Futures Thinking

"If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one." ~ John Galsworthy

“The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create." ~ Leonard I. Sweet

I have always had a tendency to be future-oriented. I think much more about the future than I remember the past. As a head of school, there are clear benefits. Humorously, there are also some drawbacks. For example, I rely on my wife to remind me of past events. Who was that we went to dinner with? Where did we go? What did I eat? Did we have fun?

With the school on the cusp of another strategic planning and accreditation cycle, I attended several sessions at a recent conference emphasizing “futures thinking.” Although a future-oriented thinker, I’m not a futurist. So, there’s a lot to learn. The basic idea is to establish a process and hopefully, a mindset that has Currey Ingram, at an organizational level, contemplating, dialoguing, and running scenarios about possible futures. Not so much predicting, but at least thinking about possible futures. And, not so much 1-3 year futures, but 5-10 year futures.?

I’m not fully bought in just yet, because a quick and convincing argument can be made that ten years is a long time, and so much can happen to alter even the most thoughtful present-day analyses. But futures thinking is standard practice at any number of forward-thinking institutions, and in my reading so far, the value seems to lie in the process and not so much in the requirement to be 100 percent accurate.

Thinking about 10 years from now should not be to the exclusion of planning for all the time between now and 10 years from now. So as we embark on this journey, we are guided by a vision to be a sustainable and accessible global leader in learning difference education.

From this vision comes a more comprehensive strategic process. For example, knowing your vision leads to futures thinking, which opens the door for strategic planning and accreditation processes.

For this message, it might be interesting to provide a brief account of what we thought our future would be ten years ago, when I started my tenure at Currey Ingram, and compare that to what has transpired.?

• We hoped to increase enrollment above the previous years’ average of about 300 students to a much larger number. We have done so thanks to the passion and commitment of many trustees, faculty, staff, parents, donors, and the implementation of numerous initiatives.?
• We believed that one way to do so would be through the possibility of a Residential Life program. We have created that program, and it is growing.
• Although we were having conversations, we had no set plans for developing and implementing Social Emotional Learning programs and initiatives (like RULER) to the extent that we have ten years later. We have much more systematic SEL programs than most of us thought.
• One thing we were not considering but has come to fruition is Currey Ingram providing a virtual learning experience. I distinctly remember two or three serious conversations about whether we could deliver our mission in a virtual setting, and we always came away saying no. But the all-encompassing urgency of the pandemic changed our opinion and practice, and we now provide an outstanding virtual learning option through our CORE Program.
• Also not on our radar 10 years ago was establishing an on-mission pre-k program. But current research and best practice definitely support the development of such a program.

As I think about the next 10 years, what are some possible futures at Currey Ingram?

• It’s almost inevitable that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a significant part of the educational landscape, including ours. At this point, I do not see how Chatbots like ChatGPT will not revolutionize education.??
• The Ingenuity Design Exploration & Application (IDEA) Center and program we are considering building could be the most important future-ready response we can make as a school. In short, we are planning 21st-century art and technology spaces and programs to enhance and add to our current offerings.? These include coding, maker spaces, videography, performing arts, musical arts, and photography in an inquiry-based and collaborative learning environment specially designed for students with learning differences.
• I predict that there will be an increased connection between research and practice in schools like Currey Ingram, and perhaps even the integration of medical-based interventions and practices into schools.
• Our future could see us form collaborations with sister LD schools regionally, nationally, or globally.
• Our future may see us develop a college program for students with learning differences.?

Our future will be interesting. Schools are notoriously resistant to change, and whether we see fundamental changes to practice, especially considering our success, is no sure bet. I do know that tomorrow will be a beautiful day at Currey Ingram. I am also sure that we will transform the lives of students and families this year and into the future. The distant future is always harder to predict, but I know that Currey Ingram must be there. I also know we will be better prepared for the future when we are armed and aware. As noted above, “The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create."?