About this episode

The episode discusses the drawbacks of large change initiatives in education and advocates for smaller, focused Strategic Action Cycles.

Teaser: We’ve all experienced it – BIG change. Not change as in the pandemic or a hurricane, or even NCLB. I mean BIG change initiatives that we do to ourselves. The programs or solutions we implement to great fanfare, that we pour money and time into, that almost inevitably fade out to be replaced by the next big thing. PBIS, Leader in Me, block scheduling, PLCs/teaming, standards-based assessment, and so much more. It’s not the program or content that’s the problem, it’s the process – specifically the process of BIG change. Today, I’m going to make the argument for ditching BIG change initiatives in favor of much smaller more tightly focused Strategic Action Cycles. I’ll identify the problems with BIG change, share the design philosophy behind Strategic Action Cycles (or SAC) and go through the SAC steps with an example. Fill out this short form to receive your free Strategic Action Cycle guide. Sponsor Spot 1: If you’ve been scrolling through social media this Spring, you’ve probably seen some of your colleagues from other schools on a trip with their students. They’re at Disney, Or D.C., or maybe even across the pond – and if you’re inspired to start planning a future trip…

People in this episode

Host: Frederick Buskey

Topics covered

• change management
• education strategies
• small scale initiatives
• Strategic Action Cycles
• program implementation
• self improvement

Keywords

• change initiatives
• education
• Strategic Action Cycles
• PBIS
• Leader in Me
• block scheduling
• PLCs
• self improvement

Sponsors

Kaleidoscope Adventures

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NCLB, PBIS, Leader in Me, PLCs, Strategic Action Cycles

Places: Disney, D.C., the pond

More episodes of The Assistant Principal Podcast

• A Builder of People with Dr. Robert Maddox · May 5, 2026 · 50 min
• WOW! 300! · April 14, 2026 · 1h 21m
• The Systems Supporting Teacher Growth with Isiah Williams · April 7, 2026 · 43 min
• Guiding Change with Dr. Christie Cooper · March 31, 2026 · 42 min
• Leadership Styles with Dr. Christie Cooper · March 24, 2026 · 58 min
• Five Change Lessons · March 17, 2026 · 13 min

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