What is "Lean Change" and how does it work in schools?
Lean change means implementing a new initiative in deliberate waves rather than all at once. Instead of training all 30 teachers on a new curriculum in August and hoping for the best, you start with three to five early adopters who are genuinely excited. You support them intensively. They work through the learning curve and reach real fluency. Then their success becomes the proof that convinces the next wave.
It seems slower, but it's actually faster — because each wave reaches genuine fluency before the next begins. Bulk change creates the appearance of speed while leaving most teachers at a surface level of implementation for years. Lean change builds deeper adoption that's harder to derail.
The strategic benefit is that resisters lose their leverage. When half the building is already succeeding with the new approach, "this too shall pass" stops being a credible position.
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Why do most school improvement initiatives fail to change classroom practice?
Because they rely on what I call "bulk change" — announcing a new initiative and expecting everyone to adopt it at once.
How do I prevent "initiative fatigue" in my school?
By doing fewer things better.
How do I know if a school improvement initiative is actually working?
Look at practice, not just compliance.
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Answered by Justin Baeder, PhD, Director of The Principal Center and author of three books on instructional leadership.