Leading the Launch: A Ten-Stage Process for Successful District Initiatives

How do schools and districts make true progress? One step at a time. Leading the Launch offers a ten-stage initiative implementation process proven to help you lead the charge for change with ingenuity, flexibility, responsiveness, and passion. Ideal for a team book study, this resource includes strategies, tools, case studies, and end-of-chapter action plans and checklists to guide your work.

• Learn how to research and develop new school initiatives following an effective, systematic plan.
• Communicate with stakeholders and school personnel to ensure everyone is on the same page with new initiatives.
• Analyze data to help determine whether to move forward with a proposed initiative.
• Explore how to seamlessly implement new systems and initiatives into schools and districts.
• Sustain and balance new initiatives with current systems to guarantee long-term success.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1: Stage 1--Begin Research and Planning
Chapter 2: Stage 2--Pitch the Proposal
Chapter 3: Stage 3--Determine Priorities
Chapter 4: Stage 4--Design the Prototype and Pilot
Chapter 5: Stage 5--Build Stakeholder Engagement
Chapter 6: Stage 6--Gather and Analyze Data
Chapter 7: Stage 7--Make a Decision
Chapter 8: Stage 8--Plan and Deliver Professional Development
Chapter 9: Stage 9--Implement the Initiative
Chapter 10: Stage 10--Provide Ongoing Support
Epilogue: Balancing Acts
References and Resources
Index

Kim Wallace, EdD, is an educational expert with Process Makes Perfect, an education company that uses the cognitive coaching model to develop real-world solutions for educators. She advises, writes, and presents nationally on the topics of 21st century leadership, curriculum and instruction, organizational change, and future trends in education. She also works at the University of California, Berkeley, overseeing a statewide center that provides coaching and support to K-12 administrators and aspiring teacher leaders.

Beginning her career as a 22-year-old high school English and social science teacher at her alma mater, Castro Valley High School in the San Francisco East Bay (where her parents met as high school teachers themselves), Kim eventually shifted into site and district administration hoping to make a larger impact on student learning. She served in a K-12 leadership position as the superintendent of one of the top 20 largest school districts in California. After 26 years as a public educator, Kim decided to branch into higher education to assist graduate schools of education and leadership preparation programs with designing and delivering more relevant and authentic learning experiences for practitioners out in the field.

For her innovative work as an assistant superintendent of instruction, the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) recognized Kim in 2015 as the Region 6 Administrator of the Year for Curriculum and Instruction. Kim also received an Excellence in Education Award as Davis Joint Unified School District's Administrator of the Year from the Yolo County School Boards Association in 2014. On the national platform, she has been invited to deliver several keynote addresses and regularly conducts interactive workshops, such as at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Leadership Summit and RTM K-12 National Superintendents Forum.

Kim earned a bachelor's degree in history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She earned her master's degree in education at the University of California, Los Angeles, and finally culminated her educational goals with a doctorate in education from the University of California, Davis.

To learn more about Kim's work, visit Process Makes Perfect (processmakesperfect.org).