The Alberta Teachers’ Association

ILLUSTRATION BY KIM VANDERHELM

In 2010, the Alberta Teachers’ Association participated in a working group of education partners including Alberta Education, school boards, superintendents, parents, faculties of education and professional development experts.

Motivated by a commitment to realizing positive change in Alberta’s schools and classrooms, the working group reviewed current research, literature and promising practices to identify the characteristics of successful implementation of education policies, curricula, priorities, programs and initiatives.

The result was a 16-page publication entitled A Guide to Support Implementation: Essential Conditions.

Summary of findings

Research shows that successful implementation

• is a shared responsibility among stakeholders;
• is developmental and contextual;
• is systematically planned and sustained;
• is meaningful, purposeful and focused on key priorities;
• involves learning opportunities that focus on enhancing professional practice and leadership capacity among educators;
• involves a variety of learning opportunities for all education stakeholders; and
• involves change at both organizational and individual levels.

Supporting implementation

Supporting implementation is possible in environments where education stakeholders are committed to shared responsibility (a commitment to develop a shared understanding of and commitment to respective roles) within a culture of learning (a social/emotional environment in which inquiry, risk-taking, sharing and collaboration are encouraged in order to optimize student learning).

Successful implementation 

Successful Implementation is possible when education stakeholders share responsibility to address the seven essential conditions 

• Shared vision
• Leadership
• Research and evidence
• Resources
• Teacher professional growth
• Time 
• Community engagement