When an innovation doesn’t work, it’s not always a failure of concept. It’s most often a failure in implementation. Well-researched ideas from the laboratory rarely transfer to the messy, underfunded, time-poor realities of schools. It’s like designing a fuel efficient engine and then asking drivers to focus on consumption when, in reality, their main challenge is the unruly, disinterested passengers that they have to guide every single day. 

It is, and always has been, the teachers who determine what works and what doesn’t. Leaders decide what to focus on, of course, and students play a considerable role in determining the ambiance of, and attitudes towards, schooling. But, by far the most significant influence on student learning is what teachers say and do every day in their classrooms. Research supports this but so too, do almost everyone’s childhood experiences. If you think for a moment about your own school days, I bet you can think of teachers who had high expectations compared to those who simply went through the motions of delivering content; staff who showed joy in being with young people and those who would have been happier if it wasn’t for those pesky kids. Whatever your teachers were like, I bet you adapted your responses accordingly – whether to be engaged or not, optimistic or pessimistic; mentally present or to look for ways to skip the lesson.

For any innovation to work, no matter how well researched it is, the teachers will be the gatekeepers to success – or failure. They are the ones who should be at the heart of implementation; the ones who should be given the time, the opportunity – and very often, the  training – to transform a good idea into great practice.