Have you ever been involved in a push to implement something in which leadership likened rollout and implementation to “building the plane while you fly it”? During my 25 year tenure in education, I have found myself here several times. And unfortunately, it’s always with initiatives of the grandest scale with the largest impact on kids, families, staff, and culture. I can also attest that none of the implementations have ever been successful.
Has a plane ever been built while it was flying? Is there research to show that this rollout method and implementation strategy is preferable for the biggest initiatives in education? Would you put your own child on a plane to be built while it flies? If not, then I strongly plead that we stop doing so with one of, if not the most valuable commodity and resource we can offer our kids and future society: education.
I am not suggesting people and organizations shouldn’t be flexible and agile. I am not fantasizing that things should always go according to plan. I am suggesting when research shows significant and meaningful change can take as long as 7 years – it’s because, when done well, this is the shortest implementation time expectation. To rush only sets the organization back further the wasted time multiplied by the factor of destruction incurred (trust lost, relationships ruined, support withdrawn, etc). I am suggesting as leaders we be more responsible with the trust, relationships, and support we’ve been given and earned when considering the allocation of resources (time, people, funds) and potential impact influencing education, the invaluable commodity we are entrusted to bestow upon our kids and future society.
There are numerous frameworks that can assist, such as the implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). Our kids, families, staff, and future society deserve more than to be rushed onto a plane to be built while it flies.
i teach kids 