Mar 19, 2026
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
By: Kendell Hunter
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Most districts are not short on ideas. If anything, they are navigating an ever-growing list of programs, tools, and priorities, all competing for time and attention. Without a clear system for alignment, even strong initiatives can lose momentum and strain staff capacity.
In this session, Dr. Terra Greenwell, former Chief Academic Officer at Jefferson County Public Schools (KY), joined district leaders Kim Marable and Dr. Drew Coleman to share how leadership teams can evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan. Drawing from her experience in one of the nation’s largest districts, Dr. Greenwell outlined a disciplined approach to change management that protects teacher capacity and strengthens long-term implementation.
Throughout the discussion, leaders shared strategies on how to:
- Identify which tools and initiatives truly align with strategic priorities
- Audit current practices and sequence change in a realistic, sustainable way
- Clarify priorities, reduce initiative fatigue, and build systems that support long-term follow-through
If your district is juggling multiple initiatives and working toward stronger coherence, this session offers a practical roadmap to align daily work with long-term goals.
Three Key Takeaways
Alignment gets easier when leaders do less
When every tool, program, and expectation is tied to just a few clear priorities, schools spend less time chasing disconnected work and more time improving what matters most for students. For leaders, that means protecting focus, resisting shiny new additions, and making sure staff can always confidently answer one question: Why are we doing this?
“For an elementary school teacher to, in one year, change to a new style of literacy, possibly a new curriculum, and then do math at the same time, it's too much. So I think when it comes to change, it's really important to know what people can handle in the moment, and when in doubt, ask them and possibly offer an opportunity for choice.”
Dr. Terra Greenwell
Educational and Leadership Consultant and Former Chief Academic Officer
,
Jefferson County Public Schools (KY)
Initiative fatigue often starts with unclear purpose
When teachers feel overloaded, too many moving parts, limited clarity, and poor sequencing can quickly make the work feel heavier than it needs to be. Clear communication, realistic pacing, and stakeholder feedback (including their involvement from the very start) help leaders roll out change in a way that feels manageable and, quite frankly, worth the effort.
“If you're doing it through a slow, manageable way, teachers and school leaders don't feel like you just ripped off a band aid and now we got to do something totally new and just scrapped everything we were doing before.”
Kim Marable
Assessment and Accountability Specialist
,
Rutherford County Schools (TN)
Don’t wait for year-end results to find out if the work is working
Strong change management depends on setting milestones, checking in often, and using both numbers and real feedback from staff to see what’s working. That gives leaders a clearer picture of whether the work is actually moving students in the right direction before too much time passes.
“I think the best way is, as we're sitting down creating the plan, to really identify where we're going to be by the end of a certain point and then backwards mapping or backwards planning on how we're going to check in to see if those things are happening. When we see that, it helps us stay focused.”
Dr. Drew Coleman
Chief of Staff
,
Jeffco Public Schools (CO)
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