Craft a Problem Statement

Well-specified problem statements describe an undesirable gap between the current-state level of performance and the desired future-state level. They include include measures of the gap but do not include possible solutions.  

A productive example of a well-specified statement:

In the most recent three years, 30% of Latinx students in [Name School] did not graduate high school on time (up from 15% in the prior three year period), significantly limiting students’ college and career options.

A poor example:

High school graduation is too low.

Once they've developed a firm understanding of their problem, these tools can help teams to generate their own well-specified problem statement.