Why does student success depend more on which classroom door they walk through than which school they attend? Educational leader and author Michael McDowell tackles the challenge of classroom-to-classroom variance, arguing that schools must move from tolerating isolated brilliance to building collective excellence through shared instructional standards.

Drawing on research from John Hattie, Clayton Christensen, and habit science, Michael explores the tension between teacher autonomy and professional standards of care. He offers a practical framework for leaders: identify high-impact practices that matter most (like assessment-capable learning and academic discourse), break them into small stackable routines, and create systems—from reimagined PLCs to see-one-do-one-teach-one professional learning—that enable consistent implementation across all classrooms. Through concrete examples ranging from kindergarteners using complex sentences to discuss geometry to two-week instructional sprints, Michael demonstrates how focusing on a few priorities and going slow to go far creates sustainable, schoolwide improvement.

Key Insights

• Standards of Care Over Unlimited Autonomy: Why education needs clear guardrails on what works best, not just what works
• Execution Over Planning: How schools mistake motion for progress and why leaders must focus on observable student change
• Everything Works, But Not Equally: Why choosing high-impact practices over low-yield strategies is a leadership imperative
• Simplicity Scales: How breaking complex practices into small, stackable routines enables sustainable change
• See One, Do One, Teach One: Why professional learning must include immediate practice, not just planning to implement
• PLCs as Fitness Clubs: How shifting from data analysis marathons to quick action cycles transforms teacher collaboration
• The Courage to Go Slow: Why sustained focus on a few priorities outperforms scattered efforts across many initiatives

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