When Carol Forward, Principal of Warren Elementary School in Quaboag, Massachusetts, stepped into her new role, she focused not only on students, but also on the adults in her building. She sees leadership as ensuring she is “meeting the diverse needs and helping people to grow.” For her, leadership begins with supporting teachers and learning alongside them. As she explains, “professional growth leads to student growth. We, including myself, are all in this together.”
Through PLANS (CLEE’s educational leadership development program funded by a US DOE Grant), Carol has turned that belief into a clear path forward for her school. Rather than trying to address everything at once, she and her team identify, “small but big impactful changes leading to growth,” shifts that challenge staff and students while ensuring the right supports are in place.
“When I joined PLANS, I thought it was going to be a lot of extra disconnected work, but now I realize that this was exactly what I needed to hone in on the needs of my school and create impactful change to support students and teachers.”
One of the biggest shifts has come through the use of Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles. What once felt overwhelming now offers a structured way to step back and see the school more clearly. The continuous improvement process helped Dr. Forward “look at data objectively and without bias, assumptions or preconceptions,” which allowed her to identify trends, review data, and determine where growth is needed most. She can focus her leadership on the work that matters most for her school community.
Carol’s story shows that meaningful change does not come from doing more. It comes from doing what matters most together. With focus, support and shared commitment, even small shifts in practice can lead to significant gains for educators and students.
