How To Maintain System Health in Your District and Ensure Long-Term CCR Success

The initiation of any new program or innovative effort within a district is usually accompanied by a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm. Those who have been champions of the initiative within the district have rallied support to ensure funding and are ready and excited to plan, roll out the new offerings, and realize the anticipated benefits. Sustaining that kind of energy and commitment, however, can be challenging, and all-too-often, the success of a particular initiative hinges upon a small group or even a single person. If key personnel retire, take on a new position, leave the district, or just burn out, then the program or initiative is all too often at risk of falling apart. 

Consistency in college and career readiness (CCR) programs is especially important as success requires students to take steps over multiple years which build upon one another. Student learning plans and pathways are made in middle school or early in high school. Disruptions in how CCR plans are tracked, carried out, or what is available to students can have major consequences for students and for the CCR success of the district as a whole. 

Use the tips below to review your current program implementations, create a template for new initiatives, and ensure that CCR programs are embedded in the fabric and culture of the district. Doing this will result in current and future programs requiring less stressful, more sustainable maintenance and be enriched–regardless of their current status. 

Prioritize collaboration

Building a team of people to help with the planning and implementation of a program or initiative means there are additional individuals invested in the success and outcomes. Encouraging collaboration between district departments and between different schools as part of the implementation cultivates new individuals and groups who are involved in the planning and operational needs for the initiative–expanding the overall capacity of the program for years to come. Additionally, dispersing tasks and roles among multiple individuals or a team of people helps to balance the workload and reduce frustration.

Promote transparency

It is vital to make a concerted effort to have ideas during the planning and implementation process–including challenges and barriers–shared openly and in an ongoing fashion. This ensures that when other individuals must step in to lead or work on the program, they are able to learn from past lessons and continue to add value and growth. Being open and transparent throughout the process–especially if change to a current way of doing things is involved–helps individuals better understand why the change is occurring and invites people to feel like they are part of the process rather than having something imposed on them. 

Build in redundancy and resiliency from the start

Any well designed system or program has redundancy built in; no program or initiative will be perfect and it works best to plan for issues that might arise. Because of this, it is critical to build in backup systems for technological issues, a feedback loop for unforeseen challenges, and several individuals who are “in the know” from the beginning. Multiple channels and forms for communication are also vital to promote clarity and ensure everyone is getting the information they need to maximize the reach of the initiative. In short, creating a social fabric of expectation so that there are many members of the school community that know what is coming means that the system is able to productively respond to emergent challenges. This redundancy naturally leads to resiliency and sustainability, with programs and initiatives becoming stronger over time. 

Document processes and define goals

It is essential to document processes, timelines, and the goals and expectations for a new program from the start. This begins with ensuring necessary budgeting and staffing for future fiscal years, planning the cadence of events and interactions with faculty and students, and noting when updates and results are reported to the superintendent, school board, and community. In addition to establishing expectations and timelines, it is important for the programs and initiatives to not be overly reliant on what a single individual knows. Creating a record for how things get done and when the steps occur allows for a seamless transition between staff in the event of personnel changes. Additionally, articulating the processes along with metrics to evaluate outcomes allows for the district to regularly assess the efficacy of a program or resource and to iteratively shift an approach to refine the process. 

Share challenges and successes

It can be very valuable to share challenges along the way to help build a collective knowledge base about what works and what does not to guide future planning. At interim phases of the rollout, check in with practitioners on the ground or building level administrators to get feedback and inform future steps.

In summary, Remember to share successes with educators, board members, families, and the broader community. Implementing a new program, platform, or initiative takes a tremendous amount of work, money, and time. Celebrating with the community of individuals who contributed to the work helps to get buy-in over time and reinforces the connection between the efforts and the outcomes–setting the district up for long-term programmatic sustainability and success.