Reflect, Remix, Relaunch: How a Program Review Helps Leaders with Future Planning

In 2025, educational organizations are rethinking their programming to address equity and adapt to change. ​ Leaders are asking critical questions: How do we communicate our vision? ​ Are we meeting the equity needs of our communities? ​ How can we use technology to scale our programs? ​ Do we have processes for innovation? ​

At Convergence Design Lab, we use a research-based process that involves deep discovery, data gathering and thematic analysis,  to gain insights and drive innovation. We guide team members in a participatory process of self-study, from  internal reflection to program remix to relaunch, using the following guiding questions:

Discovery: How does the program communicate its purpose and impact? ​ Are stakeholders clear on the program’s goals? ​ How does the vision align with the organizational mission? ​

Insights: What is happening when the program operates optimally and is successful? ​ How do we measure success, and what components lead to it? ​

Design: How does the program support routine reflection on data to inform innovative design? ​ What systems might best empower participants as creative agents of change? ​

A program review can be simple and impactful, taking place over weeks or months, involving few or many participants, and using new or existing data. ​ The process can lead to immediate benefits, such as creating documentation tools, expanding services, integrating enhanced online learning tools, launching communities of practice, and designing interactive resources. ​ Our program reviews have:

• Helped Urban Alliance strengthen the connection between the various elements of their internship support programming for greater impact on young people.
• Enabled the team in charge of professional learning at the Museum of Science and Industry to optimize their offerings for science educators.
• Helped Homewood Science Center articulate the impact of their challenge-based programming on student learning in order to unlock new opportunities for support.

For educational program leaders, a program review is an inclusive and participatory way to achieve greater cohesion, new learning models, and continuous improvement. ​ Using Convergence Design Lab’s program review model, leaders can reflect, remix, and relaunch their programs for a more equitable and innovative future.