Our View
Battling Initiative Fatigue
BY KYLE C. ARLINGTON AND MICHAEL RYAN/School Administrator, December 2021

NEW INITIATIVES are part of the school year for every educator. So, inevitably, is initiative fatigue. During the pandemic, that fatigue has compounded to unimaginable levels.

Initiative fatigue is a simple concept. When multiple changes are rolled out simultaneously or in rapid succession in K-12 education, there is little time and brainpower to properly process and put them in place.

Both of us have worked with teachers who’ve been tasked with implementing new science standards, piloting a new math program and using a new data warehouse to track progress of every student all in the same year. The rapid churn of well-intended initiatives has led to confusion about goals and expectations. The pace of change precluded results.

A Coding System

Too frequently as educators, we wait for the latest instructional initiative to die or a new one to replace it. Instead of treating initiatives like unwelcome intruders, we think it’s feasible to figure out their fit into our classroom, school or district goals. Identify where solutions are needed, and those pesky initiatives might find their place.

We devised a road-tested, six-part protocol to help alleviate initiative fatigue.

»Brainstorm. Get a stack of sticky notes and list each initiative on a separate note. Think big and identify initiatives from all angles. What has your board of education put on your plate? What do your principals want to mandate? What is your focus this year in growing your professional practice? No initiative is unworthy of a sticky note.

»Label and categorize. Decide on a labeling system to code your list. Perhaps S stands for state-mandated initiatives. D might cover district-level efforts. B for building. P for personal goals. No matter what system you choose, think deeply about the source. Is it top-down or bottom-up? Can you identify common themes or topics? You’ll need that insight for the “umbrella approach” in Step 5.

»Consider the why before the how. Can you identify why the initiative is being implemented and why it’s important? If you can’t, you have a problem. Hit pause and, if possible, have a conversation with the architects of the initiative to better understand the why before the how. If you are the architect, what’s your ultimate goal, and how does that fit into your larger vision?

»Find your yardstick. Identify the metrics you will use to measure success. Clarity is essential in this area because benchmarks not only help define success, they motivate you on the way to your goal.

»Use an umbrella (and stay out of silos). Teaching and learning are messy. So is educational progress. You can’t bundle initiatives into silos. Create umbrellas instead. Identify the larger themes that unify the initiatives. If a district goal revolves around using technology, could your professional development plan also focus on that? If a teacher’s personal instructional goal is to increase the repertoire of formative assessment strategies, could she or he encourage a professional learning community to pursue that work? Look for patterns and themes that create initiative umbrellas.

»Create a road map. Develop a tentative road map that outlines the work, goals, time frame, intended outcomes and metrics for success. Look for feedback opportunities from critical friends, partners and others involved to ensure you are not working alone.

Admitting Reality

Change is a necessary constant in education. Yet educators often resist meaningful changes and combat new ideas and initiatives. Of course, being mired in too many initiatives without clear goals, educators resist that necessary change.

We must address familiar barriers to achieve real transformation. Acknowledging and addressing the reality of initiative fatigue is a start on the way to impactful change.

KYLE ARLINGTON is superintendent of the Kenilworth School District in Kenilworth, N.J. Twitter: @kyle_arlington. MICHAEL RYAN is an assistant professor of early and middle grades education at West Chester University in West Chester, Pa.