Sustaining Innovative Educational Initiatives in a Public School District

This qualitative case study focused on one public school district that has successfully sustained innovative educational initiatives over several years. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors that contribute to sustaining innovative initiatives in a public school district through the perspectives and experiences of administrators, former teachers who are now administrators, and instructional leaders. A review of the literature indicated that many school districts are unable to sustain innovative initiatives, resulting in students unprepared for the future. Therefore, more research was needed to identify how system-wide innovative change in the pre-K-12 setting could be sustained to better prepare students for the future. The research question guiding the study was: How does one public school district sustain innovative educational initiatives? This case study was guided by Fullan and Quinn's coherence framework, a theory of change developed from decades of practice with whole-system change (Fullan & Kirtman, 2019; Fullan & Quinn, 2016). Site observations, interviews with education professionals, and artifacts were collected and thoroughly analyzed to reveal compelling themes related to the sustainment of innovative initiatives. These themes included the value of a shared vision and purpose-driven mission, the impact of a collaborative culture of empowerment and growth, a design-thinking approach to education, and the superintendent's role in effecting and sustaining innovative change. The findings suggest ways in which school districts can successfully sustain initiatives, resulting in innovative experiences that better prepare students for the future. Ultimately, deep and lasting change is possible in today's traditional education system. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]