The above examples point to three distinct challenges that must be addressed: (1) inducting new district leaders, teachers, instructional leaders, and school administrators into the district’s core practices; (2) sustaining the focus of those who are not new on the essential practices to prevent fading; and (3) establishing continuous improvement processes to improve and reinvigorate core practices. 

Induct. Most districts establish induction processes for teachers, though they are often light touch. It is hard to imagine an induction process for a new Superintendent. And yet, given the differences among district contexts, it is reasonable to expect that a new Superintendent would learn about the district they are to lead before making a change. Note that if the district has a clearly stated vision of high-quality instruction, it will go a long way toward orienting a new Superintendent. It would, for example, make clear that a scripted curriculum that diminishes student discussion would violate the district’s stated vision. If the vision has been —as we believe it should be—presented to and discussed with the school board, then a divergent view of high-quality instruction should be called out during the recruitment process. At a minimum, the new Superintendent should be required to explain why the current district vision should be changed, and make a case for the revised vision. Furthermore, the communications across levels of the system will have created deep roots for existing practices, making it more difficult for a new district leader to dismantle what has been accomplished in prior years. 

Mentoring of new teachers and school administrators is more common. Whether these processes include one-on-one mentoring varies; however, even when they do, the criteria for selecting qualified mentors and the content of the mentoring are often loosely defined. A district that has developed a vision for high-quality instruction and elaborated that vision for each of the content areas will have laid the groundwork for more effective induction programs. However, those programs will likely need ongoing improvement if they are to be effective in supporting teachers’ and instructional leaders’ development of core practices. As part of these improvement efforts, the connections among departments, including the human resources office, might be leveraged to create the targeted experience for new teachers and administrators. 

Efforts to induct new teachers in district-valued practices might capitalize on recent technological advances that have made it easier for teachers to engage in online learning experiences and to video record their own classroom interactions. These technologies have fueled the expansion of online courses for teachers, including courses on very targeted practices for which teachers receive a micro-credential. When districts have large numbers of new teachers each year, the induction process might include teachers working through a district-developed or partner-developed course on essential practices that is facilitated by a local mentor or coach who provides in-person feedback on the inductee’s practice. 

Sustain. Sustaining focus of returning teachers and instructional leaders on essential practices is as important as induction, even if it is a lighter lift. Although districts often offer workshops and professional learning opportunities before the start of the new school year, these sessions typically focus on what is new, thereby reinforcing the tendency to allow existing practices to fade. However, districts could use these opportunities to reinforce, refresh, and deepen core practices. But to do so, districts will need to deliberately choose to enhance existing practice from year to year, and to introduce new initiatives sparingly.

Focus can also be maintained with small but effective routines. For example, one of the schools with which we have worked sought to introduce hand signals in the classroom to reduce instructional time lost when students asked to sharpen a pencil, to go to the restroom, or to be helped with a device. Laminated posters with these signals were provided to teachers to hang on their walls—posters that a school or district can refresh each year as needed. A second routine introduced in this district was designed to promote peer talk district-wide. At the beginning of the school year, the district provided schools with laminated signs to post in classrooms with bubbles for sentence starters for peer discussion (Can you explain why…; I disagree because....; etc.). Simple, low-cost resources of this type can serve as a reminder to principals and teachers of practices that should be maintained.