Sustainable improvement happens when leaders design systems that make the right work easier to do. When school leaders think about improvement, they often focus on helping people implement new initiatives. They work to build buy-in. They provide training. They establish accountability. They monitor progress. Those things matter. But they often overlook a more fundamental question. Have we designed a system that actually makes success possible? Good leaders work hard to support implementation....

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”— Mahatma Gandhi When school leaders think about summer improvement, they often think about changing something around them: schedules, PLCs, intervention structures, professional learning plans, etc. And those things matter. In fact, in our next post we'll focus entirely on redesigning the systems and structures that support improvement. But before we can effectively change those systems, there is a more important question: What needs to...

“You cannot lead people well for long from a place of constant depletion.” Many leaders enter summer believing they need to “catch up.” The year moved fast. There are projects unfinished, systems to improve, schedules to redesign, communication to prepare, and goals for next year already forming. So even when summer begins, many leaders never fully slow down. They stay connected to email. They continue operating in urgency mode. They move immediately into preparation for August. The problem...