Why Implementation is Essential to Change

Recently, we spoke with a state education chief about a science of reading bill that had been enacted in their state last year. We congratulated them on a job well done and discussed how the bill was a huge win for students. 

One of us asked, “So, how many classrooms have shifted their approach to teaching reading in the 18 months since the legislation passed?” The chief couldn’t answer. 

We didn’t intend to put them on the spot, but we all sat in the discomfort of that moment. This state chief is not alone. Too often, our nation’s efforts focus on passing good education policy, not on implementing it. 

Together, we can change this.

Why Implementation Matters

We hear people describe implementation as the ‘last-mile’ problem, but this doesn’t sit right with us. Implementation isn’t the last mile — it’s actually most of the race. 

The work of passing a policy gets us to the starting line. But winning the marathon requires that we maintain the vision for students while ensuring that state education leaders, district leaders, principals, and teachers are supported to make changes that align with the new vision. 

Good policy is intended to materially change the experience of students, ultimately leading to improved attainment and opportunity. And for the experience of students to change, every educator from the state to the classroom has to change how they do their daily work.

This takes years upon years of dedicated effort — communicating a clear vision for the change, providing training and resources to all educators from the statehouse to the classroom, determining what’s working and what’s not, and then continually improving based on the lessons learned. A commitment to sustained implementation is what makes the difference between a good idea in theory and a good idea that materially impacts the experience of students and leads to greater achievement and opportunity.

This work is not easy. It requires state leaders to work with hundreds of districts that are all governed by locally elected boards. Within those districts, principals are charged with building understanding and investment around the new policy with their teams. And even within schools, two teachers may need different kinds of support to implement a new curriculum in their classrooms. This makes scaling ideas to reach every student in our country really, really hard. 

We started Watershed Advisors to help make sure big ideas can come to life. We ensure that the players at every stage of the implementation process have what they need to transform student learning. Implementation is not about top-down mandates. It’s about making the right choice, the easy choice — every step of the way. 

Welcome to The Delta

Our new weekly newsletter is all about how the biggest ideas in education make it – or don’t – into classrooms. We’re Kunjan Narechania and Jessica Baghian , the CEO and President of Watershed Advisors , and we are helping make sense of important education news, weighing in on the big debates, and introducing you to the people in states, districts, and schools who are getting implementation right. We all know why change is important, each week we want to dive into how it gets done.

How do we take a great idea and ensure it makes it from the statehouse to students?

What Happens Here

Let’s get muddy. Let’s dig through the details and rethink our assumptions. As we share stories, we want to hear from you in the comments: Have you tried this before? How did it go? What would a particular idea look like if applied to your state? 

We want you to ask questions. Let’s get better at making change together. Join the conversation by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on LinkedIn. We’ll see you next week!