Change is hard—especially in public education. School systems are complex, often decentralized, and marked by deeply held beliefs about teaching and leadership practices. I was a teacher and a school principal before founding and becoming CEO of SchoolKit, a consulting firm that works with school districts and state education agencies, so I have experienced this firsthand. At SchoolKit, we help education leaders implement major shifts in how their teachers teach and lead to ensure their work better aligns with the research. It’s challenging and rewarding. If there’s one idea that is relevant beyond the world of education and that is at the foundation of our approach to this work, it’s that driving meaningful systems change always begins with the why.

At SchoolKit, the bulk of our work with clients is through our training and coaching programs. On a higher level, though, we strive to support school leaders through important changes in teaching and learning that shift the paradigm from compliance-driven, ingrained behaviors to systems-level transformation.