INNOVATION PLAN UPATE

Identify and reflect on all the components and work you have done so far on your innovation project. Identify where are you in your innovation project? What if anything do you have to complete? By when?​

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Since the creation of my innovation plan, I have been making steps toward its district-wide implementation. Following the implementation outline that I developed in EDLD 5305, I have been taking the steps to move into the second phase of my outline. Beginning with the initiative goals, I have mapped out exactly what I would like this wellness initiative to achieve. To make a long goal short, Community Focus Wellness initiative’s purpose is to provide health and wellness resources to the community. At times, people don’t get the preventative care that they need because they don’t know where to find the resources and this wellness initiative serves as a place to make it accessible to students, faculty and staff. Along with that, it serves as a place where anyone can learn more about their health and wellness. 

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Next, I spent time setting the initiative user expectations. Because a part of the initiative involves support groups and collaboration between users when it comes to physical health (exercising, dieting, etc.) one of the big expectations or norms put in place will be that all users will have to sign a waiver declaring all collaborations a no judgment zone. Supporting each other is crucial to some people’s success in making a healthy lifestyle change. No bullying or negativity is ever allowed. Along with that, another expectation is that users and health professionals should be respectful of each other’s time. Webinars, support groups, and appointments should start on time and end on time.

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I have determined the key stakeholders for this wellness initiative. To cover an initiative like this, a lot of people have to be on board to make it successful. Stakeholders that would be beneficial would be the school board, executive leadership team, the comprehensive health/behavioral health and wellness team(health specialists, health and wellness directors, nursing coordinator, mental health specialists, and the school health advisory council), the technology department, and communications department. Having all of these stakeholders as a part of the implementation process will make the implementation of this initiative run smoothly. 

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Right now, I am in the process of developing a plan to introduce this initiative to district stakeholders. Along with that, I am in the process of making a presentation to introduce this initiative to the stakeholders. Understanding that this initiative is a huge undertaking and that there is little room for error, I am taking my time and doing the research needed to ensure that everything is in line for a successful introduction to my school district. There are a lot more steps to complete before we can introduce this health and wellness initiative to the focus groups and then the community. Not being too ambitious, I would say that a project like this could take up to a year to get off the ground because of all of the moving pieces and the processes set in place to bring initiatives to the board for approval. I coordinate our school district’s school health advisory council and this is the council that makes recommendations to the school board surrounding health and wellness. This group is very respected when it comes to health and wellness resource adoptions. Because of this, I am hoping that the adoption of this initiative will be smoother.

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The following steps still need to happen to make this initiative a success: 

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March

• Meet with district stakeholders (School Health Advisory Council Executive team included) to introduce and discuss the wellness initiative, get feedback, and identify initial barriers. SHAC is made up of parents, educators, doctors, health specialists and community members. 

• Begin to meet district specialists (mental health counselors, counselors, and health & PE) to create and give feedback on assessments needed for the program. Plan next steps with specialists on ways to revise the assessments and methods of moving forward with module content research. We will meet once a week.

April

• Meet with representatives from the technology and communications departments to determine the best platform to host the wellness initiative. Together we will start building the base for the online blended wellness initiative (no content will be added).

•  Determine software to use to create modules.

• The School Health Advisory Council reviews the assessments and the progress on the modules, to make sure it is ready to go online.

May 

• Hold a meeting with the health specialists, communications, and technology to discuss adding content and assessments to the online initiative.

• Research begins on possible wellness apps that could enhance each part of the initiative (physical, mental, social).

• Focus group is put together to test wellness apps for their feedback.

• Hold a meeting to review the prototype before presenting the progress to district stakeholders.

June

• Hold a meeting with district admin, stakeholders, health specialists, a representative from the school health advisory council, and an area doctor to reveal the prototype of the online blended wellness initiative. Get feedback, identify possible issues, and next steps. 

• Meet with health specialists weekly to revise the site using feedback gathered at the admin meeting. 

July

• Meet with a focus group from the School Health Advisory Council to preview the revised wellness initiative and get suggestions before final presentation to district admin and stakeholders. 

• Continue to work on the online initiative with the help of the health specialists, technology and communications departments, and SHAC representatives.

• Hold the last meeting for district admin, stakeholders, and representatives before the launch of the wellness initiative. Continue to get feedback and plan next steps to move the initiative forward.

• Begin to prepare documents for the school board presentation  based on feedback and progress of the initiative.

August

• Introduce the online blended wellness initiative to a small focus group of health teachers during summer professional development. Get feedback on every aspect of the online initiative. Continue to build the site and make it more user friendly.

• Bring revised wellness initiative, along with necessary school board documents,  to be presented during a school board meeting with the School Health Advisory Council’s recommendation. Get a launch date for the community.

