Syncing Your School: Creating Coherence That Drives ResultsBy Jeff Eichelkraut, Middle School Principal/Director of Instruction New Glarus School District In education, we often say we value alignment, but achieving true coherence across a school or district is far more challenging than it sounds. At the New Glarus School District, our work around syncing our schools has centered on a simple but powerful belief: sustainable improvement is never achieved by individuals alone, but by cultures and systems working together. Syncing your school does not mean doing more. In fact, it means doing fewer things exceptionally well and doing them together. For us, that meant narrowing our focus to three foundational systems: Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Rather than allowing each building to interpret or implement these systems independently, we committed to building and refining them district-wide. One of the most impactful shifts was redesigning MTSS as a unified district system. This work was supported through weekly collaboration, including a Principal PLC, where we model the same expectations of collaboration that we have for staff. These meetings were not about logistics, but rather about learning, using data, and maintaining consistent practices and language across buildings. We also synchronized our communication. Instead of sending multiple building-level memos, we create one coordinated weekly message, rotating leadership among principals. This reinforces consistent messaging, transparency, and shared ownership. Staff meetings follow a similar approach, with common agendas tied directly to our systems while still allowing for building-level autonomy. Each meeting included data analysis and behavioral scenarios to ensure consistency in expectations and responses across the district. District-wide professional development was intentionally aligned to these systems as well. PD days are focused on PLCs, MTSS, and PBIS, with opportunities for K–12 collaboration and curriculum alignment. Building Guiding Coalitions meet during our PD days to grow together and support each other. Our goal is clarity with staff knowing not only what we were doing, but why we were doing it together. The results speak for themselves. Our Wisconsin State Report Cards show strong, consistent performance across all schools in our District, reflecting a shared direction and common expectations. Syncing your school is not easy, but simplicity, consistency, and collective leadership can transform how a district functions. When systems, people, and messaging align, schools don’t just improve, they accelerate forward together.
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