Solving Initiative Fatigue

We are all on a quest to improve student achievement in our districts, especially right now as COVID has produced unfinished learning.  To do so, districts take several different paths, and it seems like there is a never-ending list of programs and initiatives which can be pursued. 

The challenge is that in an effort to improve student achievement, districts can unintentionally create “Initiative Fatigue”, which means they move from promising practice to promising practice while simultaneously burning out their staff.

Today I want to discuss the antidote for preventing initiative fatigue and outline a method and for achieving organizational focus.  Let’s begin!

The best way to prevent or resolve initiative fatigue is to develop and sustain organizational focus in key areas of the district’s operation.  Doing so promotes clarity and serves as a lens when new programs come down the pike.

Most districts attempt to address initiative fatigue through focusing on a strategic plan, which is very helpful, but I believe true success comes at a more granular level.  In other words, if the district has not spent the time to think through and record what its key initiatives are in five strategic areas, it is likely to lose focus.

The five strategic areas are Curriculum, Assessment, Instruction, Leading and Learning (CAILL).  One method to develop and sustain focus around these pillars of school district operation is to establish a framework which identifies foundational components in each area.  Although the foundational components may change over time; taking one item off the list and adding another, the exercise of determining what undergirds your school district is of vital importance.

Attached, you will see an example of a CAILL Framework, which identifies foundational components in each area.  The components will likely be different in each individual school district based upon its context and what is deemed locally important.  Remember the idea is to identify the foundational components which must be in place for student learning and operational success to occur.  If foundational components are not in place and part of the district culture, then initiative fatigue can set in because the system is not built on solid ground. 

So, I encourage you to work with your team and stakeholders to develop a CAILL Framework for your district.  We are at a point in time with students facing unfinished which encourages us to take on this task to understand and develop clarity around the foundational pillars that our school system is built upon.  As stated earlier, I believe doing this work can eliminate initiative fatigue because it focuses the district on what is deemed important and the work to be accomplished.  If new promising practices are seen or heard they can be weighed against the work which is occurring to build or sustain the district’s foundation and thoughtful decisions can be made about the efficacy of the new concept or approach.

Please place your thoughts in the comments section below and identify any processes you have seen which might alleviate initiative fatigue.  Again, we all gain when we share our thoughts, ideas, and wisdom with each other.