What if your next breakthrough didn’t come from adding something new—but from seeing your current work differently?
We were on a coaching call with a school leader last week, and she was doing all the right things. Vision? Check. Objectives? Check. A whole team committed to improvement? Check.
But here’s where things got interesting: their team had carved out a fourth meeting every month to focus on instructional shifts—specifically, deep questioning. The rest of the time was spent on data talks, student interventions, formative assessments.
All great stuff, right?
Except she was seeing these as two trains on separate tracks.
The “shifts” were happening over there… while the actual teaching and learning was happening over here.
So we asked a simple question:
What if we stopped treating improvement like something extra—and started embedding it into what’s already happening?
No new plate. No new train. Just better coordination of the one you’re already riding.
Improvement doesn’t mean adding more. It means getting clearer about what matters—and making sure the work you’re already doing is aligned with the results you actually want. The smartest leaders don’t juggle more plates. They align their strategy with their schedule.
Most school teams are seemingly stuck not because they’re doing too little—but because they’re doing too much in silos. One plan for assessment. Another for instruction. Another for interventions. It’s no wonder progress feels slow and messy.
That’s why we had this conversation and needed to share it with you. To remind math leaders that improvement isn’t about more—it’s about clarity. To help you stop seeing your efforts as competing priorities and start building one cohesive, high-impact system.
Here’s what we suggested:
Stop treating instructional shifts (like better questioning) as a separate initiative. Instead, embed them directly into your existing formative assessment cycle and response to data.
What That Means Practically:
- Don’t Add Another Meeting:
Instead of using the 4th PLC meeting of the month just for instructional shifts (e.g., “questioning”), build that focus into your weekly existing data discussions. - Align the Two Trains:
Your data cycles and your instructional practice improvements shouldn’t be two separate “trains” running parallel.
→ Make them one cohesive track.
→ Example: When discussing data, look at where students are struggling and ask, “What instructional shift (like higher-order questioning) could prevent these gaps next time?” - Start Small, Then Layer:
Begin with fewer action steps. Fully implement one before adding another.
→ Once your team is consistently leveraging data for targeted intervention, then start layering in Tier 1 shifts like improving classroom questioning. - Build Tier 1 from Tier 2 Learnings:
Look at what’s working in your Tier 2 interventions (small groups, peer tutoring, reteaching strategies).
→ Ask: “Could this benefit all students if brought into Tier 1 instruction?” - Use the Formative Assessment Cycle for Teacher Learning:
Let the data drive teacher learning, too. If students consistently struggle with certain types of questions, ask:
→ “Do our teachers understand the structure and depth of these questions?”
→ “Do they need support modeling these in Tier 1?”
If your team is exhausted from chasing a dozen improvement goals and still not seeing the impact—You don’t need more plans. You need better alignment.
If you and your team could use some guidance and support this year or next around building a sustainable and aligned math improvement plan then book a call with our team to see if one of our programs is right for you.
For Leaders Facing the Same Challenge
If your district’s math progress feels tied to one person’s shoulders, you’re not alone. Many improvement efforts stall the moment a key leader moves on.
The good news?
There’s a better way.
By building leadership pipelines and distributing responsibility across coordinators, coaches, and teacher leaders, you can create lasting momentum that outlives any single role.
And remember: sustainability isn’t about doing more alone — it’s about multiplying leadership so the vision continues without you.
Need support building your district’s math leadership pipeline? We’re here to help. Explore our support programs.
