Protecting the Plan: How Principals Sustain Improvement When Everything Competes for Attention

Principals leading improvement work carry two jobs at once: advancing long-term priorities and responding to whatever walks through the door. In this 30-minute webinar, school improvement experts Contann Dabney and Giselle Sherry-Marsh draw on years of partnering with schools nationwide to examine what separates schools in which improvement sticks from those in which it quietly stalls. 

Grounded in the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement—Turnaround Leadership, Talent Development, Instructional Transformation, and Culture Shift—the session focuses on a practice principals can use immediately: pausing to reflect with precision and then identifying the single next leadership move most likely to advance the work. Attendees will also see how My School Improvement Partner, a new AI thought partner built by WestEd for principals, is designed to support that habit between meetings. 

Attendees will leave with a clear way to diagnose where implementation is losing momentum, a framework for prioritizing their next moves, and practical strategies for protecting focus during a demanding school year. 

Who Should Attend?

• Principals and Assistant Principals 
• School Improvement Leads and Coaches 
• District Leaders Supporting Identified Schools 
• Superintendents and Cabinet-Level Leaders 
• Instructional Leadership Team Members 

Session Discussion Topics

• The reasons why improvement plans lose momentum and what distinguishes schools that sustain progress 
• Ways that the Four Domains help principals decide what is most worth their attention right now 
• A practical routine for turning reflection into the next best leadership move—and how an AI thought partner can support it

Featured Speakers

Contann Dabney is a nationally recognized education leader with extensive experience supporting school improvement and transformation at the state, district, and school levels. At WestEd, she leads school improvement initiatives and partners with education leaders to strengthen leadership capacity, use data to drive improvement, and translate research-based practices into meaningful action. Her expertise includes transformational and culturally responsive leadership, leadership coaching, continuous improvement, and the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. She brings extensive practitioner experience to helping leaders identify priorities, make informed decisions, and turn improvement goals into sustainable action. 

Giselle Sherry-Marsh is a school and district improvement specialist at WestEd’s Center for School Turnaround and Improvement. With over 15 years of successful school turnaround experience in urban and suburban schools and districts, Sherry-Marsh assists states, districts, and school leaders with continuous improvement efforts utilizing the Four Domains for Rapid School Improvement. In previous roles, Sherry-Marsh coached districts and teams on data informed improvement efforts, supported principals in transforming school culture, and fostered the development of teacher leaders.