How do I know if a school improvement initiative is actually working?
Look at practice, not just compliance. The most common mistake is declaring success because teachers are using the new approach — without examining whether they're using it well. A teacher can implement formative assessment at a surface level (give a quiz, record the scores) without actually using the results to adjust instruction. That's compliance, not fidelity.
The tools for seeing the difference are instructional frameworks that describe what implementation looks like at different levels of development — from surface adoption to genuine fluency. With that specificity, you can assess where your staff actually is, collectively and individually, rather than relying on whether boxes are checked.
The other signal is what happens when leadership attention moves elsewhere. If the practice disappears as soon as you stop actively promoting it, it was never truly adopted. Real change survives the leader's shift in focus.
More on School Improvement and Change Leadership
Why do most school improvement initiatives fail to change classroom practice?
Because they rely on what I call "bulk change" — announcing a new initiative and expecting everyone to adopt it at once.
What is "Lean Change" and how does it work in schools?
Lean change means implementing a new initiative in deliberate waves rather than all at once.
How do I prevent "initiative fatigue" in my school?
By doing fewer things better.
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Answered by Justin Baeder, PhD, Director of The Principal Center and author of three books on instructional leadership.