It's about this time of year that I start to get reflective (full disclosure: I'm pretty reflective year-round...just especially reflective now).
2024 is ending. 2025 is around the corner.
And the school year is about half over.
As we approach the mid-point of the school year, school leaders are often juggling the immediate demands of day-to-day operations while also reflecting on the bigger picture and starting to set the foundation for the next year.
This time of year offers a unique opportunity to pause, assess, and recalibrate in order to finish strong.
But how can school leaders ensure that the school remains focused on meaningful growth and improvement in the second half of the year?
The answer lies in understanding the concept of friction -- strategically adding or removing it where necessary. In The Friction Project, Hugy Rao and Robert Sutton explain that friction, when used intentionally, can be a powerful tool for driving progress and making change happen. By thoughtfully applying friction to certain areas, and removing it where it’s unnecessary, school leaders can set their schools up for successful growth in the months to come.
Let’s break down how school leaders can use friction to drive mid-year reflection, improvement, and goal-setting.
1. Reflection and Reset: Adding Friction for Deep Reflection
One of the first steps in mid-year improvement is taking a moment to step back and assess the progress of the school so far. Are your academic goals on track? Are your students and staff feeling supported? Are you meeting the expectations of your school community?
This is where adding friction can actually help. Friction in this sense doesn’t mean making things harder; rather, it involves slowing down the normal pace of the school year to give time and space for reflection. This could look like:
Formal mid-year reviews: Schedule time for the leadership team to evaluate progress on goals set at the start of the year. Use data from student performance, surveys, and feedback to pinpoint areas of success and identify where adjustments are needed. The act of creating a formal process for review (adding friction) ensures that reflection doesn’t get lost in the rush of day-to-day operations.
Departmental check-ins: Hold meetings with each department or grade level team to assess their progress on key objectives. This adds friction by requiring teachers to pause and reflect on what’s working and what’s not. It also provides an opportunity to course-correct before it’s too late.
Feedback loops: Teachers, students, and parents should have a voice in the reflection process. Adding friction by gathering structured feedback (through surveys or focus groups) ensures that you’re considering all perspectives.
These reflective moments add purposeful friction, creating time to be thoughtful and intentional about the direction of your school.
2. Goal Setting and Alignment: Removing Friction for Clear Direction
Once reflection has taken place, the next step is aligning your team around clear goals for the remainder of the year. At the start of the year, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new initiatives and ideas, but as the year progresses, things can become muddled or misaligned.
Now is the time to remove friction in the goal-setting process, making it easier for everyone to be on the same page and moving toward the same objectives.
Here’s how you can do this:
Streamline goal-setting: Revisit your school’s goals and ensure they are still relevant. Break them down into actionable, measurable steps that everyone can understand and follow. Removing friction by simplifying goals and focusing on the most important priorities makes it easier for staff to align their efforts and see their contributions toward larger objectives.
Regularly communicate goals: Keep the school community updated on the progress of key goals. Use school newsletters, meetings, or even short updates during staff meetings to remind everyone of the larger vision. Clear and consistent communication eliminates confusion and keeps everyone focused on the goal.
Ensure clarity in responsibilities: Ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined. Teachers should understand what’s expected of them in terms of student outcomes, professional development, and other initiatives. Leaders should remove friction by clarifying who is responsible for what and streamlining processes where possible.
Removing friction in goal setting and communication empowers staff, students, and parents to move forward confidently and aligned.
3. Building Momentum: Adding Friction to Create Energy
Momentum is key for continued growth, but it doesn’t come automatically. As we head into the second semester, it’s important to build energy and enthusiasm around school initiatives. Sometimes, a little friction can push people to do their best work.
Here’s how you can use friction to boost momentum:
Introduce new challenges: Challenge teachers to try something new in their classrooms. Maybe it’s integrating a new technology, piloting a different teaching strategy, or collaborating with a colleague. This kind of friction encourages educators to step outside their comfort zones, fostering innovation and enthusiasm.
Set new short-term goals: Create quick wins to celebrate along the way. These could be student milestones, departmental goals, or specific projects. Adding friction by creating more frequent touchpoints for achievement helps build momentum and fosters a sense of accomplishment.
Encourage professional growth: Push teachers to continue their professional development with a focus on growth areas identified in the reflection process. Adding friction in the form of mandatory workshops or peer collaboration sessions can help reinvigorate staff and keep everyone striving for excellence.
By creating challenges and opportunities for growth, school leaders can ensure that energy levels remain high for the second half of the year.
4. Fostering Continuous Improvement: Adding Friction for Accountability
Improvement doesn’t stop with mid-year reflections and goal-setting—it’s a continuous process. School leaders should add friction in the form of accountability mechanisms that encourage ongoing learning and development.
Here are a few ways to do this:
Regular check-ins with staff: Schedule regular one-on-one or small group meetings with teachers to discuss their progress on school goals, classroom innovations, or areas for improvement. This provides accountability and ensures that teachers are supported in their professional journey.
Data-driven decision making: Use data to assess student progress and identify areas where additional support is needed. Adding friction by incorporating regular data reviews as part of the improvement process keeps the focus on student outcomes and highlights areas that require attention.
Fostering a growth mindset: Encourage staff and students to view challenges as opportunities for growth. Introduce opportunities for peer feedback and collaboration, creating a culture where continuous improvement is expected and celebrated.
Finding the Right Balance
As school leaders head into the second half of the year, the key to success lies in finding the right balance between removing and adding friction. Too much friction can slow down progress, while too little friction can lead to complacency. By strategically using friction to guide reflection, goal-setting, momentum, and accountability, school leaders can create a focused, intentional path forward that drives growth and improvement.
Now is the time to leverage friction to set your school up for success. By creating a thoughtful, structured approach to mid-year improvement, you’ll ensure that your school is ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
How are you using friction to drive growth at your school this year (and start to think about next year)?
Let’s start a conversation about how you’re managing this process!
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