by Ryan Steuer | CEO, Magnify Learning
Starting a Project Based Learning initiative isn’t about hype, programs, or binders that collect dust by October. It’s about movement. Real movement. The kind that shifts culture, empowers teachers, and gives students work that actually matters.
If you’re a K–12 administrator already committed to PBL—or seriously considering how to deepen and scale it—this post is for you. What follows is a practical, leadership-centered framework for planning a sustainable PBL movement in your school or district. Not theory. Not platitudes. A plan grounded in what actually works when real people, real classrooms, and real constraints are involved.
At the center of this work are three core ideas: start now (not later), anchor the work in a shared purpose, and build systems that outlast individuals. Get these right, and PBL stops being an initiative and starts becoming identity. 🚀
Don’t Wait for the “Perfect Time” — Momentum Beats Timing
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make with PBL is waiting. Waiting for summer. Waiting for schedules to open up. Waiting for “one more year” of stability.
Don’t wait till summer. We’ve been doing more and more work during the school year with leadership teams. The truth is blunt: there will never be a perfect time. But there is a powerful time—and that’s when your leadership team can see PBL in action during a live school day.
Seeing matters. A lot.
When leadership teams visit functioning PBL schools, they don’t just observe lessons. They hear students articulate learning. They watch teachers facilitate instead of control. They feel what school is supposed to feel like. That experience creates urgency and clarity that no slideshow ever will.
You’re always pushing up against this ceiling of what education could be… and then you see places that have been doing this for a decade. The impact is real.
That moment reframes everything. Instead of asking “Can we do this?” leaders start asking “How soon?”
The practical takeaway? Build momentum during the school year. Bring innovators—principals, APs, coaches, teacher-leaders—together to observe, question, and wrestle with what PBL looks like when it’s alive. Summer training works best when it’s fueled by inspiration earned earlier. 🔥
Mission, Vision, and Values Must Be Lived — Not Laminated
Most schools have mission and vision statements. Far fewer actually use them.
A successful PBL movement requires shared language and a shared purpose that guides daily decisions. It needs to be something you actually use, not something that’s framed on your bookcase that nobody really knows about.
This is where leadership teams matter. When mission, vision, and values are created collaboratively, they become collective commitments rather than administrative directives. Teachers don’t feel dragged into someone else’s vision—they feel ownership.
A simple but powerful test: ask any adult in the building what the three most important things are. In aligned schools, administrators and teachers give nearly identical answers because those values are reinforced constantly. That consistency creates trust—and trust is oxygen for change.
Equally important is naming hopes and fears. PBL is exciting, but it’s also disruptive. Leaders must create space for honest conversation around concerns like workload, curriculum alignment, and staff capacity. This new work sometimes is scary work… and that’s okay.
When fears are acknowledged instead of dismissed, resistance softens. Leaders gain insight into what support is actually needed, and staff feel seen rather than steamrolled.
PBL thrives in cultures where purpose is clear, shared, and talked about openly—especially when the work feels hard. 🧭
Teacher Voice and a Clear Three-Year Plan Build Trust
If you want PBL to stick, teachers cannot be an afterthought.
Teacher voice has to be in this process. Why? Because teachers talk to teachers. When leadership teams meet, the first follow-up conversations don’t happen in the front office—they happen in classrooms and hallways.
Those early teacher-leaders become proof points. They’re the ones implementing first, experimenting openly, and showing colleagues what PBL looks like in their own building. That local credibility is what moves the early majority.
But teacher voice alone isn’t enough. Teachers also need assurance that this work won’t disappear when it gets inconvenient.
That’s where the three-year plan comes in.
Educators are understandably cautious: We know the revolving door of educational initiatives. Some of your teachers will wait it out. And frankly, they’re not wrong to do so. Many initiatives fade because they lack long-term commitment and infrastructure.
A clear, written three-year plan changes the narrative. It signals coaching, training, and sustainability—not a top-down mandate. It shows that leadership has thought beyond year one and is committed to building internal capacity.
After three years, schools should be able to sustain PBL without external pressure. Certified teachers mentor new hires. Leadership teams refine systems. The work belongs to the school—not a vendor.
And for those on the far end of the innovation curve? Don’t expect them to be ridiculously excited on day one. That’s normal. Focus first on innovators and early adopters. Culture shifts when success becomes visible and unavoidable.
Trust grows when teachers see consistency, clarity, and follow-through. 🏗️
Planning a PBL movement isn’t about launching something new—it’s about committing to something meaningful.
Start now, not later. Build shared purpose that actually guides behavior. Center teacher voice and back it up with a clear, long-term plan. When these elements align, PBL stops feeling like an initiative and starts feeling like who you are as a school.
For administrators already leaning into Project Based Learning, the next step isn’t more inspiration—it’s intentional design. Gather your leadership team. Name what matters. Create systems that last.
That’s how movements grow. And that’s how schools change—for good. ✨
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