Implement. Change in Education

EdScale, LLC

Implement. Change in Education. Whether your goal is to scale up existing practices, sustain what’s working, remove what’s not, introduce a new practice, or navigate a transition, we explore how education leaders leverage implementation to get better results for students. Because implementation matters most during times of change. This podcast is a production of EdScale (www.edscalellc.com), where we help educators get better results through a relentless focus on effective implementation. Every month on the podcast we will feature: - The audio version of our monthly blog post on implementation - A conversation with an ambitious education leader who is leveraging implementation and change management to get bet results for students Hosted by Tom DeWire, Founder of EdScale and author of the book “How to Implement (just about) Anything,” Lessons from 25 years in public education. Learn more at www.edscalellc.com.

  1. 12h ago

    #36 Blog: The Counterintuitive Power of a Checklist

    It's 7:12 on a Tuesday morning, and I'm not saying a word. My son works down the list taped to the fridge: teeth, bed, lunch, folder, shoes, then turns to his brother: "Owen, you didn't check off your folder." Two boys, one laminated card, and I've been written out of the scene I used to run.   Here's the counterintuitive part: a checklist looks like a constraint and acts like a release.   It's the same reason a 1935 Boeing crash gave us the pilot's checklist, and why Atul Gawande's one-page list cut deadly infections in ICUs. Structure doesn't box people in; the right structure frees them up for the decisions that actually need a human.   That's what fidelity of implementation really takes in schools: not exhorting people to try harder, but building coherent supports all the way down to small, clear, impossible-to-miss next actions that fit the local context.   Where in your work is a simple one-page list waiting to create more clarity, ownership, and momentum?

  2. Jun 23

    #35 Guest: Dr. Jymil Thompson, Superintendent & Dr. Jodi Colman, Assistant Superintendent of Dorchester County Public Schools (MD)

    “DCPS 23, no more.” Dorchester County Public Schools (MD), a rural district of ~4,500 students, posted Maryland’s biggest 3rd-grade ELA jump: +22 points (27% → 49%) and climbed to 19th statewide in ELA in a single year. In this episode of Implement Change in Education, Superintendent Dr. Jymil Thompson and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jodi Colman share what actually changed inside the system. Key takeaways: - You can’t “intervene” your way out of a Tier 1 problem → they put instruction at the center - Coaching > evaluation: "You can't evaluate people into better performance. You have to coach them." - Remove barriers to instructional leadership (e.g., restructuring so admins can get back into classrooms) Listen now (and feel free to share with a leader trying to move outcomes districtwide).

    #35 Guest: Dr. Jymil Thompson, Superintendent & Dr. Jodi Colman, Assistant Superintendent of Dorchester County Public Schools (MD)

  3. Jun 9

    #34 Blog: Failure doesn't teach you anything about success: Why school turnaround research keeps missing the mark

    A pathologist’s autopsy report can tell you exactly how a patient died. But it tells you absolutely nothing about how to live a long, vibrant life. For twenty years, K-12 education has been running an autopsy model. We call it "school turnaround." Between 2010 and 2016, the federal School Improvement Grants program poured roughly $7 billion into turning around struggling schools. The result? Null impacts on math, reading, and graduation rates. As Marcus Buckingham puts it: “Failure doesn't teach you anything about success.” Instead of spending all our energy auditing the bottom 5% and studying what broke, what if we systematically studied our "positive deviants"? What if we found the classrooms, schools, and districts that are already producing 5-star experiences with the exact same resources and engineered the conditions for those bright spots to spread? In our latest blog post and podcast episode, we break down why the turnaround industry keeps missing the mark, and share 3 moves district and state leaders can make right now to shift their strategy from deficit remediation to scaling what works.

    #34 Blog: Failure doesn't teach you anything about success: Why school turnaround research keeps missing the mark

  4. May 26

    #33 Guest: Dr. Maria Navarro and Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises on Kids in the System you Lead

    What does it really look like to lead a school district when your own children are learning inside that same system? In this episode of "𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏", I’m joined by two extraordinary Maryland leaders: Dr. Maria Navarro, Superintendent of Charles County Public Schools, and Dr. Sonja Brookins-Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools. Together, we explore a side of educational leadership that rarely gets discussed: what it means to serve as both a superintendent and a parent within the same system. A few moments that stood out: - The “fishbowl” effect of leading in public while your children experience the system up close. - The honest, real-time insight children can offer about what is working and what needs attention. - The balance between being a district leader, being a parent, and knowing when to step in. - The reminder that educators, counselors, coaches, and school communities show up for children with deep care every day. At its heart, this conversation is about leadership, family, and the people who make public education work. Whether you are a parent, educator, school system leader, or someone who simply cares about the schools where children learn and grow, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it takes to lead complex systems with purpose, humility, and care. And if you’d like to take a deeper dive into their previous podcast appearances, where we explore their work and accomplishments in greater detail, listen to episode #19 with Dr. Navarro and episode #6 with Dr. Brookins-Santelises. Listen here: https://buff.ly/bKWk70p

    #33 Guest: Dr. Maria Navarro and Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises on Kids in the System you Lead

  5. May 12

    #32 Blog: How Does Your District Stack Up on the Blueprint?

