Change. It can be exciting. It can also be tough. And it happens a lot in international schools. At first, new ideas and the buzz around implementing them can feel electrifying. But here’s the catch: often, the people involved, the processes, and the long-term sustainability of these ideas—whether they’re initiatives or programs—don’t quite make it past the starting line.

So, why does this happen? And how do we successfully navigate the twists and turns of the change process?

Audrey and David have been through countless new initiatives in schools over the years, and we have often wondered what makes some changes "stick" while others fall flat. That curiosity led us to Dr. Jim Reese. Many of you may know Jim, either as the previous facilitator of the Harvard Project Zero Summer Institutes or as a trusted consultant in your own school.

Jim lives in Washington, DC. After a long career teaching in international and U.S. schools, he now works as a consultant with schools, museums, and educational organizations. Jim has a long-term affiliation with Project Zero, a research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

In 2004, along with Dr. David Perkins from Harvard, Jim co-authored an article about managing change in a school to help it last. The article was called "When Change Has Legs: Four key factors help determine whether change efforts will be sustained over time." Each "leg" refers to one aspect of the change; all 4 are required for the change to last.

Our guiding question for the episode was, “What are proven ways to bring about sustainable change in international schools?”

The Four Legs of Sustainable Change are:

• Frameworks — Structures that guide and support learning
• Leaders — People who champion and drive the process
• Community — Collective buy-in and engagement from everyone involved
• Institutionalization — Embedding change so it becomes part of the school’s DNA

Resources cited in the episode:

When Change Has Legs

Harvard Project Zero

Edtech Co-Op Podcast interview with Jim (2015)

Professional Development Collaborative at Washington International School

Jim's Contact Information: LinkedIn

Categories: PD | Leadership | School Change

This episode was recorded on April 14th, 2025.

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Music: YouTube. (2022). Acoustic Guitar | Folk | No copyright | 2022❤️. YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOEmg_6i7jA.