SameGoal designs best-in-class, enterprise-quality solutions in education. We believe modern, open solutions which empower all stakeholders are most likely to produce positive educational outcomes for students. We believe improving education is a team effort.
SameGoal works to:
Innovate solutions that leapfrog current market approaches. We rethink classic problems, engineer modern solutions and raise technological expectations for what is possible in education.
Interoperate with other technology companies throughout the education space. We believe districts own their own data, and the most powerful district technology stack is one comprised of best-in-class solutions exchanging data through open standards and APIs.
Scope applications carefully to empower all stakeholders to do what they do best. We work to provide a scalable, robust platform with core functionality; enable simple customization by end users at the state, regional and district levels; and provide developer tools to easily extend.
Engage with local partners and other education companies to ensure our applications continuously evolve to address on-the-ground needs and build maximum customer value.
Our team values:
Ownership. You become the expert in everything you do. You break down problems into bite-size chunks, seek relevant information, form defensible opinions and take action. You hold yourself responsible, and seek accountability. You're always striving to do your best work.
Root Cause. You work to uncover root causes underlying customer needs. You seek to address those with permanent solutions over applying periodic band-aids to symptoms.
Innovate and Simplify. You embrace the often ambiguous process of pulling together customer feedback, feature requests and upcoming changes in the education landscape to surface common themes. You boil down hairy problems into small steps that produce simple, general functionality.
Bias Toward Action. Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. You take calculated risks.
Are Right, A Lot. You have strong judgment and good instincts, informed by constant learning. Others value your opinions, as they may be trusted as well-informed. You seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm your beliefs.
Earn Trust. You understand trust and expanded roles are earned with demonstrable results. You listen attentively, speak candidly, treat others respectfully, and work to ensure everyone's voice is heard. You are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is hard or embarrassing.
Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit. Decisions are usually best made by single owners who actively solicit input from diverse sources for consideration. Whether your role at any time is decision-maker or input-provider, you respectfully challenge others when you disagree. You do so even when it is uncomfortable or exhausting, and believe the best outcomes will be produced from candid, constructive communication. Once a decision is determined, you commit wholly.
Customer Orientation. Customer Orientation. You're here to deliver the best outcomes for customers, and ultimately schoolchildren. You start with the customer and work backwards. You work to build customer value. You pay attention to competitors, but obsess over customers.
Deliver Results. You focus on key inputs and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, you rise to the occasion and never settle. You focus on key deliverables, completed tasks and shipped code.
Frugality. Many of our customers operate on tight budgets, and to serve them best we must as well. Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency and invention. You understand there are no extra points for growing headcount or expense.
Diversity and Inclusion. We believe the best products are borne out of a variety of perspectives, and the best teams are made of individuals who have much to share and learn from one another. You seek to work with a wide range of individuals representing other races, religions, sexual orientations, ages and backgrounds.
Work-Life Balance. While you find work important and meaningful, you know there's more to life. You find the work-life balance that works for you, and respect the same of others. You value productivity over hours logged. A happy and healthy team produces optimal company outcomes.
Live In the Future. Be bold - create solutions that don't yet exist. What education looks like in 5, 10 or 50 years is shaped by what we do today. Every day matters. Margaret Mead said it best: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."