TAKE OUT SOME EDUCATIONAL PLANNING INSURANCE BY USING THE PLANNING HIERARCHY - WHERE YOU START IS IMPORTANT

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw

The paper argues that educational planning should define a desired future for children and enable educators to deliver on that promise through measurable, valid objectives rather than relying on luck. It highlights a common misstep: improving isolated operational components instead of addressing underlying causes such as faulty objectives or misaligned curriculum. The work proposes a planning hierarchy aligning an agency’s use, actions, outputs, and delivery to add measurable value for learners, educators, administrators, families, and communities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

What Is the Planning Hierarchy? Why Will It Help You?

Mega level

Macro level

Micro level

Process level

Inputs level

Taking Out Insurance on What You Do and Deliver

TAKE OUT SOME EDUCATIONAL PLANNING INSURANCE BY USING THE PLANNING HIERARCHY: WHERE YOU START IS IMPORTANT ROGER KAUFMAN Florida State University ABSTRACT As a vital part of the educational enterprise, plans must be made to define the future we want to create for tomorrow’s child and to enable educators to deliver on the promise. Planning is just a substitute for goodluck. Notrelying on luck, educators must identify valid and valuable measurable objectives for education and then enable educators to have the professional competencies, the physical and financial resources to do their jobs, and the supportive environment to operate. Where to start the planning is a challenge. Due to immediacy, we often start our professional work at improving parts of the educational enterprise, such as individual performance, leadership for administrators, or assessment, or curriculum development, improve learning, delivery, testing and assessment. These are the important parts of the total educational enterprise but not the entire system and its supporting parts. This article suggests a hierarchy of planning that maybe used to assure that there is alignment with what an agency uses, does, produces and delivers with adding measurable value to our shared society. INTRODUCTION Educatorsand education help build the future of the world. They do so by providing the opportunities for future citizens to add value to themselves, their families and our shared world. Educationis the vehicle for a former partnership of educational professionals, learners, parents, and community members to develop the skills, knowledges, and abilities for graduate and completers to make contributions. Society invests in education and educators to create this future. As a vital part of the educational enterprise, plans must be made to define the future we want to create and to enable educators to deliver on the promise. Planning is just a substitute for goodluck. Notrelying on luck, educators must identify the measurable objectives for education and then enable educators to have the professional competencies, the physical and financial resources to do their jobs, and the supportive environment to operate. Where to start the planning is a challenge. Due to immediacy, we often start our professional work at improving parts of the educational enterprise, such as individual performance, leadership for administrators, or assessment, or curriculum development, improve learning, delivery, testing and assessment. These are the important parts of the total educational enterprise. That works, but only some of the time. Other times, while the symptom for problems is at the operational level, often the problem is somewhere else, such as a faulty objectives or inappropriate curriculum, or offering some deliverable that is not what the learners really require to be a contributing member of society. We can start with what weareto accomplish and not settle for the low-hanging fruit to deliver useful education. We best look at the overall purpose of our educational organizations and enter where we have the highest probability—not quick fixes-- of designing and delivering effective results. Knowing and using the planning hierarchy may help you assure what you do and deliver is worthy by starting atthe ‘right’ place. WHAT IS THE PLANNING HIERARCHY? WHY WILL IT HELP YOU? When we go to work, we enter a complex organization that has five organizational levels of linked purposes: Educational Planning 7 Vol. 26, No. 2 1. Organization’s contribution to external clients and society is the Mega level (Kaufman, 1995; Kaufman, 2011; Kaufman, Guerra, & Platt, 2006) . Every educational organization either adds value to society or subtracts value to society. Survival, self-sufficiency, and quality of life for our graduates and completers and their neighbors are what education should target. Think about massive programs that have failed to fully deliver this. 2. Educational organ

FAQs

Why does the paper emphasize planning over relying on luck?

It states that educators must identify measurable, valid, valuable objectives and then ensure professional competencies and the necessary physical and financial resources to operate effectively.

What problem does the paper identify with where educators often start planning?

It argues that educators frequently begin by improving parts of the system at the operational level, which can leave the real causes—such as faulty objectives or inappropriate curriculum—unchanged.

How does the planning hierarchy help organizations add value?

By aligning what an agency uses, does, produces, and delivers across the hierarchy, the organization can add measurable value to all stakeholders rather than focusing on only one level.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dabgoudw