Implement. Change in Education

#29 Guest: Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools - William J. Barnes

One of the clearest takeaways from my conversation with William Barnes, Superintendent of Howard County Public Schools:
“We’re not going to claim greatness until we’re great for all of our students.”
Superintendent Barnes leads one of Maryland’s most well-regarded districts, but what stood out most was his honesty about the students the system has not yet served well and his urgency around changing that.
In this episode of Implement. Change in Education, we talk about what it really looks like to implement Blueprint Pillar 4 in a high-performing district: aligning funding to student need, expanding special education supports, navigating redistricting, and treating the budget as a strategic tool for equity.
If you are thinking about resource allocation, equity, or change leadership, this one is worth a listen. Show Note Links:- Howard County Public School System 

#28 Blog: Organizations Change Differently Than Leaders Imagine

Organizations Change Differently Than Leaders Imagine
The superintendent exhaled. "We rolled this out eight months ago. Trained everyone. Built the dashboard. And half the schools are doing something completely different."
I've heard some version of that in almost every system I've worked in. The plan was clear, the training solid, and yet what happened on the ground looked nothing like what anyone had drawn up.
There's a line from Bob Sutton, Stanford professor, that captures this perfectly:
"Organizations are flexible and imaginative, but rarely change just as any leader or group intends."
Sutton was paraphrasing James G. March, whose 1958 classic 𝘖𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 laid the foundation for modern organizational theory. March's central finding? Organizations are remarkably adaptive; they absorb new people, tools, and pressures all the time. But they move according to their own logic, not according to anyone's slide deck.
Here's what this means for leaders:
The gap between your intent and organizational reality isn't failure; it's where the real work lives. This is especially true for ambitious reforms like early literacy initiatives or state-level blueprints, where the distance between plan and practice determines whether you get results or just compliance theater.
A more realistic approach:
▪️ Expect drift, not perfect alignment
▪️ Look for small, local adaptations as signals of life
▪️ Treat change as a series of experiments, not a single plan
▪️ Honor the gap between what you intend and what people experience
 
Questions worth asking before your next change effort:
▪️ Where is the organization already adapting in useful ways?
▪️ What do local workarounds tell us about design misalignment?
▪️ What's the minimum consistency we actually need?
▪️ How will we learn quickly from early, messy implementation?
 
Organizations are always changing. The question is whether you'll pay attention when it does and be wise enough to work with it.Show Note Links:Bob Sutton - Stanford professor and organizational leadership researcherJames G. March - scholar of organizational theoryOrganizations (1958) - James G. March & Herbert A. SimonEducation Innovation and Research (EIR) Program

#27 Guest: Delaware Early Literacy Emergency: Kathy Kelly and Sam Lougheed

How do you turn an emergency declaration into a sustainable literacy system?Delaware is showing us.
 
With only 39% of third graders proficient in reading, Governor Meyer declared a state of emergency. But what followed wasn’t just policy; it was an implementation strategy.
 
In this episode, Kathy Kelly and Sam Lougheed unpack the hard work of turning Science of Reading principles and high-quality instructional materials into daily classroom practice across an entire state.
 
What I LOVE about this conversation is the focus on the delivery chain from the state office to districts, schools, classrooms, and families. Kathy and Sam break down the four key drivers of their work:
 
- Strengthening Tier 1 instruction
- Job-embedded professional learning
- Strategic staffing
- Meaningful family engagement
 
They’re hiring literacy coaches, launching Bridge to Practice grants, and building an Early Literacy Playbook to help teachers move from adoption to skillful implementation.
 
This is change management at scale in a system that doesn’t always welcome change.
If you’re leading literacy improvement, improving instructional quality, or driving implementation in a complex system, this episode offers practical strategies and hard-earned lessons you can apply immediately.

#26 Blog: MDBlueprint.com

Today I'm launching MarylandBlueprint.com — and opening it to just 25 education leaders. The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is buried in 5,000+ pages of AIB reports, district plans, and accountability decisions. MarylandBlueprint.com uses AI to turn that into something useful: district profiles, cross-district comparisons, pillar analyses, and an AI query tool where you can ask questions in plain language and get cited answers. I'm looking for 25 Blueprint Coordinators, Pillar Leads, and education leaders to join as the founding group. What founding members get: → Founding Member status on the platform → Direct input into what gets analyzed next → A personalized district comparison report — your district vs. 3 peers of your choosing → A 30-minute strategy call with me to walk through your profile.25 spots. They close Tuesday, Feb 17 at noon. If you're responsible for Blueprint implementation at the district or state level, create your account at MarylandBlueprint.com.Show Note Links:How to Implement (just about) AnythingAccountability and Implementation Board (AIB)Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)State Board

#25 Guest: Eric Roberts & Brady Wheeler

In this episode, I’m joined by two Baltimore leaders advancing career readiness at scale, Brady Wheeler, Senior Program Manager for the Baltimore City Career Coach Initiative at the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, and Eric Roberts, Director of Post-Secondary Success at Baltimore City Public Schools.
Together, we dive into Maryland Blueprint Pillar 3 (college & career readiness) and what it takes to implement career coaching for students in grades 6–12, including the state’s ambitious goal that 45% of graduates will complete a registered apprenticeship or earn an industry-recognized credential by 2030–2031.
Baltimore City’s approach has scaled quickly now supporting 115 schools with 46 career coaches, reaching 73% of middle schoolers and 55% of high school students. Last year, coaches facilitated 2,000+ events and engaged 500+ employer partners to expand access to real career exploration opportunities.
Top 3 Insights: 
Scaling fast takes trust + principal buy-in: The team shares how town halls, regular check-ins, and school-by-school support helped strengthen implementation.
Career planning starts in middle school: Blueprint’s six-year plan sets the expectation that every student builds a pathway from middle school through graduation.
It’s a team sport: Eric describes the “triangle offense” — career coaches, counselors, post-secondary advisors, and partners working together to support every student’s next steps. 
We close with what’s next: stronger shared systems, aligned professional learning, and better data visibility so every team member can support students more seamlessly.

