About Systems for Innovative Schools
We work at the intersection of innovation, implementation science, and public policy — helping school leaders turn vision into lasting reality.
The "Why" of Systems for Innovative Schools
Over the course of well over three decades working in different roles in education, I've had both the luxury and the curse of being in hundreds of schools and likely well over a thousand classrooms. It's a luxury in that I've seen wonderful, dedicated teachers who want to create opportunities for their students to learn, grow, and flourish. And it's a curse in that I've seen a lot of wonderful, innovative ideas get tossed aside because school leaders didn't know how to implement them.
K-12 education has a problem with churn and change. There are a lot of great ideas that get dismissed shortly after they're introduced — and it's not because they were bad ideas. They were good ideas poorly implemented, and they died for predictable reasons: unclear ownership, too many priorities, too little training, little or no monitoring or feedback, and leaders drowning in urgent demands. These aren't isolated failures — they're symptoms of systems that can't support sustainable change.
That's why I focus on systems and routines — the practical infrastructure that determines whether change becomes reality or another abandoned initiative. When districts struggle, it's rarely because of bad intentions or insufficient effort. It's because the operating system underneath the work isn't designed to handle what we're asking it to do.
"We don't rise to the level of our goals — we fall to the level of our systems."
If you want to achieve great things as a school, you need to create the systems to enable them. A goal without a plan and implementation behind it is just a wish.
Why Focus on Innovation & Change?
Systems work is only relevant if we're trying to do something different in our schools. We can improve the status quo — but why invest resources in systems designed around industrial-age practices? We need to innovate and build the systems that make innovation stick.
How Stephen Got Here
Innovation and systems work have been the core elements throughout a career spanning three and a half decades of work with schools — from setting world records in project-based learning to shaping state education policy.
Konawaena Solar Car Team (1993)
As team advisor, Stephen led students in designing and building a solar-powered car that crossed North America — setting a world record. It was the ultimate project-based learning experience, and a first real taste of what learning could truly look like.
University of Michigan — HICE & Teacher Education
At the Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education (HICE), Stephen collaborated with interdisciplinary faculty to create and study project-based learning using cutting-edge technologies across every type of school district. He also led a unique Master of Arts with Certification cohort, preparing new teachers in an innovative interdisciplinary program — and collaborated with Project GREEN on watershed education projects nationwide.
UM Educational Outreach
Stephen worked to connect University faculty and programs with K-12 educators by creating several STEM outreach initiatives, including the MI Math and Science Teacher Leadership Collaborative, Investigate the State, Greater Proficiency in Science, America Reads, and Middle Start.
Michigan Department of Education
Initially focusing on school reform and turnaround efforts, Stephen became a cross-office leader at MDE, facilitating efforts including Michigan's ESEA Waivers, Science Standards, MTSS initiatives, and early literacy supports. He created and led a new office focused on Strategic Planning and Implementation — bridging research, policy, and practice at the state level.
Statewide Field Team
This MDE collaboration supported over 40 of Michigan's ESSA-identified schools through intensive system supports. Stephen created a new framework and structure for school and district improvement — built upon 400 research studies and grounded in implementation science principles.
Systems for Innovative Schools
Today, Stephen brings all of these experiences together through coaching and professional learning for school leaders at the local, state, and national level. He focuses not just on what you need to learn, but on who you are as educators and leaders — and helps build a customized plan for reaching your district's educational vision.
Three Pillars of Our Work
Innovation as Problem Solving
You don't need to create the concept to innovate. We borrow great ideas from others and adapt them to your context. But innovation is needed when we recognize our current systems can't solve the problems we face — and that requires a different approach than continuous improvement alone.
The Challenges of "Change"
Change is hard, especially in our culture. We like the familiar — even when it's problematic. That's why we're careful and strategic in our introduction of change in schools. Innovation requires a special approach, special people, and a little intentional distance from the status quo.
Practical AI Implementation
Artificial intelligence isn't just going to affect schools or work — it will dramatically change our society. We can't treat it like anything else we've dealt with. School leaders need to be at the forefront of thinking about how (and what, and why) we learn in the age of AI.
Your Next Steps
I help leaders make change stick — without burning everyone out.
Schools don't fail because people don't care. They fail because the system can't support the work. Let's fix that together.