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Systemic Implementation

We need to set up our schools so learners benefit equitably from access, opportunity, and support across the school and district.

Leadership roles in systemic implementation

School and district leaders understand that building and coordinating pieces of a system takes time, continual monitoring, and a commitment to adjusting course and evolving to meet the needs of learners.

Leaders and leadership teams oversee and sustain systemic implementation by:

  • Connecting implementation with state and regional goals, mandates, and resources,
  • conveying the importance and relationship of each staff member’s role and responsibilities toward the success of the system,
  • developing implementation drivers to establish the infrastructure needed to improve and sustain new and existing instructional and behavioral supports,
  • establishing linked implementation teams to leverage implementation science principles and systems change best practice,
  • equipping staff to fulfill their roles and responsibilities through strategic professional development, collaborative structures, and job-embedded coaching,
  • evaluating potential new initiatives in terms of alignment with, duplication of, and value added to existing initiatives, and
  • focusing on a clear, shared vision of success for every learner.

Leaders use implementation science to study factors influencing the full and effective use of an equitable, multi-level system of supports. Implementation science is the study of factors influencing the full and effective use of innovations in practice.

Does your team use the four stages of implementation science for systemic implementation?

  • Exploration – establish a clear, shared vision of success for every learner, assess need, build readiness, plan and connect implementation with state and regional goals, requirements, and resources, develop communication and data collection processes
  • Installation – adjust structures and functions, identify and allocate resources, develop coaching and professional development plans, convey importance and relationship of each staff member’s role and responsibilities toward success of the system, communicate efforts through linked implementation teams
  • Initial Implementation – provide professional development and coaching during implementation, use a continuous improvement process to resolve system issues, provide a decision support data system to empower individuals and teams to understand, and deepen ownership for implementation of an equitable, multi-level system of supports
  • Full Implementation – commit to long-range implementation with continuous monitoring and improvement, maintain and improve skills, evaluate for expected outcomes