Building Buy-In: How educators can turn new initiatives into lasting change

The start of the school year is a natural reset — a chance to set the tone, strengthen culture, and launch fresh initiatives that support student success. But whether you’re implementing a new bell schedule, cell phone policy, or classroom technology tool, even the most promising strategies can struggle without the right buy-in from the people who make them work. 

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For administrators, that means building trust and commitment among staff and the broader school community. For teachers, it means engaging students early so they feel ownership and motivation around new routines and expectations. 

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Many models exist to help guide this process, but the Knoster Model for Change is one that comes highly recommended by K-12 administrators, such as Chassity Coston, former principal in Newton Public Schools in Massachusetts.

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“I swear by this model. I think it's essential for any leader and changemaker,” said Coston, who implemented Sown To Grow in multiple districts with strong buy-in and success across her schools.

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By investing time up front in communication, collaboration, and clarity, leaders at every level can ensure that new processes and best practices don’t just get adopted, but truly take root in ways that breed success. 

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Regardless of which change management strategy leaders choose to adopt, let’s review the main components needed to build buy-in, and make your school and students stronger.

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Shared Vision & Purpose: Align Leaders, Staff, and Students

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From day one, it’s important to anchor the year with a clear, compelling vision that illustrates the purpose behind new initiatives, why they matter, and how they support student success. This goal of achievement should be a tenet on which your whole staff and the kids themselves can unite. Leaders can help build consensus by inviting staff and students to collaboratively shape that vision, ensuring buy-in from the beginning of the process.

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In action, this could look like a kickoff assembly for the school, grade team meetings for the teachers, or a community night involving families. Finding ways to make every voice heard goes a long way, and provides a strong foundation for successful change management.

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Skills & Support: Empower Teachers and Learners

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Embracing change is hard, but giving people the right tools and knowledge to feel confident in the process is one way to combat resistance. For that reason, it’s vital to ensure both teachers and students have the competencies needed to embrace new routines—whether that means dedicated PD for educators, or a special run-through on routines to help students feel prepared.

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For ongoing support with changes being implemented in the school or classroom, leaders should consider offering continued coaching, peer collaboration, or as-needed scaffolding to build trust and reduce anxiety, suggests Coston, who’s currently attending the Doctor of Education Leadership program at Harvard University.

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“If the staff needs to boost their morale or usage of the new platform or program, I would be sure to offer that support in staff meetings, PD, advisory time, whenever possible” Coston said. “Just continue to provide them with skills and resources—whatever they need to be successful.”

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Incentives & Resources: Motivate and Equip for Change

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In the midst of implementing change, it’s vital to highlight both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators—like recognizing early adopters, celebrating student ownership, or illustrating how new routines make learning smoother. 

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As Coston mentioned, pairing motivation with the right resources—time, materials, additional support—also helps avoid frustration and build momentum. As an extra bonus, if your budget allows, you can expand the types of rewards to heighten enthusiasm in the process.

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“Teachers and students love gift cards. They love food. They love praise,” Coston said. “Anything that I could do to boost and uplift my staff and the kids, I did it.” 

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Recognition programs, badges, or leadership role assignments are another great way to incentivize participation and stimulate excitement. Seeing colleagues shouted out for their hard work helps inspire, motivate, and build pride among staff.

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Action Planning: From Launch to Long-Term Integration

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Whether or not you use the Knoster Model for Change, design a plan that outlines clear steps, roles, timelines, and benchmarks. It also helps to involve teachers and students in mapping out how these new routines will unfold across the first weeks—ensuring initiatives don’t just launch but become embedded parts of school culture. Eliminating obstacles from any part of this progress is also key to ensuring success, Coston added.

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“When I went into leadership,” Coston explained, “my main goal was to remove the barriers for students, for families, for staff,” she explained. “I'd consistently ask myself, 'What are you doing? What decisions are you making? What initiatives are you putting in place to remove the barriers to learning, and to student and school success for your community?'”

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This can be accomplished by building in tactics like 90-day roadmaps, checkpoints, feedback loops, or surveys—all of which are great ways to maintain buy-in and prevent new programs from falling flat. Finding a support system in other leaders can also be helpful to continuing on a positive path forward.

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United in Change, Prepared to Transform

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Change in schools doesn’t succeed by chance—it succeeds when leaders, teachers, and students feel invested in the process. 

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By following the strategically laid out steps of the Knoster Model, or another well-certified change management plan, leaders can clarify the vision, equip people with the right skills, offer support and incentives, and follow through with thoughtful action planning. 

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New changes, policies, programs, and technology can be a tough part of the back-to-school, but if schools are genuinely eager to move beyond surface-level adoption, there is a promise to create real, lasting transformation. When buy-in is built from the start, new initiatives don’t just survive for the semester—they thrive for the year.