The challenge
Inconsistent Instruction Creating Inconsistent Outcomes
When Superintendent Brandon White and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Ivette Rivera began their leadership roles at Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 in Illinois in 2023, they discovered a district with “phenomenal staff with a deep-rooted desire to do well,” but they also knew they faced a challenge with "pockets of excellence," which they attributed to a lack of consistent expectations and research-based practices for effective instruction across schools.
White and Rivera recognized that their district needed an instructional framework and an aligned set of tools and resources to support its implementation, but they also needed a partner to help facilitate the work and ensure strong professional learning around its planning, implementation, and ongoing success, so they turned to learning Forward for help in supporting this work.
Planning a solution
Facilitating Collaborative Framework Development
Learning Forward's approach centered on helping the district create their own authentic instructional framework rather than adopting a generic solution. Eyolfson met with White's team in October 2023 and designed a comprehensive engagement strategy.
"They wanted to create their own instructional framework, not adopt one, and construct it with people on the ground using research-based materials. My job was to facilitate their thinking, coach them, give them protocols to consider, provide models like a logic model and a KASAB (knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations, and behaviors) model. They took it all to heart." — John Eyolfson, Learning Forward Senior Consultant
Learning Forward's specific contributions included:
Stakeholder engagement strategy: Learning Forward devised questions for nearly a dozen focus group interviews, conducting and synthesizing them to inform the framework's design. The focus groups became the foundation for all subsequent work.
Differentiated professional learning: The team identified different stakeholder needs, recognizing that "a school board member might just need one level of understanding, whereas an instructional coach would need to have a deep understanding."
Implementation support: Throughout the process, Learning Forward provided opportunities for deeper learning about the Standards for Professional Learning through collaborative learning sessions and coaching conversations.
Collaborative process design: Learning Forward helped the district "do this work with the teachers instead of doing to the teachers," ensuring authentic educator engagement and ownership.
Results so far
Dramatic Improvement Across Multiple Measures
Just two years after beginning this collaborative effort, Cary 26 has seen remarkable improvements across multiple indicators:
Academic Achievement Growth
- Student achievement growth improved from 30% to over 55% on district benchmark assessments (STAR)
- The district exceeded its first-year target of 50%, reaching 55% of students meeting or exceeding targeted growth
English Learner Success
- 100% increase in English learners successfully exiting services
- While Illinois averages 6.2 students per year, Cary saw 24 students exit English Learner services —a result White calls "unheard of"
Professional Learning Engagement
- 25% of teachers engaged in coaching cycles, exceeding the first-year goal of 20%
- Previously, there was no structured coaching program in the district
Cultural Transformation
- Teachers report that coaching, curriculum maps, and other framework-based tools are helping them improve their practice
- Teachers no longer see principals as "building managers" but as instructional leaders
- Principals are actively engaging in meaningful walkthroughs and instructional conversations
Organizational Coherence
"At the district office, it gave us a common goal, common language, a common direction. We are a stronger team today than we were a year ago as a result of this process." — Ivette Rivera
The district's strategic plan dashboard now showcases measurable progress in empowering student growth and building a learning culture, directly linked to the instructional framework implementation.
Learning Forward's approach to change management
Learning Forward facilitates sustainable change centered on collaborative capacity building rather than prescriptive solutions. We recognize that lasting transformation occurs when educators are empowered to create their own research-based frameworks grounded in their specific context and community needs. This approach begins with systematic stakeholder engagement to understand the current reality and foster authentic ownership for change. Rather than imposing external models, Learning Forward consultants serve as facilitators and coaches, providing proven protocols, research-based tools, and professional learning frameworks while ensuring that local voices drive the design process.
Our change management philosophy is deeply rooted in the Standards for Professional Learning, which provide a research-based foundation for sustainable educator development and instructional improvement. Learning Forward understands that effective change requires differentiated support for various stakeholder groups. From school board members who need conceptual understanding to instructional coaches who require deep implementation knowledge, by combining systematic professional learning with collaborative decision-making processes, Learning Forward helps organizations build the internal capacity needed for ongoing improvement. This approach ensures that initiatives don't depend on external consultants for sustainability but rather create self-reinforcing systems where educators continue to grow, collaborate, and refine their practices long after the initial partnership concludes.
Learn more about what this approach can do for your organization:
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Learning Forward contracts with districts and states to provide high-impact professional learning services and tools to transform professional learning, increase educator capacity, and improve student achievement.
