About OWL

Owner: Director of Organizational Strategy & Learning (DOSL) – with input from all Directors Audience: All OWL staff, partners, and stakeholders

Purpose

This is the foundational section of the OWL GitBook platform, with core documentation describing why we exist as an educaiton nonprofit, what we do that sets us apart in the education space, and how we do our work with schools, districts, and other partners to advance our mission. Whether you're a new team member, a school partner or stakeholder, or simply a potential collaborator exploring the work we do, these pages provide insight into the core values and principles that shape our mission-driven culture.

As with each document on this platform, everything in this section is part of a living system of documents, reflecting OWL's commitment to transparency, co-design, and continuous improvement.

What you'll find in this section

• Our Purpose (The Why): Where you can explore OWL's mission, vision, and values. This section also includes our origin story and the experiences that shaped our open-source approach to school transformation.

• Our Culture (The What): This section describes what sets us apart, including our approach to collective leadership, open collaboration, and cultural commitments that define what we strive for as we do our work - internally and with partners. It also includes everyday ways we model the OWL ethos as a values-driven organization.

• Our Approach (The How): Learn how we work with schools, districts, partners, and education networks to create the conditions to affect and sustain systems-level change. This includes an overview of our services, project workflow, facilitation practices, and our commitment to smart growth over fast growth.

How to use this section

Together, this foundational section offers a transparent, practical, and high-level look at who we are as an organization.