
Take 5: How Refining Strategy Can Support Confident Instructional Work
01/23/2025

Taking a birds-eye view of strategic trade-offs
When you’re responsible for the full scope of children’s education, it’s impossible to be an expert in every aspect of what they require. Striking that balance—crafting an inspiring, directional, and actionable vision—can be incredibly difficult.
Effective leaders across all sectors understand that their decisions carry power. And how those decisions cascade through an organization can often have unanticipated consequences for other parts of the whole.
In education, the stakes are even higher.
The future of the next generation hinges on the instructional moves leaders bet on. Yet, the impact of those decisions does not always connect cleanly back to the original intentions. So, what would it look like to make these high-stakes moves with greater confidence?
Katie Murphy, managing director of system readiness at Leading Educators, emphasizes bringing the classroom perspective closer to system and state education leaders as they balance competing priorities.
Early experiences shaped her journey into education, where Murphy noticed stark differences in opportunities based on her parents’ schooling choices. These observations inspired a career dedicated to service and supporting school systems in delivering opportunity-rich education for all young people.
After college, Katie returned home to New Orleans to teach in her neighborhood school. There, she discovered the joys and challenges of teaching firsthand, reaffirming her belief that every child deserves to feel like school is for them.
She says,
I love seeing kids get excited about something new that they didn’t know before. I love their ability to take that knowledge and expand on it. And I think every kid should have an experience like that.”
Her experiences highlighted the difficulty of aligning people around a vision to create more consistent student experiences, propelling her to help leaders navigate these complexities. With a bird’s-eye view of the education system, Katie has seen systems of all sizes grapple with the same question: How can we ensure our decisions truly improve teaching and learning?
I recently spoke with Katie to explore how system leaders can work toward greater alignment in an era of rapid change.
What have you learned about where systems are focused right now?
I’ve learned that system leaders grapple with similar challenges, whether they’re leading small or large systems. The scale may differ, but their aspirations—and the obstacles to achieving them—are often remarkably alike.
Take, for example, shifting student populations. In some systems, the multilingual learner population is growing rapidly; in others, it’s been relatively large for decades. Both systems face similar challenges in effectively and meaningfully supporting these students.
System leaders need to think systemically. Yet, this level of systems thinking has not traditionally been taught in colleges of education or leadership training.
It’s common sense to understand that when a leader makes a decision, there are ripple effects. However, making intentional decisions requires a refined skill set while anticipating and accounting for all the potential domino effects. That skill isn’t developed enough in many fields, not just education. This gap is one of the root causes of why we keep facing the same systemic challenges year after year.
What are some common challenges district leaders face when driving instructional improvement across their system?
One of the biggest challenges for district leaders is balancing a clear, compelling vision with the sheer complexity of meeting the diverse needs of all students. When you’re responsible for the full scope of children’s education, it’s impossible to be an expert in every aspect of what they require. Striking that balance—crafting an inspiring, directional, and actionable vision—can be incredibly difficult. Leaders need people to feel genuinely motivated by the vision, not just comply.
Another significant challenge is the weight of moral responsibility. Most district leaders I’ve worked with feel deeply obligated to ensure their efforts meet students’ needs. That responsibility makes every decision feel high-stakes. The complexity increases because, as a leader, there are often layers of implementation between you and the students. This barrier can create blind spots—leaders may believe things are going well but lack the information to see where gaps exist between their vision and the reality in classrooms.
Despite abundant data in many systems, there’s often not enough time to critically evaluate which data is truly needed, what it tells us, and where we might be retrofitting interpretations to align with our goals. That’s a real challenge—figuring out how to use data to bridge the gap between vision and impact.
Finally, it’s impossible to ignore the political landscape surrounding education. System leaders constantly navigate this tension. It would be naive to think a Chief Academic Officer’s only concern is ensuring great instruction and learning every day. The reality is much more complex, and as partners or advisors to these systems, we need to acknowledge and work within those dynamics.
How does your team support leaders in meeting instructional challenges?
