Effectively Leading Your School Through Change

Change has become part of the fabric of schools: Regional curriculum standards and requirements change, technology advances, and new research emerges about best instructional practices. While change can lead to progress, it is often uncomfortable and, frankly, scary. That’s why it is so important for school leaders to address change with intention. When leaders meet change with thoughtful planning, it can alleviate feelings of apprehension, uncertainty, and resistance from school community members.

As a school leader, I’ve found that two key strategies for addressing change effectively are communication and building staff capacity. Through communication and capacity-building, I’ve been able to work with various teams to navigate the shifting educational landscape we’re part of to best serve our students.

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

When communication is infrequent, inconsistent, or incomplete, people can feel frustrated and uncertain. The following three strategies have helped me ensure effective communication with my teams that helps everyone feel more aligned and supported.  

1. Have a consistent communication style. At the start of the school year, I take stock of how I can most effectively communicate with teachers—what platforms are available for communication, do teachers prefer in-person meetings or virtual ones, is email or another online tool the best way to get information out quickly?

When there is a new project to launch with my team, I always start our in-person meetings the same way: I frame the project around the context, purpose, and outcome to acknowledge the current state of things, why the change is important, and how it will benefit students. This clear and consistent structure helps the team have a clear vision for the work.

For example, a few years ago, my school needed to revise our English language arts (ELA) curriculum to meet updated state standards. I worked with my English department to review the curriculum we were using, study the revised standards, and make plans for curriculum development. This could have felt very overwhelming for teachers in the department, had I just shared that our curriculum needed to be updated without any further communication or planning.

However, we were able to make coherent curriculum design plans because I used an in-person meeting with each grade level to review the new standards, gather input from teachers, and discuss the intended outcomes of the curriculum. Because teachers were able to get a clear understanding of why the change was happening, and engage with one another and myself in discussions around it, our team was successful.

2. Create a timeline. Outline the phases of the work across weeks, months, or years. Include what needs to be done and who needs to be involved. I typically reference the timeline throughout each phase of a project. I am sure to address changes that need to be made to the timeline with a rationale and an alternate plan if needed.   

With the updated ELA curriculum, I outlined a clear timeline that included milestones along the way, like grade-level meetings, follow-up discussions, curriculum development sessions, summer curriculum projects, and state timelines for new standards and assessments. This clear timeline made it much easier to communicate about the process, as teachers and I were consistently on the same page about where we were in the process. 

3. Be inclusive. Communicate with all people who are impacted by the project. Ask for feedback. Be forthcoming with parts of the work that are flexible and parts that aren’t. For example, I am often in a position to share about changes in requirements from the state education department. There is no flexibility in the outcome, but there may be ways of preparing for that change that welcome multiple perspectives through shared decision-making.

When planning for the ELA curriculum revisions, I invited all teachers to the discussion and created space for them to ask questions, share ideas, and build a clearer understanding of the requirements. By inviting all teachers’ voices, I was able to learn about their passions, concerns, and hesitations, and offer support throughout the process.

STRATEGIES TO BUILD CAPACITY EFFECTIVELY

It is important that teachers feel capable of tackling the new projects or processes arising from the changes your school experiences. This comes from teachers having the capacity to make adjustments to their work that meet the new need. While some capacity-building ultimately falls on the individual teachers, you as the school leader can create systems and offer opportunities for learning. The following three strategies have helped me build staff capacity effectively.

1. Ask people what they need. Don’t assume that knowledge is abundant or lacking. As you launch a project, talk with teams about what they need to learn in order to be successful. I frequently include this as a topic of conversation on meeting agendas and use staff surveys to ensure that I can continuously provide the desired support.

2. Create a system for ongoing professional development. It is crucial that teachers have ongoing opportunities for professional development that are provided during their contractual hours. In my school, I plan professional development sessions during dedicated days once per quarter so that all teachers are able to attend.

During these sessions, we talk about both short- and long-term goals, ensuring that we address any immediate needs while also looking ahead.

3. Create additional opportunities for professional learning communities. In addition to the professional development that happens during contractual hours, I have found it incredibly helpful to offer up additional opportunities for teachers to engage with one another in a professional learning community.

For example, during the first year of using a new curriculum, I held monthly “Think Tank” sessions on Zoom that teachers could opt into to ask a question or share ideas. It was a forum to celebrate successes and provide solutions to challenges.  Those who participated liked having a group to connect with and were better able to navigate the new curriculum successfully.  

Communication and building capacity are instrumental in showing team members that you care about them and the work, and they help you more effectively navigate change together.