Want to inspire schoolwide change as a leader? First, create conditions for bravery.

More than 23 years ago, my journey in education began as a kindergarten teacher, where I discovered my passion for teaching young children to read. Right from the start, I noticed the diverse reading abilities among my students – some were just learning their letters while others could already decode words. At that time, the approach often meant applying a uniform curriculum to the whole class, but I quickly realized that this approach didn’t cater to the unique needs of each child. I did not want to use a “cookie cutter, one-size fits all” approach.

As an elementary school teacher, I dedicated myself to developing a teaching model that would meet students where they were. I sought additional professional development opportunities and experimented with station rotations, small-group teaching, flipped learning and personalized feedback. These methods yielded significant progress, motivating me to challenge every student, regardless of their starting point. Moving away from the traditional teacher-centered approach, I centered my focus on creating a student-centered environment that addressed the needs of all learners.

Transitioning first into instructional coaching and later into school leadership at the junior high level, I carried forward the lessons and successes from my early teaching experiences. Junior high marks a critical juncture where many students begin to disengage from school. Recognizing signs of disconnection among our students, I knew we needed to revolutionize our approach to education.

Thus began our journey to transform our junior high from a traditional to a personalized school model. We prioritized student voice and choice, implementing a flipped learning approach that allowed students to pace themselves. A pivotal step was removing all points, percentages and extra credit, aiming to shift the focus from grades to intrinsic learning. Introducing a “learning process” scale and proficiency rubrics provided clear roadmaps for student progress, liberating teachers to circulate, conference individually and provide tailored feedback. This shift created stronger relationships and a supportive learning environment where students felt safe to explore, fail, and ultimately, grow.

Our commitment to personalized learning evolved over time, empowering students to choose how they learn and demonstrate mastery. By removing constraints like seat time requirements, we enabled students to accelerate their learning, such as completing two years of math in one year through our self-pacing programs. This approach instilled a sense of autonomy and purpose in our students, transforming student engagement from compliance to active participation, evident in improved attendance and assessment outcomes.

Equally rewarding has been witnessing our teachers rediscover their passion and empowerment in their roles. Many have shared how they feel reenergized, reconnecting with the core of why they entered teaching. It is evident that they will not go back to teaching at a traditional model school now that they have tried the personalized model. 

Implementing such substantial changes required a collective effort across our school community, underpinned by a culture built on bravery.

How we built a culture of bravery for our staff

Revolutionizing our school in this way required risk-taking and courage. Often, teachers don’t dare to risk something completely different, even when they can see that what they’re doing isn’t meeting all students’ needs, because they don’t know if their leaders have their backs. I had to start by sending a strong message: We’re all in this together, and it’s okay to be vulnerable and grow through mistakes. Here are some moves I recommend:

• Let teachers know that you need each of their strengths as you carry out the change.  

The first work in this process needed to be done by me, as the school leader. For teachers to feel comfortable trying something new and risk exposing mistakes and growth areas, they needed to feel secure in their place on the team. They needed to feel valued and seen for their individual strengths. I consistently communicated that if we were going to transform our school, we needed the contributions of every team member. 

• Ground the team in your purpose.

In every conversation, I grounded the focus on student needs. That’s the way to connect with teachers’ “why” and inspire them to come along with you. By staying student-centered and offering research-backed ideas, we maintained a shared purpose, built on our core values as educators. 

• Communicate your own vulnerability and growth areas. 

I was an elementary educator stepping into a role leading junior high. While I knew that my approach could work and thought I had a track record to back it up, I didn’t know everything about junior high that our veteran teachers knew. I’m not a geometry expert, and I don’t have a degree in history. By communicating my areas of growth and creating a schoolwide vision, I could position my teachers as experts in our collaboration meetings based on what their strengths were.   

• Make it clear that when you expect risk-taking, you expect mistakes.

I told teachers, “I want you to trust your gut. This first year is going to be a year of vulnerability.” I let them know I expected to hear them ask for help, try new things, collaborate and problem-solve collectively. We had to make it clear that feedback isn’t criticism and that we were all growing together. When we try things we’ve never tried before, we have to expect missteps and problems. I didn’t want teachers to try to hide problems for me or just forge ahead with a practice that wasn’t working. I wanted us to be proactive so we could build together. 

• Celebrate every win.

Stepping away from points and percentages in student grades meant that teachers needed to find new ways for students to notice and celebrate their growth – and I needed to do the same for my staff. Every Friday we celebrate success schoolwide. 

• Give teachers voice and choice. 

We have to make sure that our teachers are empowered and can actually teach something they’re passionate about and believe in. That’s why I invite their input before purchasing materials and resources, and it’s why I let them know that if they come to me with an idea for outside-the-box learning, I’ll do what I can to acquire the tools or technologies they need to make their vision a reality.  Treat your teachers like the professionals they are. 

• Hire the question-askers and risk-takers. 

In hiring, I look for candidates who are willing to challenge and question the traditional approach and candidates who have big, innovative ideas that may or may not work out. I look for teachers who aren’t content to keep doing the same things over and over. I do not hire robots, and I do not want to create a school full of robots. I want to meet the needs of ALL learners in staff and students.  

The investment is worth it. Here’s what our team achieved together:

We overhauled our grading system, and now students and educators can more clearly see progress and learning. We noticed that our existing percentage-based points systems created a gap between assessment and genuine learning. Students could learn to play school like a game, doing extra credit to build up their grades, even if their assessments along the way had shown gaps in understanding. We replaced that system with a schoolwide proficiency-based approach, tied to our learning standards, which made it possible for both teachers and students to more clearly see progress.  

We built a schoolwide learning model built on choice and emphasizing flipped learning. Just like my first kindergarten students, our junior high students arrived with a range of levels of readiness. We began to offer more choice in assignments and assessments, and we implemented the flipped learning model so that teachers spend class time providing one-on-one or small-group support while students receive direct instruction through videos, podcasts and reading. That means I have eighth graders doing eleventh-grade math in the same classroom where other students are getting support to accelerate their learning up to grade level. Everyone is feeling stretched, and the goal was for engagement vs. compliance. 

What I see in my school community now absolutely thrills me. I have a team of dedicated educators who are not just thriving but are deeply committed to providing personalized support for their students. We’ve surpassed the state average in student achievement, and our attendance rates rock. Teachers are eager to join our ranks because they’ve heard about our commitment to putting students first. 

Teaching in our school is demanding. I hold very high expectations, particularly in designing rigorous and relevant assessments and instruction. The educators drawn to our model appreciate the trust and value placed in them as professionals. Witnessing their students’ remarkable progress is incredibly rewarding, and learning from my courageous teachers each day is truly inspiring.

Remember, if you teach to the average, you produce average. Moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach is crucial. Personalization involves tailoring the path, place, pace, voice and choice to meet each student’s needs. There’s not one right way to personalize education – take time to explore these avenues to better support your students. You got this! 

Find out more about principal Nicki Slaugh’s approach to personalized learning in her book, Personalize: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners, co-written with Eric Sheninger.