#24 Blog: Government for Good

Government for Good: Why Implementation Matters Now More Than Ever
I once sat in Baltimore City Hall watching Mayor O'Malley review data dashboards tracking everything from potholes to crime stats. "Show me your data," he'd demand of department heads. This wasn't political theater—it was government using evidence to serve people effectively.
As we face critical challenges in governance today, the question isn't about right vs. left politics. It's about whether we'll use evidence to lift all people, with targeted support for those who need it most.
At EdScale, we're committed to this vision in education—focusing on implementation, the critical space between plans and results. We help leaders ask: What are our priorities? What does evidence say works? How do we track progress and course correct?
The stakes are our children's futures. The choice is between evidence-based governance that serves all people or power-based governance that serves itself.Show Note Links:- Bill of Rights Institute – Founders’ quotes (Madison “elective despotism”)- Moneyball for Government” book (Nussle & Orszag)- James Madison quote (“The people are the only legitimate fountain of power”)

#23 Guest: End of Year Review: Podcasts from May-Nov

Kicking off the new year with highlights in our end-of-year podcast compilation featuring incredible education leaders and practitioners. 🎉
Throughout the second half of the year, we had the pleasure of recording conversations with leaders who are doing the hard, real work of implementing change across education systems—and this episode brings together some of the moments that resonated most with our listeners.
Key insights from this compilation include:
Why early childhood (0–5) is one of the highest-impact public investments we can make
How leaders scale systems with clarity—not complexity—and keep quality at the center
What it really takes to support educators through strong workforce strategies and career pathways
Why implementation succeeds when leaders invest in people, trust, and consistent execution
A huge thank you to Laura Weeldreyer, Derek Mitchell, Joanna Staib, Jon Wickert, and Dr. Maria Navarro for sharing their insights, experience, and leadership.
As we head into the new year, we’re grateful for these conversations—and excited to keep learning alongside leaders committed to improving outcomes for students, educators, and communities.

#22 Guest: Joanna Staib and Jon Wickert on Delaware Pathways now provides 70% of the state’s students with career-ready skills

In this episode, I’m joined by two of Delaware’s workforce and CTE leaders — Joanna Staib, Statewide Coordinator of Delaware’s new Office of Workforce Development, and Dr. Jon Wickert, Director of Career & Technical Education at the Delaware Department of Education.Together, they co-chair Delaware Pathways, a statewide strategy designed to ensure every learner has a clear, supported route to career and life success. Delaware Pathways has scaled fast — reaching 68% of Delaware high school students and 84% of middle school students — and the state is aiming even higher over the next few years.
Top 3 Insights: 
Scale with clarity, not complexity: Jon shares that the biggest driver of growth has been a simple, shared vision — with clear measures of success — and leadership that keeps partners aligned. Quality and trust come before speed.
Career navigators start in 6th grade: A major next step is building a true advising pipeline beginning in middle school. Navigators will help students explore careers early, “toe-dip” into pathways, and switch within clusters without starting over — all to ensure a smooth transition into high school and beyond.
This is a workforce strategy — full stop: Joanna explains why Pathways goes far beyond K-12. Delaware is pushing to grow immersive work-based learning from 15% to 45%, and expand registered apprenticeships from 2,000 students to 3,000, backed by stronger cross-agency coordination and new data systems.We close with a powerful north star: not just helping students make a plan, but ensuring they “land successfully on day one” after graduation — in college, training, or a career with real economic mobility.
Links mentioned for show notes:Delaware Pathways WebsiteDelaware Student Success Website

#21 Special Edition: The Audiobook Launch of “How to Implement (Just About) Anything”

In this special episode, I celebrate the two-year anniversary of my book How to Implement (Just About) Anything, now available as an audiobook on Audible!
I share reflections on what has changed and what still holds true about implementation since the book’s release, and introduce a short excerpt from one of the book’s most practical insights for leaders driving change in real-world systems.
Links mentioned from show notes:
Listen to the audiobook: How to Implement (Just About) Anything – Audible
Explore all episodes: EdScale Podcast

#20 Blog: Go See the Work: What Delaware’s Early Literacy Site Visits Revealed

Go See the Work: What Delaware's Early Literacy Site Visits Revealed
Delaware is tackling early literacy with purpose and precision. In this episode, we explore what happened when Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and her team visited the work in action across five schools. The visits revealed powerful insights: • When schools commit to core practices and use data effectively, students thrive • Teachers using explicit, systematic instruction are seeing results • Consistent implementation of science-based reading practices makes the differenceGovernor Meyer has declared an early literacy emergency "not as a slogan, but because our students deserve better." Secretary Marten is focusing on "keeping the main thing the main thing" - strong daily K-3 reading instruction. Delaware is betting on core classroom instruction, not supplemental programs, to move the needle on early literacy. They're backing this commitment with resources, including the Bridge to Practice grant and support for classroom materials. The ultimate test? Today's kindergartners. When they reach third grade, their reading success will be the truest measure of this collective work.Links mentioned for show notes:- Blog- Read more about the Rehoboth visit- Watch the opening keynote- The Delaware Early Literacy Playbook- Delaware is investing up to $7.2M through the Bridge to Practice grant, focused specifically on early literacy preparation and development (learn more here). They are also providing up to $750 per approved project in additional resources directly to teachers through DonorsChoose.org (learn more here).