    Maryland's $3.8B education bet had no scorecard — so we built one. 24 districts. 43 indicators. 685+ documents. The bright spots might surprise you. Maryland's first official Blueprint evaluation publishes in December 2026. The earliest quantitative data comes a year later. But the Governor and legislature need to make major policy and funding decisions in the 2027 session — before the evidence is in. The Education Trust Fund (casino revenues) runs out in FY2028. **MarylandBlueprint.com reads every district's Blueprint implementation, scores it against a consistent rubric, and surfaces the bright spots — with source citations.** Some highlights from the May 1, 2026 analysis: Pillar 2 — NBC Teacher Pipeline Is a Statewide Flywheel Baltimore County grew from 4 to 122 NBCTs (2,950%). Prince George's from 7 to 157 (2,143%). Newly certified NBCTs are being deployed as cohort coaches, creating a self-reinforcing talent pipeline. P2 is the only pillar where 9 districts already Exceed. Pillar 4 — Community Schools Are Moving Both Attendance and Academics Carroll County's community schools posted +24.1pp ELA and +26.9pp math gains in a single year. Somerset cut chronic absenteeism by 22.6pp while designating 100% of schools as community schools. District Bright Spots: Montgomery County (76.8%) — The only district with zero pillars below "Meets." Most balanced profile statewide. Allegany County (74.4%, 4th overall) — A small rural district outperforming Howard, Baltimore County, and Baltimore City. Garrett County (69.6%) — All five pillars at "Meets." 100% of middle schoolers completing career assessments. Unlimited dual enrollment. Built for district leaders. Essential for everyone tracking Blueprint implementation — legislators, advocates, educators, journalists, and researchers. Register for the demo and launch on May 21st at 12noon EST: https://tidycal.com/tomdewire/blueprint-bright-spots-whats-working-across-marylands-24-districts

    #32 Blog: How Does Your District Stack Up on the Blueprint?

  6. Apr 28

    #31 Guest: Delaware Department of Labor Leadership Academy 2026 Keynote Excerpt

    One of the biggest challenges I see across systems is the gap between a strong plan and real results. In this episode of Implement Change in Education, I share an excerpt from a talk I gave at the Delaware Department of Labor’s Leadership Academy, a month-long development opportunity for promising managers of people and projects. Through two powerful stories - one from healthcare and one from child nutrition work in Vietnam. I explore what it takes to move from strategy to execution. I break down two different implementation challenges: When we know the goal and the evidence-based moves, but execution is the barrier When we do not yet know the answer and need to find the bright spots already working in the field This episode focuses on making change practical. Whether you are leading literacy improvement, strengthening workforce systems, improving access to benefits, or trying to move a complex organization toward better outcomes, the same question applies: How do we make it easier for people to do the right thing? If you are leading change, managing teams, or trying to close the gap between planning and results, this episode is worth a listen. Show Note Links: University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration How to Implement Just About Anything by Tom DeWire Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

    #31 Guest: Delaware Department of Labor Leadership Academy 2026 Keynote Excerpt

  7. Apr 14

    #30 Blog: With Tighter Budgets, How Might Schools Navigate Strategy for SY2627?

    With tighter budgets, what do you actually protect? Across the country, school and district leaders are facing tough choices for SY26–27 - shrinking funds, rising costs, and real pressure to cut. But the biggest risk isn’t the budget itself; it’s losing what’s already working. In our latest blog post and podcast episode, we explore a simple but critical question: How do you protect hard-won student gains when resources shrink? It comes down to three moves: • Anchor decisions in research • Assess implementation health • Align your budget to your strategy, not the other way around Because one misaligned budget cycle can undo years of progress. Link to blog post

    #30 Blog: With Tighter Budgets, How Might Schools Navigate Strategy for SY2627?

  8. Mar 24

    #29 Guest: Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools - William J. Barnes

    One of the clearest takeaways from my conversation with William Barnes, Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools: “We’re not going to claim greatness until we’re great for all of our students.” Superintendent Barnes leads one of Maryland’s most well-regarded districts, but what stood out most was his honesty about the students the system has not yet served well and his urgency around changing that. In this episode of Implement. Change in Education, we talk about what it really looks like to implement Blueprint Pillar 4 in a high-performing district: aligning funding to student need, expanding special education supports, navigating redistricting, and treating the budget as a strategic tool for equity. If you are thinking about resource allocation, equity, or change leadership, this one is worth a listen.  Show Note Links: - Howard County Public School System

    #29 Guest: Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools - William J. Barnes
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Implement. Change in Education. Whether your goal is to scale up existing practices, sustain what’s working, remove what’s not, introduce a new practice, or navigate a transition, we explore how education leaders leverage implementation to get better results for students. Because implementation matters most during times of change. This podcast is a production of EdScale (www.edscalellc.com), where we help educators get better results through a relentless focus on effective implementation. Every month on the podcast we will feature: - The audio version of our monthly blog post on implementation - A conversation with an ambitious education leader who is leveraging implementation and change management to get bet results for students Hosted by Tom DeWire, Founder of EdScale and author of the book “How to Implement (just about) Anything,” Lessons from 25 years in public education. Learn more at www.edscalellc.com.

Information

  • Creator
    EdScale, LLC
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright EdScale, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Implement. Change in Education