by Ryan Steuer | CEO, Magnify Learning
If you’re leading a school or district that’s shifting toward Project Based Learning (PBL), you already know this is more than a new instructional model or a new curriculum—it’s a culture shift. And like any true transformation, it doesn’t happen overnight. It requires vision, structure, and yes—sustainability.
This blog post unpacks how one large district moved from isolated PBL efforts to a thriving, district-wide movement with systems that stick. You’ll discover the key levers administrators can pull to turn vision into reality: investing in a dedicated PBL coach, building sustainable internal systems, and cultivating community that fuels the fire. Whether you’re launching PBL or refining your existing approach, these lessons will help you lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Coaching the Coach: The Smartest Investment You Can Make
As you begin your PBL journey, you will need Leadership Design Days to help your leadership team understand the structures and processes that create a school culture of innovation and reflection that allows PBL to thrive. You’ll need a PBL Jumpstart to train your teachers on the mindshift and practical PBL creation to bring a new instructional model and culture to their classrooms. Those first two steps seem to naturally resonate with most school leaders. The one people often overlook is in training a school or district coach to continue the work after the initial training.
Calvert County in Maryland started with a district coach from day one. While their teachers were creating engaging real-world PBL units, they also focused their efforts on equipping their district coach with the tools, frameworks, and confidence to lead the charge from within.
We really coached the coach, which is different from the traditional “train the trainer” model that happens at a 2-day conference. Over several years, we had their district coach learn with us, then coach with us, and then coach with us advising. The progression of learning to coach this way over time is a big deal. A 2-day conference with a big binder doesn’t do the trick. Their district coach grew as a coach, and she’s the inside person. She knows the schedule. She knows personalities. She knows the district nuances, so she was constantly adjusting our tools, resources, and message to fit their established culture.
This “coach-the-coach” model creates a ripple effect. Their district coach isn’t just pushing PBL—she’s personalizing support, aligning initiatives with district culture, and fostering peer collaboration across content areas. That level of embedded leadership is hard to replicate from the outside.
📌 Why It Matters for Admins: You can’t outsource transformation. But you can create internal capacity that outlives consultant contracts. By coaching a dedicated instructional leader, you build ownership and sustainability into your system from the start.
💬 Action Step: Identify a potential PBL coach in your district. Invest in their training. Give them protected time and permission to lead.
Systems Over Heroes: Create a Replicable PBL Infrastructure
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: even the most passionate teacher can’t scale PBL alone. Passion starts the fire, but systems keep it burning.
In Calvert County, leaders built intentional structures—bootcamps, certification pathways, PLC coaching, and reusable resources—that made PBL not just possible, but predictable. They created a system where every new teacher could be onboarded into PBL with confidence.
Now they’re using our resources to coach their people. That’s success: three years in, they don’t need us to train. They know how to train their people.
This approach transforms PBL from an exciting “initiative” to an operational norm. With a $4,000 annual toolkit, the district gets slide decks, facilitation guides, and workshops they can run independently.
🎯 Why It Matters for Admins: If your PBL vision relies on outside training every year, it’s not sustainable. But if your teachers have access to internal resources, clear pathways for development, and a coach to guide the way—you’re building something that lasts.
💬 Action Step: Audit your systems. Do new hires have a clear PBL onboarding path? Are your coaches equipped with turnkey tools to train others?
Culture Is Contagious: Build a PBL Community That Lasts
Initiatives fade. Culture doesn’t. What makes Calvert County’s model exceptional isn’t just the strategy—it’s the sense of belonging they’ve built.
Across grade levels and disciplines, teachers in the district collaborate on real-world, interdisciplinary projects. One standout example: An 8th-grade science teacher partnered with culinary students to develop recipes using invasive fish, tying together environmental science and local culture in a hands-on, community-facing project.
Calvert County’s District Coach reflects, “This is the beauty of being in my role… I have my ear to the ground all the time about what my PBL teachers are doing. And then I just make little suggestions, little nudges like, ‘You should talk to so and so.’”
But not every school has that in-house network. That’s why virtual communities like the PBL Movement Online Community (PMOC) matter.
You can do it in a small group trying to learn PBL and learn through the school of hard knocks. But it might be helpful to jump into the PMOC. You get resources, on-demand courses, and a community that supports you through the hard stuff.
💡 Why It Matters for Admins: Culture doesn’t grow in silos. Give your teachers space to share, reflect, and collaborate—both in your district and beyond.
💬 Action Step: Join or create a virtual PBL space where teachers can share projects, troubleshoot challenges, and feel supported year-round. Culture doesn’t cost much, but it pays massive dividends. 🌱
If you’re ready to move PBL from “project” to “practice,” it’s time to think beyond training days and pilot classrooms. It’s time to build a movement—one rooted in empowered leaders, clear structures, and authentic community.
✅ Coach the coach to build internal leadership
✅ Systematize the support so every teacher has a path
✅ Fuel a culture where collaboration and creativity thrive
PBL doesn’t have to be a side project. It can be the core of how your school or district prepares learners for a complex, connected world. All it takes is intentional leadership—and you’re the one who can make it happen.
Ready for the next step?
If you are ready to jump in to start planning your 3-year PBL implementation, then let’s talk. Fill out the form on our website to get Design Days scheduled for your leadership team (link). Tell us your PBL vision, even if it’s just at the beginning stages, and we’ll help you make it a reality!
If you aren’t quite ready to get started, check out the resources below to get more information:
- Watch a webinar customized to your context at pblwebinar.com
- If you have PBL heroes in your district already, have them apply to be a part of our nationwide network tackling current issues in education innovation by going to pblnetworks.com