Implement. Change in Education

Kicking off the new year with highlights in our end-of-year podcast compilation featuring incredible education leaders and practitioners. 🎉

Throughout the second half of the year, we had the pleasure of recording conversations with leaders who are doing the hard, real work of implementing change across education systems—and this episode brings together some of the moments that resonated most with our listeners.

Key insights from this compilation include:

A huge thank you to Laura Weeldreyer, Derek Mitchell, Joanna Staib, Jon Wickert, and Dr. Maria Navarro for sharing their insights, experience, and leadership.

As we head into the new year, we’re grateful for these conversations—and excited to keep learning alongside leaders committed to improving outcomes for students, educators, and communities.

In this episode, I’m joined by two of Delaware’s workforce and CTE leaders — Joanna Staib, Statewide Coordinator of Delaware’s new Office of Workforce Development, and Dr. Jon Wickert, Director of Career & Technical Education at the Delaware Department of Education.

Top 3 Insights: 

Links mentioned for show notes:

In this special episode, I celebrate the two-year anniversary of my book How to Implement (Just About) Anything, now available as an audiobook on Audible!

I share reflections on what has changed and what still holds true about implementation since the book’s release, and introduce a short excerpt from one of the book’s most practical insights for leaders driving change in real-world systems.

Links mentioned from show notes:

Listen to the audiobook: How to Implement (Just About) Anything – Audible

Explore all episodes: EdScale Podcast

Go See the Work: What Delaware's Early Literacy Site Visits Revealed

Delaware is tackling early literacy with purpose and precision. In this episode, we explore what happened when Secretary of Education Cindy Marten and her team visited the work in action across five schools.

NEW EPISODE: Where High-Quality & Diverse Teachers Drive Student Success

Top 3 Insights:

The Blueprint reforms aren't just policy—they're changing how educators work together while keeping excellent teachers in classrooms through meaningful career advancement.

For Father's Day, I was given a family-friendly cooking class from my wife and boys (3rd and 6th grade). The experience reminded me of how cooking and education have quite a bit in common. Including cuts and burns!

Making Reform Real: Lessons from Maryland’s Blueprint

Want to implement ambitious education reforms that actually stick? Maryland’s Blueprint shows us the stakes — and the lessons.

I recently joined the Blueprint Pillar 5 Advisory Committee to share insights on how communication and implementation strategies can make or break systemic reform. While Maryland is the case study, these lessons apply anywhere leaders are trying to drive meaningful change.

The takeaway? Policy sets the direction, but success is 90% about implementation. Clear roles, timely updates, and school-first communication are what build trust, accelerate learning, and scale what works.

Whether you’re in education leadership, policy, or school improvement, these strategies can help your initiatives gain traction.

Listen now to hear how we can align big reforms with everyday practice — and make communication the bridge between intent and reality.

Finding Our Stride in Times of Change!

EdScale's Founder Tom DeWire gave the closing keynote in July 2025 at the annual CACTE Summit in Colorado to talk about change management.  It was an incredible gathering of over 400 educators in Colorado focused on career and technical education. 

Since 1917, Colorado Association for Career and Technical Education (CACTE) has been the largest state organization supporting CTE educators in their efforts to prepare students for career and life success.

EdScale co-designed breakouts right after this session for their members to put the learnings from the conference into practice around four key questions relevant to educators in Colorado.  It was a pleasure to work with such a committed group of educators!

Change is inevitable. But how we implement it—that’s the choice. At CACTE, I left the group with a few key takeaways:

Because the real measure of leadership isn’t how fast you get to the finish line—it’s how many people cross it with you.

What does it take to build and retain a strong, more diverse educator workforce? This episode spotlights Delaware’s bold approach to strengthening the teacher pipeline, and how one state is turning strategy into sustainable, statewide impact.

Inside the episode:

How Delaware is tackling teacher shortages with short- and long-term strategies

Why partnerships, pathways, and pipelines are reshaping the educator workforce

What it means to build capacity through systems, not just programs

How the Delaware DOE is creating a national model for teacher recruitment and retention

Learn how EdExcel and CTE leaders are turning vision into action—with support from EdScale—and how the sold-out Teacher Pathways Showcase captured the momentum underway. Stay tuned for more updates and insights!

Links mentioned for show notes:

Delaware Workforce Development Board