Change is hard — especially in schools. Whether it’s implementing new curriculum, rolling out instructional technology, or reimagining professional learning, one thing is certain: staff buy-in alone won’t get the job done.

In fact, relying too heavily on buy-in may be part of the problem.

That’s the shift from buy-in to ownership. And for schools looking to build lasting, impactful change, it’s the only shift that matters.

Why Change Efforts Often Fail

Despite good intentions, many school change initiatives fall flat. According to a report from Harvard Division of Continuing Education, seven of the most common reasons include:

1. Lack of leadership alignment
2. Unclear goals or messaging
3. Minimal stakeholder input
4. Insufficient resources
5. Staff burnout or initiative fatigue
6. Poor communication
7. No metrics to measure success

Read the full breakdown from Harvard →

Too often, school leaders focus on selling the “why” of change without addressing the “how.” Teachers, meanwhile, are left wondering: What does this mean for me? Will I be supported? What happens if I fail?

And that’s when buy-in collapses.

Ownership Beats Buy-In Every Time — Here’s Why

Buy-in implies a transaction: leaders make a decision, and staff are asked to accept it. Ownership, by contrast, is transformational. It means teachers, staff, and stakeholders see the change as part of their work — because they had a hand in shaping it.

“If educators don’t believe the change is relevant or if they weren’t part of the process, they’ll do it for compliance — not commitment,” explains Sheninger in his RocketPD Podcast interview.

In it, Eric recalls a time when a well-intentioned rollout of a 1:1 device initiative failed — not because the tools were wrong, but because “we didn’t listen to our staff first.”

So How Do You Build Ownership?

As part of his upcoming live-virtual cohort, Build Ownership, Not Buy-In, Sheninger outlines five practical ways to lead change differently:

1. Co-create the vision. Let staff shape the “why” and “how” from the start.
2. Start with small wins. Use pilot groups and early adopters to generate success stories.
3. Make it role-relevant. Show every team member what the change looks like in their context.
4. Support, don’t mandate. Provide coaching, time, and space for growth.
5. Celebrate what’s working. Publicly recognize staff who model the change.

What School Leaders Are Saying

The research backs this up. A recent study in the British Educational Research Journal found a direct link between staff ownership of initiatives and their intent to remain in their schools long-term. Schools with high levels of staff empowerment had lower attrition and better results.

Read the study →

But perhaps the most compelling insight comes from Sheninger’s own coaching work:

“If we want to future-proof our schools, we can’t just make staff comply — we have to help them lead.”

Ready to Lead Real Change?

If you’re a school or district leader tasked with implementing a key initiative—or struggling to get traction — RocketPD’s live-virtual cohort with Eric Sheninger is for you.