Implement. Change in Education

#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).
 

#19 Guest: Dr. Maria Navarro on Where High Quality & Diverse Teachers Drive Student Success (Blueprint Pillar 2)

NEW EPISODE: Where High-Quality & Diverse Teachers Drive Student SuccessMy conversation with Dr. Maria Navarro, Superintendent of Charles County Public Schools, reveals a powerful blueprint for educational transformation in action. Dr. Navarro's district has increased teacher diversity from 37.8% to 43.2% while dramatically expanding National Board Certification candidates from 8 to 117 teachers - showing how strategic leadership creates real change.
 
Top 3 Insights:
Teacher-led growth scales: Piloting the 60/40 model (60% teaching, 40% teacher leadership) enables peer coaching and faster improvement.
Mindsets before mechanics: Naming the idea that moving to high-needs schools can feel like a “demotion” opened honest, equity-centered conversations—and change.
Regional pipelines win: Charles, Calvert, & St. Mary’s are partnering with higher ed to build sustainable teacher pathways.
The Blueprint reforms aren't just policy—they're changing how educators work together while keeping excellent teachers in classrooms through meaningful career advancement.

#18 Blog: Five Lesson from Chefs for Education Leaders

For Father's Day, I was given a family-friendly cooking class from my wife and boys (3rd and 6th grade). The experience reminded me of how cooking and education have quite a bit in common. Including cuts and burns! Chefs know that success in the kitchen doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through *mise-en-place* (“everything in its place”). Leaders face the same challenge: prepare well, or get lost in the rush. In this episode, we discuss how the chef's discipline of *mise-en-place* ("everything in its place") offers powerful lessons for education leaders seeking deeper focus: - Preparation before action - Clear tools and workflows - Mindset of readiness - Economy of motion - Continuous improvement Leadership, like cooking, is an art built on discipline. Links mentioned for show notes:- Blog: https://edscalellc.com/five-lesson-from-chefs-for-education-leaders/- James Beard award-winning Baltimore chef Cindy Wolf talks about leadership in the kitchen

#17 Guest: Blueprint Advisory Committee Pillar 5 Presentation

Making Reform Real: Lessons from Maryland’s Blueprint
Want to implement ambitious education reforms that actually stick? Maryland’s Blueprint shows us the stakes — and the lessons.
I recently joined the Blueprint Pillar 5 Advisory Committee to share insights on how communication and implementation strategies can make or break systemic reform. While Maryland is the case study, these lessons apply anywhere leaders are trying to drive meaningful change.
The takeaway? Policy sets the direction, but success is 90% about implementation. Clear roles, timely updates, and school-first communication are what build trust, accelerate learning, and scale what works.
Whether you’re in education leadership, policy, or school improvement, these strategies can help your initiatives gain traction.
Listen now to hear how we can align big reforms with everyday practice — and make communication the bridge between intent and reality.
 
 

#16 Blog: CACTE Closing Keynote Leveraging Change for Students (overview)

Finding Our Stride in Times of Change!Change is hard — but when we embrace it, it opens the door to possibilities we never saw before. Driving back from CACTE through the Rockies, I was reminded that change often feels like stepping into the unknown, but those paths can lead to powerful growth.As William Bridges writes in Managing Transitions, change is like a marathon. Leadership isn’t about sprinting ahead; it’s about ensuring everyone crosses the finish line together. The real measure of leadership isn’t speed — it’s how many people finish the race with you.In this episode, we discuss 4 keys to leading change well: - Get clear on the vision - Scale what’s already working - Build feedback loops - Stay consistent Links mentioned for show notes:- Blog: CACTE Closing Keynote Leveraging Change for Students (overview)- Colorado Association for Career and Technical Education (CACTE)- You can listen to my full talk here (on my podcast)- Book reference: Managing Transitions by William Bridges- Synergy Stick

#15 Guest: CACTE Closing Keynote- Leveraging Change for Students

EdScale's Founder Tom DeWire gave the closing keynote in July 2025 at the annual CACTE Summit in Colorado to talk about change management.  It was an incredible gathering of over 400 educators in Colorado focused on career and technical education. 
Since 1917, Colorado Association for Career and Technical Education (CACTE) has been the largest state organization supporting CTE educators in their efforts to prepare students for career and life success.
EdScale co-designed breakouts right after this session for their members to put the learnings from the conference into practice around four key questions relevant to educators in Colorado.  It was a pleasure to work with such a committed group of educators!
Change is inevitable. But how we implement it—that’s the choice. At CACTE, I left the group with a few key takeaways:
Get clear together before diving into details.
Obsess over what’s working.
Build feedback loops for course correction.
And above all, stay consistent.
Because the real measure of leadership isn’t how fast you get to the finish line—it’s how many people cross it with you.