2026 CASE Conference

Leading New Initiatives: Common Pitfalls and Critical Steps in the Early Stages of Implementation (Room 552B)

13 Nov 26
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Tracks: Educational Leadership: Leading with Purpose

Speaker(s): Kirra Guard, Assistant Professor, State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego; Megan Garton, Senior Data Associate, Co-Director of the NYSED OSE Technical Assistance Partnership for Data, Cornell University; Imad Zaheer, Assistant Professor, St. John's University

Special education leaders are often tasked with launching new initiatives intended to improve outcomes for students. However, many initiatives struggle to get off the ground due to underdeveloped leadership teams, limited communication across key stakeholders, and underutilized data systems. The early stages of implementation are critical to long-term success and represent the periods when initiatives are most at risk of failure. In this session, participants will be introduced to the stages of implementation with a focus on critical steps to take as a leadership team, as well as how to avoid common mistakes that undermine successful implementation. Participants will analyze real-life examples of early implementation efforts and make connections to their own experiences. In addition, participants will gain hands-on experience with practical tools for establishing effective implementation teams, organizing efficient systems for data-driven implementation, and developing actionable next steps to set their initiatives up for impact and sustainability.