This series of papers offers basic overviews of the key components of our Aspirations Framework.
The Aspirations Framework outlines a way to recognize and develop aspirations, while trusting in the professional judgment of educators and insights of students to decide what concrete actions are best for their school. This paper outlines the research-based set of principles and conditions that define this framework, yet does not provide a prescription for implementation.
We define Aspirations as the ability to dream and set goals for the future while being inspired in the present to reach those dreams - both dreaming and doing. These two aspects (dreaming and doing) provide us with a visual quadrant, the Aspirations Profile, presented in this paper.
This paper outlines the 3 Guiding Principles, which provide educators with a practical model that can be used to guide the development of educational experiences, from the individual classroom to the entire school building. If school curriculum, activities, and lessons support each of the Guiding Principles, students will be more likely to achieve academic, personal, and social success.
The 8 Conditions That Make a Difference help all members of the school community operationalize and live out the 3 Guiding Principles. Based on more than two decades of research, the 8 Conditions are outlined in this paper.