PowerUp Can Help Unpack the “Black Box” of Implementation

Increasing the use of technology in your school or district requires an implementation plan that clearly articulates your vision, sets short- and long-term goals, and identifies specific action steps to realize your goals. Paying attention to the implementation process—i.e., how you initiate, integrate, and maintain technology use in your school setting—is as critical as selecting the devices that students will use and the instructional strategies that teachers will practice. In your plan, you will devise your strategy, evaluate your progress, and make necessary changes to ensure that you achieve the desired outcomes—an increase in student achievement and engagement and personalized teaching and learning powered by technology.

Learn how two districts approached technology implementation to personalize instruction:

Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation Pelham School District

PowerUp's Implementation Recommendations

Successful implementation takes coordinated change at the system, organization, program, and practice levels. It is a multiyear process, guided by a shared vision. As illustrated in the two district examples above, successful implementation and school change efforts require:

• A planning phase, an implementing phase, and a scaling-up or sustaining phase
• Using data to identify needs, set goals, assess progress, and inform the process
• Creating relationships, collaborating with stakeholders, and building “buy-in”
• Building collective capacity

Remember: Implementation is NOT a specific event. It does not happen all at once, and it does not always proceed smoothly!

In the PowerUp Implementation recommendations, you’ll find best practices from implementation science and suggestions for addressing common roadblocks. The six best practice recommendations are the core tasks of your implementation plan.

Use these to guide you through the iterative process of planning, implementing, and sustaining transformative technology use to support student learning. As you work through each recommendation, remember to reflect, revisit, and refine your plans based on data gathered, lessons learned, and changing needs. Let’s get started!

Go to Recommendation 1