When districts intentionally bring together educators across departments and levels—including those not traditionally involved in math planning—they create shared vision, strengthen alignment, and build the collective ownership needed for lasting instructional change.

Too often, math improvement efforts are designed in silos—by curriculum leaders or senior administrators—with limited input from other departments. The Focus Cadre challenged participating districts to think differently. Rather than starting with a single office or team, each district worked in planning groups that cut across roles, departments, and levels of the system by including representatives from exceptional student education (ESE), English language learning, professional learning, and research and accountability.

Recommendation: Expand the planning team to include representation of  all stakeholders who will contribute to or be affected by implementation, including other departments not traditionally included in the work, such as special education, multicultural, and professional learning departments. Invite participants with purpose and articulate their role in the work.

To drive meaningful change, meet teachers and students where they are, elevate voices that are often overlooked, and weave their insights into every stage of planning and implementation.

Cadre participants explored how to design and execute initiatives not just for students and teachers, but with them, by embedding their perspectives throughout both planning and implementation. Because it’s usually difficult for teachers or students to attend planning meetings, Cadre participants found ways to meet teachers, students, and families where they are through empathy interviews, focus groups, and student panels held in schools and classrooms.

Recommendation: Build in structures to regularly gather and act on stakeholder feedback. Focus especially on those whose voices are often missing from district decision-making. When feedback is put into action, let stakeholders know how their insight and input is driving change.

Including principals in both planning and implementation strengthens school-level execution by ensuring leaders understand the vision, align priorities, and are equipped to support their teams. When principals are engaged from the start, initiatives gain clarity, consistency, and momentum where it matters most—inside schools.

Focus Cadre districts found that successful, school-level implementation of math initiatives hinges on the involvement of principals—not as recipients of district plans, but as full partners in their design and execution. When principals are included in developing the district vision, they can provide crucial context, inform district expectations, and act as an on-the-ground champion of the work. 

Recommendation: Include school leaders in both planning and progress monitoring. Equip them to lead—not just follow—the district’s instructional vision.

Testing a new initiative with a small group before scaling gives districts the opportunity to evaluate, adjust, and refine their approach early. This supports stronger, more effective implementation when scaling up.

District teams embraced prototyping as a disciplined approach to change—starting small, learning quickly, and scaling smarter. Rather than launching initiatives districtwide all at once, they tested ideas with a limited group of schools or classrooms. This allowed teams to move from design to action in manageable steps, adjusting tools and supports in real time based on feedback. In all Focus Cadre districts, limiting the pilot to a few schools helped maintain momentum even through staffing disruptions and weather-related closures. Leaders found that working with a smaller group made it easier to spot challenges, respond quickly, and build confidence before scaling.

Recommendation: Pilot first with early adopters. Involve them in planning, gather feedback through short learning cycles, and use those insights to refine your approach. Scale only after you’ve seen what works.

Districts that built routines to monitor implementation and early outcomes—rather than waiting for end-of-year data—were better able to stay focused, identify challenges, and respond quickly to improve results.

At the outset of the Focus Cadre, many districts were already collecting data. What shifted was how and when they used it. Rather than waiting for lagging indicators—such as end-of-year assessment scores—district teams began to identify and track leading indicators that could provide earlier insight into whether their instructional priorities were taking root. This more proactive approach helped districts course-correct in real time, rather than looking backward after opportunities to adjust had passed.

Recommendation: Define success clearly, then monitor leading indicators—like classroom practice, teacher feedback, and student work—that reflect early signs of progress. Center voices closest to the work and use what you learn to adjust plans and improve support.