This stand-alone introduction to inquiry  for the very beginner was distributed to all participants in Boston’s new fifteen-school inquiry initiative (the design and curriculum of which is adapted in SAM-Boston).  It combines both pep and process by including a message from the superintendent and evidence of success from SAM-Boston schools while distilling the unique characteristics and main stages of inquiry into four short pages.  There is also an appendix of inquiry cycle maps.  Those are described in more details here.

After the messages of urgency and hope, the guide introduces a simple graphical representation of inquiry cycles that can be used to explain inquiry at any level on any topic.  Next, team members are shown how inquiry is meant to penetrate every level of the school within existing structure, adding purpose and power to familiar practices.  (It references certain practices and structures that may be Boston-specific, but the idea of using inquiry to guide the work of existing teams is applicable across districts.)  Finally, the document lays out four essences of inquiry that make it different and powerful: use of data to justify every step, an aggregation of small changes for big results, utilization of knowledge that already exists within schools, and collective, collaborative action.

Those who are new to inquiry can get a concise introduction to inquiry, while those who wish to introduce inquiry to their schools or districts can easily adapt this guide to their context.