De-implementation: Creating the Space to Focus on What Works

by Peter M. DeWitt

Overview

When it comes to school initiatives, more isn’t always better.

Today’s educators are buried under old practices, new ideas, and recommended initiatives. Before you’re tempted to add just one more idea to the pile, take a step back—and an objective look—so that you and your teachers can decide which practices to keep, which to modify, and which to eliminate altogether. This guide provides:

• A research- and evidence-based framework for determining efficacy
• Practical steps for removing, reducing, or replacing ineffective practices
• Action steps, examples, and tips for beginning the work
• Templates for charting your school’s individual path to de-implementation

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071885215
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	06/20/2022
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	255,471
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Peter De Witt (Ed.D) is the founder and CEO of the Instructional Leadership Collective. He was a K-5 teacher for 11 years and a principal for 8 years. For the last 10 years, he has been facilitating professional learning nationally, and internationally, based on the content of many of his best-selling educational books.

De Witt's professional learning relationships are a monthly hybrid approach that includes both coaching and the facilitating workshops on instructional leadership and collective efficacy.

Additionally, in the Summer of 2021, De Witt created a year long on-demand, asynchronous coaching course through Thinkific where he has created a community of learners that include k-12 educators in leadership positions.

De Witt's work has been adopted at the state level, university level, and he works with numerous school districts, school boards, regional networks, ministries of education around North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the U.K.

Peter writes the Finding Common Ground column for Education Week, which has been in circulation since 2011. In 2020 De Witt co-created Education Week's A Seat At the Table where he moderates conversations with experts around the topics of race, gender, sexual orientation, research, trauma and many other educational topics.

Additionally, De Witt is the Series Editor for the Connected Educator Series (Corwin Press) and the Impact Series (Corwin Press) that include books by Viviane Robinson, Andy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg, Yong Zhao and Michael Fullan.

He is the 2013 School Administrators Association of New York State's (SAANYS) Outstanding Educator of the Year, and the 2015 Education Blogger of the Year (Academy of Education Arts & Sciences), and sits on numerous advisory boards.

Peter is the author, co-author or contributor of numerous books. Click on title to purchase. They include:
Dignity for All: Safeguarding LGBT Students (Corwin Press. 2012).

Flipping Leadership Doesn't Mean Reinventing the Wheel (Corwin Press. 2014)

Collaborative Leadership: 6 Influences That Matter Most (Corwin Press/Learning Forward).

School Climate: Leading With Collective Teacher Efficacy (Corwin Press/ Ontario Principals Council. 2017).

Coach It Further: Using the Art of Coaching to Improve School Leadership (Corwin Press. 2018).

Instructional Leadership: Creating Practice Out Of Theory (Corwin Press. 2020).

Collective Leader Efficacy: Strengthening the Impact of Instructional Leadership Teams (Corwin Press. Learning Forward. 2021).

De-implementation: Creating the Space to Focus on What Works (Corwin Press. 2022).

Leading with Intention - Developing self-awareness to fostering an unreasonable human interconnectedness to impact the school community (co-authored with Michael Nelson. Corwin Press. 2024).

Peter's articles have appeared in educational research journals at the state, national and international level. His books have been translated into numerous languages.

Some of the organizations Peter has worked with are the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Learning Forward, National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), University of Oklahoma, Cognition Education (New Zealand), Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL), Victoria Department of Education (Australia), University of Rotterdam (Netherlands), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA), Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA), the National Education Association (NEA), New Brunswick Teacher's Association (Canada), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Education Scotland (Scotland), Glasgow City Council (Scotland), Kuwait Technical College (Kuwait) the National Association of School Psychologists, ASCD, l’Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO), the Catholic Principals’ Council of Ontario (CPCO), and the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC), National School Climate Center, GLSEN, PBS, NPR, BAM Radio Network, ABC, and NBC's Education Nation.

Learn more about bringing Peter De Witt to your school or district at petermdewitt.com

Table of Contents

Foreword Andreas Schleicher xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Author xix

Introduction 1

What Are Educators Interested in De-implementing? 7

Chapter 1 The Trouble With Implementation (and how to make it better) 9

Case in Point: The "More Is More" Philosophy 10

Educational Trends Over the Past Thirty Years 11

Five Reasons We Over-Implement 13

Improving Implementation 18

A Quick Guide for Good Implementation 24

Addressing Our Assumptions 24

Anticipating Roadblocks 26

Monitoring Our Minds-Mindset 27

In the End 28

Discussion Questions 28

Chapter 2 The De-implementation Research (with practical adaptations) 29

Case in Point: New Is Not Automatically Bad 30

Defining De-implementation 31

Two Types of De-implementation 35

Formal and Informal De-implementation 36

Anticipating Roadblocks 37

Monitoring Our Minds: Unlearning and Relearning 38

In the End 38

Discussion Questions 40

Intermission: Beliefs, Distractions, and Opportunities for Change 41

Chapter 3 What Gets De-implemented (based on reflection and evidence) 45

Case in Point: A Look in the Mirror 46

Partial Reduction 47

Replacement Actions 49

The Foundations of Your De-implementation Plan 51

Criteria for What Gets De-implemented 51

Gathering Evidence 52

Guiding Questions 56

Anticipating Roadblocks 57

Monitoring Our Minds: Locus of Control 57

In the End 58

Discussion Questions 59

Intermission: Top Ten List 59

Chapter 4 The Cycle of Do-implementation (for big ideas around school change) 61

Case in Point: Reimagining Student Council 62

The Cycle of De-implementation 63

Sometimes Slow Is Fast 88

Anticipating Roadblocks 89

Monitoring Our Minds: Filling the Void 89

In the End 90

Discussion Questions 91

Chapter 5 Your Team's De-implementation Process (considering who you need and how fast to go) 93

This Chapter 94

Part I Your Team 94

Case in Point: Your Team's Dynamics 95

Pacing and Agendas 98

Part II Your Official Cycle of De-implementation 103

Anticipating Roadblocks 122

Monitoring Our Minds: Well-Being 122

In the End 123

Discussion Questions 123

One Final Activity 124

References 127

Index 131

Editorial Reviews

After decades of adding on in public education, De Witt’s De-Implementation guides readers through a thoughtful experience of reflection, wonder and questioning. He challenges decades of assumptions that more is better. Instead, he encourages more implementation of deep, important practices. Frankly, I will use the concept of “clutter checks” for the rest of my career!

