and different ways to do visits, including by taking on roles that are available to volunteers to really understand the work on the ground.
We need new experiences to change our minds and make changes.
Seeing the work prompts questions - and that can lead to change
Here are some ways that visiting schools in action have pushed my thinking:
A school known for being part of a network that is highly structured in its approach stood out for the joy and energy that you could feel in every classroom. What was the secret sauce? What was bringing that energy? What impact was it having on students?
A school that everyone was raving about “looked” amazing when we visited it. Their data a year or two later showed they weren’t getting the results. What was it that made that school appealing in person? What was making it fail to get the student outcomes we expected? What does that mean about what schools get attention and are they getting attention for the right reasons?
A student was missing from a tutoring session because of something that had happened in the home. That made me wonder what supports or interventions area available when students face extraordinary circumstances — which may be more common than we would like — and how we can routinize responses to difficult situations that impact how a student shows up for school, or if they attend at all. What staffing, wrap-around services, or other supports are needed?
A student was sitting in the hallway, waiting to speak with a dean. That made me consider how much instruction time students may miss due to disciplinary issues. How do we engage with students productively to address issues and allow their peers to learn without disruption, while ensuring that students can access appropriate instructional content and not fall behind? What systems may support or impede this effort?
Seeing the work is not important just for policy makers, funders, consultants, and others in the education ecosystem outside of schools and programs. It’s also important for teachers, school leaders, district and system leaders. It’s important for members of Congress, local Council members, Department of Education staffers, and possibly even an incoming Secretary of Education.
Are you sharing what you have learned?
The second half of this resolution challenge is to share what you learned. What did it prompt for you? Are you thinking of something differently based on what you saw? What questions do you have? How could you gather data or stories or other information to help address those questions, and then have that impact the way that you do your work day-to-day?
Has going on a school, program, or site visit influenced your thinking? Write me a quick note in response to this post on has influenced your thinking, and I might spotlight it on a future post.
On a similar topic, funders frequently conduct third-party evaluations. Many of those evaluations may be shared only internally. There are good reasons for that. But is there some distilled finding that you could share? A takeaway, a thought, a quote shared with permission? There is a wealth of knowledge being generated, but a lot of it is still behind closed doors and on individuals’ hard drives and internal slide presentations.
The same goes for those who are implementing the programs. Pilots abound. How can we share about them? Yes, we can share in panels and conferences — even if it will skew our See-It Score (and that’s all right!) We can also share post on LinkedIn or other social media, or on blogs, or in conversations with colleagues and in the sector. The same goes for district and system leaders, school leaders, and others in the field. We need to do more to make the work real for others.
Set a See-It goal for 2025
New Year’s Resolution time is coming up. Goals for organizations, including foundations, frequently run on annual cycles, sometimes coinciding with the calendar year.
The next month is a great time to set a goal for yourself. Go on X number of school or program visits in 2025. Share at least one takeaway, wondering, question, or finding from each of those visits with your team, a colleague inside or outside of your organization, or even on LinkedIn, a blog post, or Substack post. Push yourself.
And if you’re in a position to do so, challenge yourself to help others get access to seeing the work in action. A school leader once told me that the most impactful part of one grant was getting to go on site visits and see other schools and talk with other school leaders. How could you, in your role, help others to make the space to see the work in action?
I was reminded today at an event — events can still be helpful, even as we seek to do more! — “You need to see it to make it real.”
The See-It Score may lack rigor. It’s a thought exercise. But I promise that your thinking and your work will become more rigorous and stand up better to scrutiny with more See-It experiences in the new year.