If you have 10–15 minutes this week: 

• Choose one brief that connects to a current challenge (for example, feedback, student talk, math problem solving). 

• Highlight or underline 1–2 “Key classroom moves” you want to try. 

• Write the specific class or period where you will test the idea once. If you have one class period to experiment: 

• Plan one lesson that intentionally uses a move from the brief (for example, clearer success criteria, more retrieval practice, structured discussion). 

• Tell students what you are trying and why (“I am trying a new way to help us remember this better…”). 

Use the Teacher Reflection template afterward to note what worked and what you want to adjust. If you want a one-month cycle: 

• Week 1: Read one brief, choose a focus practice, and plan where you will start. 

• Week 2: Try the practice in at least two classes and collect quick evidence (exit tickets, student work, notes). 

• Week 3: Reflect with a colleague or PLC using the reflection template or PLC guide. 

• Week 4: Decide whether to refine and continue, or shift to another brief. 

If you are planning for the semester: 

• Identify 3–5 briefs that align with your current school goals (for example, literacy, math, assessment). 

• Map when each brief will be introduced (for example, PD days, staff meetings, PLCs). 

• Share a simple overview with staff so they see how these briefs connect to the bigger picture. In your weekly leadership routines: 

• Choose one or two “look-fors” from a brief to guide informal walkthroughs for a week or two. 

• Use the PLC Discussion Guide so teams connect the brief to their own students and data. 

• Ask for quick teacher feedback: What from this brief feels most useful? What support do you need to try it? Across the year: 

• Use the Leadership Launch Checklist and Wrap-Up Reflection to bookend your year with this book. 

• Revisit the same brief multiple times as you move from awareness to consistent implementation. 

• Celebrate small wins publicly (for example, short stories in newsletters or staff emails showing a brief in action). 

Using briefs to anchor coaching cycles: 

• Co-select a brief with a teacher based on student data or an observed need. 

• Use the brief’s “Key classroom moves” to define specific look-fors for the cycle. 

• Plan 2–3 lessons together, observe, collect student evidence, and debrief using the Teacher Reflection template. Using briefs in PLCs and departments: 

• Introduce one brief at a time, using the PLC Discussion Guide to structure conversation. 

• Support teams in choosing one shared practice to test across classrooms and returning later to examine impact. 

Help teams notice alignment across briefs (for example, connections between feedback, success criteria, and grading). Building coherence: 

• Cross-walk briefs with your district’s existing frameworks (for example, evaluation rubrics, curriculum guides, MTSS). 

• Use a small number of briefs as “anchors” for the year rather than sampling too many at once. 

• Capture simple stories and artifacts (photos, quotes, student work) that show the briefs living in classrooms.