September

• Introduce the online blended wellness initiative during campus open house nights during September and October after making the site accessible. 

October

• Introduce and set dates online support groups and health webinars

• Introduce microsoft form for community feedback

• Continue to find resources to enhance the initiative (ongoing)

November

• Meet with the School Health Advisory Council and district admin to measure the effectiveness of the initiative.

• Make necessary adjustments to create a bigger impact

• Continue to check in with health specialist, technology and communications departments, and the School Health Advisory Council to continue to update and enhance the initiative (ongoing)

December

• Hold a meeting with the health specialists to discuss next steps for expanding the site to reach more people in the community.

• Discuss plans of community outreach to gain more stakeholders and resources in the health fiend.

January - May

• Reach out to as many health professionals in the Houston area to get them to review the site and discuss partnering to be added to the list of resources.

• Continue to meet with district health specialists, the technology department, and communications to continue to grow and revise the online initiative.

June

• Hold a meeting with the school health advisory council to review the site again and get feedback and collaborate on different parts of the site. These meetings will happen every other month, as this site will be supported by and reported on in School Health Advisory meetings for the district.

August

• Prepare for the online blended wellness initiative presentation at the first School Health Advisory Council meeting of the year to discuss ways to measure the initiative's effectiveness, the number of users, and get feedback from the group.

• Continue to grow the initiative. Look for more useful apps, videos, and supplemental aids to enhance the site.

September -December

• Continue to work with the different focus groups and health specialists on ways to make the initiative better. Continue to update the website, promote support groups and create more webinars. Update the list of resources whenever there are more to be added.

At this time, I definitely have a lot to do to make this initiative a reality, but I am determined to make this happen and make it beneficial to the families in this district. In a perfect world, I would like to have the initiative ready for December 2023 so it can be introduced early in 2024.

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Analyze, assess and reflect on the learning process you have undergone by working on your innovation project?

I have undergone a huge learning process by working on my innovation project. The biggest thing that I have learned is that it takes a lot to introduce new programs in the district and lead organizational change. There are a lot of things that I have to complete before getting approval to move forward with the implementation of this program. There were also many procedures for the district that I had to learn as well. My innovation plan will affect the whole district and a lot goes into making that happen, not just by me, but by every stakeholder. Innovations of this size take time to prepare. With that being said, another thing that this process has taught me is patience and how to not look at certain revisions to my plan as a failure. I'm sure this initiative will be revised a lot more before students, faculty, and staff see it. Because there are a lot of stakeholders for this initiative and a lot of those people are specialists at what they do, I’ve learned to look at it as a team effort and not just my innovation. Looking at the process in this way helps me not to feel offended when there is a change that needs to be made that I may feel passionate about.

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What worked? What could you do better? What lessons have you learned?

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During this process, I have experienced a lot of ups and downs. The thing that has worked that I am proud of is that the idea of the health and wellness initiative has gotten a lot of good feedback. Generally, the people that I work with think that it is an amazing idea and would help a lot of people to be able to locate health and wellness resources for their family and loved ones. Because of the positive feedback, I continue to push forward with my implementation plan.  I really want people to take an interest in their health and wellness because of the huge benefits. When I think about what I could do better, I know I definitely could do a little better with time management and completing tasks to move this initiative forward. I’ve been very busy with work and school. I also could do a better job looking into new health and wellness apps that could be beneficial for the initiative. I could do a better job of getting buy-in for the idea for this initiative, so I’m working on being more vocal and not being shy when it comes to speaking to people about my ideas.

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How do you plan to promote and communicate your innovation project?

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Once my innovation is ready to be promoted, the promotions will come through the technology department, which is why they are a key stakeholder. Because there are strict rules about sending out communications, I will work with that department to come up with a logo, send out communications through emails and peachjar, and to hopefully make a short commercial and/or advertisement. 

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Knowing what you know now what key things (if any) would you do differently? Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t do anything differently.

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This process has been the biggest learning experience that I could have. As a district administrator,I want to do things that will make my school district better and change the lives of those in the district. Learning about the process of adopting this innovation, getting to know the stakeholders, and learning how to put my ideas out there are necessary as I continue to grow as a leader. 

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How would you apply what you have learned to your next innovation project?

    My next innovation project will probably be something much smaller, but I will apply what I learned about getting organized by having an innovation proposal, implementation outline and do a literature review so that I will have the evidence backing whatever innovation I decide to take on next. One thing thatI learned during this program that I will apply to everything that I do is to start with my why. I will also make sure that I approach every innovation with a growth mindset so I won't sell myself short as I continue to experiment with disruptive innovations.