So as you sit in a meeting, you start to hear rumblings of a new initiative that your district will be rolling out. This could be anything from a new policy, a new vendor coming in, or maybe a new curriculum that is being purchased. We all have the same gut reaction, “Grreeeaat…another thing to do.” As teachers, we are constantly being told we have to do “one more thing” and a lot of times we don’t get much say in the decision.
Working with districts and providing professional development for teachers, we’ve learned and identified 5 things that can cause any initiative to fail. Teachers can feel like there is a revolving door of new ideas rolling through year-to-year and that can hurt the success of even the best instructional changes.
Here are 5 mistakes districts can avoid when rolling out any new idea, or initiative.
Mistake 1: They Don’t Talk to Teachers:
This is one of the largest mistakes that can derail any initiative before it starts. By leaving teachers out of the conversation, you have significantly reduced the chances that they will buy-in and implement any adjustments to instruction effectively. By reducing ownership your teachers have, you are also reducing their commitment to any changes you want them to make. Make sure you involve them in the process, hear their needs, and find out what problems you can help them solve in their classrooms.
Teachers are the best measure of how things are going “in the trenches” and the needs of your students. Make sure you discuss any changes with your staff and that those changes are going to impact them and provide value for their day-to-day instruction.
When we work with a district we ensure that we start with a introduction presentation to a large number of staff members. This allows them to ask questions and provide feedback, and it allows us to gauge interest and buy-in before implementation starts.
Mistake 2: They Don’t Commit:
Changing instruction takes time…a lot of time, especially at a district level. Some districts will continually change initiatives without letting their staff adjust or properly implement before moving to the next thing. This can create a severe amount of dis-trust within the staff and hurt any future ideas (even great ones) from catching on. When teachers put time and energy into changing their instruction, reward that with the continuation and long term use of those changes.
Instructional changes take a lot of time to show success. “Jumping ship” will never increase success and all you have done at that point is wasted a lot of time and resources. When working with districts we assume a 3-4 year commitment. This allows administrators to let their staff know they will have time to work out the kinks, they will still be doing this next year, and support the growth of the initiative organically. This also avoids staff “faking” implementation and trying to just “wait it out.” When your staff knows an initiative isn’t going away, it creates more buy-in and greater success.
Mistake 3: They Rush Into It
A lot of districts want everyone to do something the moment they’ve made a shift, but there is an inherent issue with this idea: Everyone may not be ready yet.
This can cause a lot of frustration, and when you push any initiative on an entire staff at once it is a recipe for disaster. It is always better to start small and allow a small group of staff to voluntarily buy-in and commit to a new idea. This will not only make them more successful, but it will provide exemplary models as you scale up to the rest of the staff.
This “slow diffusion” model is something we have used very successfully with districts. We implement a 3-4 year process where a pilot group is created in year 1, scale up is achieved by using the pilot members as ambassadors in year 2, and we certify in-district trainers from the original group in year 3. This not only increases ownership, but allows the initiative to be tailored to the needs of the district and increases teacher buy-in, allowing for much higher success.
Mistake 4: They Focus on Training More Than Support
We’ve all seen this happen before. Teachers go to a 2 day workshop at the beginning of a year and then are expected to take the information gathered and magically change everything you do in your classroom. The problem becomes the fact that your staff can’t remember the trainers name, don’t have any contact information, and when things go wrong, they have nowhere to turn and revert back to what is most comfortable.
When a district is looking at a new initiative, they should ensure that the vendor not only provides follow up and support, but that they will be available to help teachers as they work through the process. When we work with districts, our largest focus is on individual support because we know that when teachers feel supported and have someone to reach out to for help, they are more likely to work through issues they have as opposed to abandoning an idea.
Mistake 5: They Choose the Wrong Vendor
So many initiatives are dead before they start because the vendor that was chosen simply wasn’t a good fit. Either the support wasn’t there, the training model was “cookie cutter” and not suited to the district’s needs, or maybe the service just isn’t up to par.
When meeting with any vendor, make sure that you are comfortable with them. The relationship they will build with the district, and more importantly with your staff, is a huge factor in how successful the initiative will be. Remember you are hiring a vendor to work WITH your teachers not just share information. We have always prided ourselves on the relationships we build with teachers we work with. It is the foundation for all of our success and the bedrock of any initiative’s success.
Whether it’s a new curriculum, or a fundamental change to the way students learn in a district, try to avoid these pitfalls. By ensuring that you properly vet any new ideas before rolling them out to your staff you can avoid wasting time, effort, and of course financial resources. Next time you are considering using valuable funding for a new initiative make sure you aren’t making any of these mistakes.
