What are the conditions needed for success?
In our work at the Learning Accelerator, we’ve found there is no single correct pathway, timeline, or model given the different contexts and needs that exist across schools and systems. But there are common implementation components – “conditions for scale” – that support planning, adoption, and scaling of innovative initiatives.
The success educators have implementing new teaching and learning practices can significantly depend on the coherence of the systemic conditions in which they operate. The right conditions can accelerate progress, helping new approaches take flight. Unsupportive conditions will force educators and students to work against gravity, wasting energy or working at odds.
Around a core vision for core student-centered design (i.e., agreed-upon practices), school and district leaders must establish three sets of conditions that allow them to put the design into action:
Essential Supports that allow educators to effectively and equitably implement the design and practices for all students.
Enabling Systems and Structures that lower barriers for implementation and accelerate uptake and learning at greater scale and consistency across classrooms and schools.
Ongoing Processes that help leaders align, innovate, and improve implementation at scale and over time.
You can learn more about these conditions by exploring our Innovative Learning Implementation Framework and strategies for putting it into action on this site. There is no one “right” way to use this framework, but we suggest that teams can use it to:
Develop shared language across critical system and school stakeholders;
Identify and communicate across these different actors the necessary conditions for change, including often overlooked non-instructional areas;
Assess current capacity and organize cross-departmental work ahead; and,
Monitor and reflect on progress and sticking points.