Tapping Into Collective Vision Amidst Top-Down Changes: One Middle School’s Focus on Authentic Inquiry
When schools adopt a new curriculum, teachers are often caught between two competing responsibilities: faithfully implementing new materials while also staying true to the practices that have proven to work best for their students. This was the case at one middle school where educators began the year with a newly adopted English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum.
On one hand, their teachers recognized the potential the program offered and approached the work with humility and a mindset of continuous learning. At the same time, they expressed concern about losing decision-making power—an all-too-familiar challenge when large-scale changes are introduced without meaningful teacher input.
Educators are frequently tasked with adapting to large-scale changes annually, often without substantive input from their ranks. For this cohort of ELA teachers, it became necessary to engage their collective vision for equitable reading instruction amidst mandated top-down directives.
To achieve this, the Partners in School Innovation team worked with educators to circumvent the perceived messages of compliance emanating from higher authorities and instead foster authentic inquiry that would guide them in utilizing new materials with integrity. Teachers were invited to consider guiding questions such as:
What does equitable reading instruction look like in our classrooms? How can this curriculum support that vision rather than replace it?
These conversations opened the door for educators to identify practical ways of using the new materials while continuing powerful practices they knew worked, such as partner reading. In doing so, the team began to align the curriculum with their collective vision instead of feeling constrained by it.
The outcome was more than successful implementation. Teachers tapped into a deeper sense of purpose and reclaimed ownership of their instructional choices. They demonstrated that even amidst top-down changes, collective vision can serve as a compass for equity-centered practice. Fortunately, concrete steps and resources are available to assist in developing a collective vision that empowers your team, even amidst top-down directives.
Enroll in professional development courses, such as “From Root Causes to Grassroots Action,” “Change Management,” “Leading Improvement Cycles,” or “Using Stories to Drive Change,” to learn more about creating a collective vision
Develop a Theory of Action to step back, identify root causes, and focus your energy progressing toward changes that matter most.
Build intentional practices to surface impactful stories and build relationships to sustain school transformation efforts.
At Partners in School Innovation, we believe that when teachers are supported in connecting their purpose to new initiatives, they move beyond being implementers—they become designers of equitable learning experiences. We guide the implementation of collaboratively developed plans, building the skills and capabilities your school and district teams need to navigate complex change effectively.
How have you and your colleagues found ways to center vision and purpose when navigating large-scale changes? We invite you to join the Partners in School Innovation Community, where 650+ equity-focused educators are sharing strategies, resources, and reflections every week.
