More attention must be paid to the human factors of systems change—the knowledge, skills, and mindsets required for educators to lead, conduct, engage in, or make better use of R&D.
State leaders can use their platforms to promote the state’s commitment to R&D-driven innovation. They can go a step further by signaling the types of mindset and behavioral changes that may be needed across all roles—from federal program managers to classroom specialists—to transform student learning experiences. While changes in relationships, power dynamics, and mental models are harder to measure and fund than structural reforms, they are essential for sustainable transformation.
Key Actions
- Use the “bully pulpit” to reinforce support for R&D, willingness to accept and tolerate risk, and commitment to iteration, continuous improvement, and learning systems.
- Prioritize co-creation with communities to embed a shared sense of risk and accountability and deepen engagement, buy-in, and capacity building.
- Build broad, cross-sectional support for R&D infrastructure and inclusive R&D via strategies such as elevating champions and amplifying bright spots. Communicate clear definitions for innovation and education R&D and point to state-specific or national examples.
- Develop a clear articulation of the “implementation chain” related to a top priority:
- Describe how learner experiences will change.
- Describe the behavior changes that need to happen at every level of the system to realize these different experiences.
- Commit to and plan for measurement and data collection to track changes in behavior and implementation (see “Modernize SLDS“).
- Coordinate and align the efforts of philanthropic and other partners to the state’s learning agenda and the goal of creating demonstration sites that can inform larger-scale efforts to support innovation.
Learn From Other States
Discover how states across the country are building local capacity to impact mindset and behavior change.
Louisiana: Changing Systems by Changing Behavior
Louisiana has demonstrated how state leadership can drive systemwide improvement by focusing on behavior change. Under leaders like Kunjan Narechania, the Department of Education built what she calls an implementation chain—making the mindsets and actions needed at every level of the education system explicit and measurable. The state paired clear expectations with support and incentives, helping districts adopt high-quality curricula, elevate early adopters, and learn from peers showing the strongest gains. Louisiana’s approach shows that systems change happens when leaders think through how to measure and scale behavior change.
Tennessee: Youth-Led Research Powering Practice Change
At Valor Collegiate Academies in Nashville, scholars aren’t just the subjects of research – they’re research partners. Using a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) approach, 70+ scholars (grades 6-12) investigated student joy through design sprints, quantitative and qualitative methods training, and peer validation processes. Throughout the co-creation process, students conceptualized joy from their authentic experiences and generated evidence-based proposals to cultivate it both within the classroom and schoolwide. Now transitioning from researchers to changemakers, scholars are implementing their proposals in collaboration with school leaders, demonstrating how youth voice drives systemic change when positioned as expert collaborators.
Indiana: Leading with a Learner-Centered, Future-Focused Vision
Under Education Secretary Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana has reimagined what it means to align leadership and learning across the K–12 to postsecondary continuum. By championing evidence-based literacy instruction and cross-agency collaboration, Jenner has modeled the mindset and behavioral shifts needed for system transformation. Indiana’s Learner-Centered, Future-Focused Education vision emphasizes coherence, evidence-based improvement, and shared accountability—creating the conditions for innovation to take root statewide.
Rhode Island: Redefining Learning Through Student Voice and Evidence
Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green has led Rhode Island in building a culture of reflection and evidence-based practice. Through initiatives like the LEAP Task Force and the state’s focus on high school redesign, she has elevated student and family perspectives as drivers of policy and instructional change. By pairing empathy with data, Rhode Island is cultivating the mindsets and systems needed for meaningful, lasting improvement in student outcomes.
North Carolina: Co-Designing High-Tech Learning with Students
Launched with funding from the North Carolina General Assembly and working in partnership with businesses, higher education institutions, the Department of Public Instruction, and leaders from 25 school districts, SparkNC is transforming high-tech education across the state. Through its Spark Ambassadors program and partnership with In Tandem, students serve as co-designers—shaping the next iteration of the Spark experience and ensuring the program evolves to meet real learner needs. By centering youth voice in program design, SparkNC is modeling what true co-creation and evidence-based improvement look like in public education.