Like Peter says, “It’s now your turn!”

Assistant Executive Director at WASA, Enumclaw, WA - Michael Nelson

My goal this year as a principal was to evaluate what we are doing in our building that is effective. As always, Peter Dewitt breaks down big ideas into immediate action steps that are simple. This book is timely for leaders in education because it is an opportunity to make evidence-based changes that focus on student learners and effective practices.

Oklahoma City School District, Oklahoma City, OK - Stacy Storey

STOP. We add, reform, innovate, and tinker but rarely consider how to reduce and halt that which has the least impact and distracts from the joy of teaching. De Witt invites you to reflect, respond, and remove, and introduces the notion of efficiency into your life. This book in education is so overdue. It is the Konmari decluttering bible for schools.

University of Melbourne and co-director of the Hattie Family Foundation, Carlton, Vic, Australia - John Hattie

Due to the increased stress and complex issues currently compounding educational systems, there is no better time than now to read De Witt’s De-implementation. Filled with practical guidance, this book provides direction for educators to help navigate the de-implementation process. Specific steps are given for leaders and teachers to take together as they engage in critical conversations to understand the impact of their choices.

Alpine School District, American Fork, UT - Mandi Olson

Our current situation has created stressful challenges and uncertainties that could jeopardize our well-being as educators. Added expectations have shifted our attention away from our mission as educators—student learning. De Witt provides a clear and evidence-based process to make us highly selective about what we bring into our schools.

Roberts Creek, BC, Canada - Caroline Picard

Peter has touched on a topic that so many school leaders have at times completely missed. De-implementation comes at a time when schools are being asked to take more on without considering what needs to be left behind. Peter’s notion of de-implementation provides a platform for school communities to examine not just what they do but how and why they do it.

West Swan (Dayton) Primary School, West Swan, WA, Australia - Raymond Boyd

The pace and breadth of initiatives in schools seem to grow exponentially. De-implementation offers a much-needed sense of relief to step back and “creates space to focus on what works.” The text reads like a conversation, offers a roadmap back to balance, and outlines a clear process and hands-on tools to support along the way.

Washington Association of School Administrators, Instructional Leadership Network, Tumwater, WA - Chris Beals

Constantly bombarded by new innovations that fail to yield promised results, education leaders often grow frustrated and discouraged. Rather than becoming skeptical of all innovations, Peter advises leaders to become thoughtfully discerning through the process of de-implementation. It’s wise advice that is long overdue and vitally important.

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY - Thomas R. Guskey

Schools are busy places that are often filled with the debris of failed initiatives. Peter's latest book tackles this unspoken challenge head-on. Highlighting the science of de-implementation and presenting a practical framework, his book is a must for any leader seeking support in clearing the decks in their buildings and empowering their teachers to focus on the important work of teaching.

Melbourne Graduate School of Education, Parksville, VIC , Australia - Tim O’Leary

De-Implementation is a core competency for any organization that focuses like a laser on only those high value initiatives that have real impact. Peter shows “the why” behind implementation, and helps you map your own process and success criteria. If your leadership goal is to be more purposeful in where you focus your time, resources and talent, De-implementation can help.

Hamburg Central School District, Hamburg, NY - Colleen Kaney

In De-implementation: Creating the Space to Focus on What Works Peter Dewitt convincingly makes the case for getting serious about stopping or reducing (some) existing practices, and he provides no-nonsense tools to help you get this work done. It will help you to take the ‘less-path’, whilst also getting more done in the process!

Cognition Education, New Zealand - Dr Arran Hamilton

By integrating the evidence on effective implementation and collaboration throughout his book Peter De Witt empowers schools with the rationale, tools and important discussions needed in schools for de-implementation. The De-implementation Handbook challenges schools to sharpen their focus and 'de-clutter' what has not made an impact in schools by strategically collaborating in schools and systems using a cycle of de-implementation that can support schools and systems to improve student outcomes and build collective teacher capability. De Witt offers practical examples, and internal professional learning opportunities at the end of each chapter for schools and leaders to strengthen a shared language for supporting improvement in their contexts in closing the implementation gap for schools.

Partners in Learning, Sunbury, Vic, Australia - Helen Butler

Peter Dewitt has a habit of leaping ahead avoiding tinkering and focusing on a substantial change agenda. Fortunately, he also insists on making the reader an action partner. There are five great ideas; and five stops along the way. Each time you have a ‘clutter check’ where you clean up before you proceed. De-implementation is a book that helps you de-tox your change agenda replacing it with a healthy, streamlined focus on what really works

Toronto, ON, Canada - Michael Fullan

A timely and necessary read, De Witt challenges us teachers and leaders to look introspectively and consider what might we no longer need in education. The process of implementation should first look at what isn’t serving our best interests and De Witt provides a practical model to do so. All stakeholders who are responsible for initiatives and professional learning should read this book immediately.

Edmonton AB, Canada - Vince Bustamante