During my first year as a principal, I attended a conference where a teacher from one of our district’s elementary schools shared an innovative literacy intervention that had dramatically improved student outcomes. I was thrilled, until I realized that despite being in the same district, none of our middle school teachers had ever heard about it.
Sound familiar? How often does breakthrough work happen in one corner of your district while others struggle with the same challenges, completely unaware that solutions already exist down the road?
This isn’t just a communication problem. It’s a culture problem. And it’s one of the most significant barriers to district-wide improvement.
What Are We Doing Wrong?
The first mistake leaders make is confusing programs with culture. We adopt new initiatives, such as data teams, professional learning communities, and instructional walkthroughs, and expect culture to change automatically. However, as Edgar Schein teaches us in Organizational Culture and Leadership, culture is the pattern of shared assumptions that groups learn as they solve problems. You can’t mandate culture; you must cultivate it.
The second error is treating improvement as episodic rather than continuous. We launch improvement efforts with great fanfare, implement them for a semester or year, then move to the next priority. This “initiative fatigue” creates cynicism rather than commitment. Teachers and principals begin waiting out each new mandate, knowing “this too shall pass.”
Third, we create improvement structures that inadvertently reinforce silos. Elementary, middle, and high schools operate in separate universes. Academic departments often fail to connect with student services. The central office functions independently of schools. Each group may be improving, but without coherence, the district as a whole stagnates.
A Culture of Continuous Improvement
Building a culture of continuous improvement requires fundamental shifts in thinking:
From fixing to learning: W. Edwards Deming, the father of quality improvement, emphasized that most problems stem from flawed systems, not flawed people. When something goes wrong, ask “What can we learn?” not “Who’s to blame?” This psychological safety is essential for honest reflection and growth.
From privacy to transparency: John Hattie’s concept of “visible learning” applies to adults, too. When we make our practice, our data, and our struggles visible to colleagues, we create opportunities for collective problem-solving and shared learning.
From hierarchy to distributed leadership. Continuous improvement can’t flow only from the top down. As Michael Fullan notes, sustainable change requires building capacity at all levels. Everyone, from student transportation specialists (bus drivers) to superintendents, must see themselves as problem-solvers and contributors to improvement.
Building the Culture
So how do we actually create this culture? Well, start with these practical strategies:
Establish improvement rhythms, not events: Create regular, predictable cycles for inquiry and adaptation. This might be monthly data review meetings, quarterly cross-school learning walks, or semester-based Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Consistency matters more than intensity.
Create structures for horizontal learning: Build intentional bridges between silos. Establish cross-functional teams, inter-school collaboratives, and role-alike networks. When a kindergarten teacher and a high school counselor discover they’re solving similar problems with different approaches, innovation happens.
Make learning public and celebratory: Anthony Bryk’s work on improvement science emphasizes learning from both successes and failures. Create forums where educators share what they tried, what happened, and what they learned; regardless of outcome. Celebrate the learning process itself, not just positive results.
Align systems to reinforce improvement behaviors: If you value collaboration but only recognize individual achievement, your culture won’t shift. Ensure that evaluation systems, resource allocation, meeting structures, and recognition practices all support the values of continuous improvement.
Develop improvement capability systematically: Don’t assume people know how to engage in structured inquiry and testing. Provide training in improvement methodologies, data literacy, and facilitation skills. Make these competencies expected for all leaders.
The Challenge…
This month, I challenge you to conduct a “culture audit.” Walk through your schools and the central office. Listen to conversations. Observe meetings. Ask yourself: Are people talking about learning and improvement, or compliance and coverage? Are failures treated as opportunities or threats? Is innovation shared or hoarded?
Based on what you discover, commit to one concrete action that shifts your culture toward continuous improvement. Perhaps it’s launching a district-wide learning network, revising evaluation protocols, asking more reflective questions, or simply changing how you respond when someone shares a struggle.
Culture doesn’t change overnight, but it does change; one conversation, one meeting, one decision at a time. What will you do this week to move your district from isolated excellence to collective continuous improvement?
#EducationalLeader,
Kim
When students are led well, they learn well.
References
- Bryk, A. S., Gomez, L. M., Grunow, A., & LeMahieu, P. G. (2015). Learning to improve: How America’s schools can get better at getting better. Harvard Education Press.
- Deming, W. E. (2000). Out of the crisis. MIT Press. (Original work published 1982)
- Fullan, M. (2014). The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact. Jossey-Bass.
- Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. Routledge.
- Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
The views shared in the Educational Leadership Moment are solely those of Dr. Kim D. Moore and do not reflect the positions of her employer or any entity within the local, state, or federal government sector.
0 comments