Shared Knowledge for Leaders Doing the Work
This space holds MCC’s learning entries — short, research-informed reflections written for education leaders navigating real systems, real constraints, and real responsibility. These entries are not meant to be consumed quickly or “kept up with.” They are meant to be returned to — when you have the space — as thinking partners. Each learning entry draws from:
- peer-reviewed research translated into usable language
- lived leadership experience from classrooms, teams, and districts
- questions that invite reflection without judgment
You will not find: directives or checklists, performative optimism, platform advocacy, or pressure to implement something immediately. What you will find is language for what many leaders are already doing, often quietly, often without a place to process it alongside others. This knowledge commons exists because:
- good leaders are doing good work we rarely hear about
- learning is lost when leaders move on or burn out
- systems improve when knowledge is shared, not siloed
Read what’s useful. Pause when you need to. Return when the work makes space again.Â
Knowledge grows in shared conversation — even when that conversation begins quietly.
Stay informed and hear the stories of leaders across the nation:Â Join the Commons
MTSS Teams as the Engine: Driving Systems-Level Change
By Janine Gacke
March Series: The Science of Doing: Implementation to ExcellenceÂ
Estimated read time: ~7.5 minutesÂ
Implementation is not what we intend; it is what people experience.
Groun...
Coaching for Consistency: Supporting Leaders and Educators Through the Implementation Dip
By Janine Gacke
March Series: The Science of Doing: Implementation to ExcellenceÂ
Estimated read time: ~7.5 minutesÂ
Implementation is not what we intend; i...
Why Implementation Matters for Every Student: When System Design Becomes Student Experience
By Janine Gacke
March Series: The Science of Doing: Implementation to ExcellenceÂ
Estimated read time: ~7 minutesÂ
Implementation is not what we intend; i...
Data as a Mirror: How Teams Learn to See the SystemÂ
By:Â Dr. Morgan Goering and Erin Potter
February Series:Â Data as a Mirror: See and Know the System
Estimated read time: ~8 minutesÂ
A mirror doesn’t tell you what to do. It tells you only what e...
Moving from Fear to Curiosity: Data Literacy for Every Educator
By: Mandi KopischkeÂ
February Series:Â Data as a Mirror: See and Know the SystemÂ
Estimated read time: ~7.5 minutesÂ
When Data Feels Like Judgement, Learning SlowsÂ
Most educators ca...
The Leader’s Role: Asking Better QuestionsÂ
February Series:Â Data as a Mirror: See and Know the System
Estimated read time: ~7 minutesÂ
Questions Decide Whether Data Teaches or ThreatensÂ
Leaders are often expected to have answers. When data surf...
What Counts as Data? (It’s More Than Numbers)
By: Mandi Kopischke
February Series:Â Data as a Mirror: See and Know the System
Estimated read time: ~8 minutesÂ
What We Call Data Shapes How It Feels
When educators hear the word data, many picture s...
From Moments to Momentum: Linking Teams Through Purpose, Feedback, and Coherence
January Series: Teaming That Holds: Building the Infrastructure for Sustainable Leadership
Estimated read time: ~9 minutes
Teaming holds implementation together. When...
Refining Practice Together: How Teams Learn, Adjust, and GrowÂ
January Series: Teaming That Holds: Building the Infrastructure for Sustainable Leadership
Estimated read time: ~8–9 minutesÂ
Teaming holds implementation together. When it’s unclear, ...
Building Psychological Safety Through Consistent Practice:Â Micro-Actions That Make Belonging RealÂ
January Series: Teaming That Holds: Building the Infrastructure for Sustainable Leadership
Estimated read time: ~8 minutesÂ
Psychological Safety Is ...
Clarity as Equity: Purpose, Roles, and Routines That Reduce Emotional Labor
January Series: Teaming That Holds: Building the Infrastructure for Sustainable Leadership
Estimate Read Time:Â ~ 7Â min.Â
Clarity is a form of care. As teams navigate susta...
Teams Aren’t Committees: What Makes a Team Actually FunctionÂ
Estimate Read Time: 7:30 min.Â
January Series: Teaming That Holds:Â Building the Infrastructure for Sustainable Leadership
A note from the Making Champions of Change Team: This blog is t...
As this year comes to a close, I find myself grappling with two nameable truths: This work is deeply meaningful, and this work can be deeply demanding.Â
Leadership years don’t just pass; they shape us. Some stretch our capacity, others test our reso...
Purpose is one of the strongest stabilizers leaders can draw on during times of change. Beyond the poster or the branding language, it’s the deeper grounding that helps teams stay connected to why they are doing the work when change accelerates, tens...
Leadership in education is often described as charting the course and inspiring others to follow. However, anyone who has lived in the daily realities of a school or district knows that leadership is far less about certainty and far more about discer...
This Thanksgiving week, we are pausing with deep gratitude for the leaders and educators who continue to shape the work of Making Champions of Change. This fall reminded us that growth comes in seasons. Each season gives us space to reflect, adjust, ...
By the time this post is read, the landscape will likely have moved fully into winter. The leaves that inspired this reflection will have fallen, yet the underlying leadership message remains relevant: evidence of change may disappear from view, but ...
Fall often brings both rhythm and reckoning for school leaders. The newness of the year has faded, systems are settling, and the cracks in implementation begin to show. What once felt like shared excitement can start to sound like questions, hesitati...
As fall settles in and the landscape begins to shift, so too do our leadership rhythms. The turning of the season reminds us that change is constant. Even in familiar cycles, there’s room for reflection, letting go, and renewal.  In leadership, espec...
Each fall, I’m reminded how important it is to pause and look beneath the surface of what we see. I didn’t grow up with changing seasons. I’m a transplant to Minnesota from Southern California, and now, raising my young kids here, I’ve come to apprec...
Gratitude is often equated with celebration: public appreciation, awards, and applause. These gestures matter. They lift morale, honor contributions, and remind us that we see and value one another. In education and leadership, gratitude that sustain...
Discipline in schools should aim to teach, guide, and nurture students, rather than excluding them. Non-exclusionary discipline focuses on fostering relationships, building a sense of belonging, and addressing behavior in ways that support both accou...
Every child deserves to be supported, believed in, and given the best possible chance at success. That responsibility lies not just in our curriculum or classroom tools, but in the capacity and mindset of the adults on campus. As we advocate for bett...
Change is a constant in education, whether it's refining instructional strategies, updating safety protocols, or introducing new systems for student support. As school leaders and changemakers, we know that how we communicate those changes is just as...
