11 districts were studied as they implemented "bold ideas" for school reform last year. Here are the lessons learned.

CRPE partnered with 11 districts across the country to support and study their “Bold Ideas” for school reform. (credit: CRPE)Over the 2023–24 school year, The Center on Reinventing Public Education partnered with 11 districts across the country to support and study their “Bold Ideas”—ambitious initiatives designed to make student learning more joyful, individualized, and relevant. These pilots weren’t just tech upgrades or isolated experiments. They were aimed at deep, structural change: reimagining instruction, leadership, and how school systems support learning.

These 11 districts were selected because they demonstrated “readiness”—a clear vision, committed leadership, and early-stage community engagement. But even the most prepared districts encountered serious implementation challenges.

CRPE has just released a research brief analyzing lessons learned over a year of implementation in these school systems, which is available on their website here.

Main findings about change management and leadership included:

• A committed executive-level champion and adequate pilot team capacity are essential elements to sustain a new initiative against competing priorities
• Pilot teams need sophisticated change management and training strategies to bring key constituents along
• User feedback data, ideally systematically collected, can help pilot teams adjust course
• Savvy relationship and political management strategies can help address policy barriers
• Sustainability and succession plans are essential

The most common challenges included:

• Leadership turnover
• Getting teacher buy-in
• Inadequate professional development
• Principal ownership and leadership
• Inadequate data systems
• Policy and political constraints
• Competing priorities 

Researchers' recommendations for leading large-scale initiatives:

• Prioritize executive sponsorship and cross-departmental capacity to keep innovation on the agenda.
• Build teacher buy-in with a clear instructional “why”—and design professional development that reflects it.
• Involve principals early as “innovation leaders,” not just site managers.
• Invest in feedback loops that include teachers, students, and families—and make course corrections based on what you hear.
• Plan for leadership transitions with sustainability strategies baked into the work.
• Match change management tactics to specific, real-time challenges instead of relying on one-size-fits-all playbooks.