First, we try to bring the classroom closer to district leaders’ purview. I know they’re juggling numerous priorities and demands on their time, but ultimately, their success hinges on what’s happening in classrooms. Pulling the classroom closer to leaders’ purview means constantly reminding them of their “why” and encouraging a closer look at the decisions and policies in place. Are they truly leading to the outcomes they want for students, or are adjustments needed?
Another way we support district leaders is by helping them prioritize. If they don’t set clear priorities, others will—which leads to too many competing demands with no real focus.
System leaders often have a laundry list of 200 things to do, which makes it difficult to focus on anything. As an outside partner, we can offer a fresh perspective and help them navigate those decisions. Based on what we’ve seen, we provide recommendations that help them focus on high-leverage areas first. We’ll suggest what to tackle right now, what leaders can address later, and where they can make the most significant impact.
That’s how we approach our recommendations in the Snapshot process. Providing a roadmap for prioritization and action, we help system leaders move beyond the overwhelming task of “doing everything” and focus on what truly drives meaningful change.
When should a leader consider a strategic diagnostic like a Snapshot?
If you’re a new district leader, you may have received lots of information—perhaps from school visits or conversations with others—but you still need a clear picture of what’s happening on the ground, backed by quantitative and qualitative data. A “snapshot” helps provide that insight and gives you a solid perspective from which to work.
For example, within your first 60 days, you may need to communicate a clear stance on where things are, even if you don’t plan to make immediate changes. A snapshot can help you establish that perspective and paint a vision for the future, setting the stage for the next 9 to 12 months.
Another situation where a snapshot is helpful is when your team has led an instructional initiative, but you need to assess its progress. Often, initiatives are launched district-wide without clearly defining what success looks like, especially along the way. A snapshot will help you gauge where things are, set milestones, and recommend strategies to monitor progress.
Finally, if you know that a specific area, like math instruction, needs to change, but you’re unclear on the steps to take, a snapshot can help. For example, suppose you want to transition from a direct instruction approach to a problem-based or inquiry-based math framework. In that case, a Snapshot will give you a clearer understanding of what needs to shift, including the mindsets, practices, and structures necessary to support that change. It can also help you assess how challenging this shift might be and what key decisions you must make.
When should a leader request a strategic tool, like a blueprint, and how does it differ from a snapshot?
A tool, like a “blueprint”, is ideal once you clearly envision what you want to achieve. It helps you plan the launch of your initiative, make key decisions, and understand what needs to happen at each stage. While it’s not a detailed work plan, it provides a high-level overview and emphasizes the critical decisions and support required for success.
If you’ve already established your vision but need help operationalizing it, a tool, like a blueprint, provides a framework to guide you through implementation. It ensures that the initiative’s intent and outcomes are supported throughout the system, helping leaders navigate the challenges of making change and ensuring alignment across departments.
Ultimately, customized tools are valuable for leaders managing complex initiatives across multiple time horizons. They offer clarity on the path forward, reduce uncertainty, and help prevent initiatives from losing momentum.
What questions should leaders ask themselves to clarify the support they need, and what actions can they take with their teams?
The first question every leader should ask is, “What’s really happening in our classrooms?” Understanding what students are experiencing in their classrooms is essential. It’s about proximity—being connected to the reality of classroom learning—and protecting your time to focus on this priority. Ultimately, your primary responsibility as a system leader is ensuring that classrooms deliver the learning experiences students need and deserve.
You need to be confident in your perspective on what’s working and what’s not. A deep understanding of classroom realities should inform your decisions. Within your team, you must establish this expectation: everyone knows what’s happening in classrooms and uses that knowledge to guide their work. This certainty is foundational for making impactful decisions.
The second critical role of a system leader is helping your team stretch their time horizons. It’s not just about hitting year-end goals or waiting for the next round of test results. You need to help them think beyond immediate pressures and envision a multi-year trajectory. A tool like a blueprint can be invaluable here. It allows leaders to paint that long-term vision and align their team’s focus toward sustained, meaningful progress over time.
Take Action!
Leading systemic improvement requires clear strategies and aligned action across all levels of your system. Amid budget constraints and new needs, the stakes have never been higher. Our System Advising team helps leaders like you build sustainable plans for instructional coherence and student success.
🗓️ Schedule time to talk with us about your goals.