Where the Impossible Becomes Possible: Welcoming a New Year of Opportunity

By NIET CEO Dr. Joshua Barnett

Another school year is upon us, and at NIET, our mission remains unchanged: to build educator excellence to give all students the opportunity for success. As we enter this new year, it offers us a moment to reflect on how far we have come and what we have learned along the way from outstanding schools and districts we partner with nationwide. 

One evident finding over our 25 years in the field is that a high-quality teacher is the most important in-school factor to elevate student outcomes. We also know that our teachers across the country face challenges that at times may seem insurmountable and as daunting as facing a 90 mph fastball. So, how do we as education leaders help our educators step up to the plate and knock it out of the park?

In Robert Adair’s The Physics of Baseball, the Yale physicist calculates that hitting a pitch is scientifically impossible. A batter must decide to swing before they even know where the ball is going. And yet, we see home runs every season. What seems impossible becomes reality through preparation, practice, and most importantly, great coaching.

This same principle applies in education. We hear it all the time: You cannot succeed without more resources, different buildings, different materials, or other factors. We hear that rural schools and those who serve low socioeconomic communities are at a disadvantage. Yet, just like professional athletes, professional educators – that is teachers – beat the odds every day. They do it not through checklists or luck, but through meaningful systems and support, like that which NIET provides. With strong coaching, educators build the skills to anticipate, adapt, and deliver – regardless of the pitch they are thrown as they enter their classrooms this fall. 

Over the past month, we have witnessed teachers returning to their classrooms with renewed commitment, school leaders aligning around instructional priorities, and district teams working rigorously to ensure the right supports are in place for both students and staff. One superintendent noted the “palpable excitement and energy in my hallways!”, while another superintendent created a “rollcall style-video message” with principals shouting out in front of each campus noting – students, we are ready! Summer 2025 is fading into fall (except here in Phoenix, where we continue to set record temperature highs), but it has been filled with numerous successes. Three stand out as most noteworthy as areas of focus that will help all of us set the tone for a successful school year, and hit our own home runs.

Supported Teachers = More Effective Retained Teachers 

For NIET and our partners nationwide, supporting new teachers remains a top priority. Our research and topical conversations underscore several essential strategies to help new educators in their first few years in the classroom to thrive, including: 

• The need for real-world exposure to teaching in educator preparation programs 
• Sustained mentorship during the first year of teaching is critical to professional development
• Instructional support deepens new teachers’ understanding - and use - of curriculum to elevate student outcomes

These needs call upon all of us to ask ourselves the critical questions: 

• How are we ensuring new (and all) teachers are supported? 
• What actions are we taking as leaders to provide these essential opportunities to teachers? 

At NIET, we continually strive to support our partners, including successful district leaders, school leaders, teacher leaders, and university and state leaders, in tackling the challenge of teacher retention. We aim to learn from and share these models of excellence. Remaining centered on our support of the newest generations of teachers will not stop at recruiting them, but continue to retain and support them so that they can meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's students.

Data + Aligned School Goals = Yearlong Impact

No school system can optimize its support and development of educators without a clear set of goals that are aligned with greater district goals and driven by student data. At NIET’s Summer Institute, participants engaged in a signature strategy from NIET to start them strong in this school year by analyzing student data, setting measurable goals, developing actionable plans, and establishing methods to monitor progress throughout the upcoming year. Schools that apply this approach have been proven to report greater coherence across their instructional leadership teams and have more focused improvement efforts. 

We know leading with data-driven decisions works, which is why we encourage schools to explore the following steps: 

1. Launch the year with a deep dive into quantitative and qualitative data
2. Collaborate to build clear, measurable goals tied directly to student learning and outcomes
3. Define action steps and leadership roles aligned to the goals
4. Establish regular progress checks and collect data to inform adjustments over time

When teams share, understand, and embody clear goals, educators are more connected to the greater movement of elevating student achievement, driving positive outcomes in the classroom.

Collaboration + Environment = Improved Instruction

Educators consistently tell us that their greatest learning comes from one another. When schools make intentional time for meaningful collaboration - through team planning, professional development meetings, or coaching sessions, teachers engage more deeply with the craft and strategy behind their instruction. 

As we heard from Dr. Latatia Johnson at our recent NIET Summer Institute, our partners have found that infusing collaboration into learning drives leadership qualities among educators, supports their actions on a school-wide level, and gives them a voice at the table. We heard that actionable change can be implemented in schools by system leaders who make space for the following qualities in their day-to-day work: 

• Collaboration, rooted in evidence
• System coherence, rooted in shared leadership 
• Capacity-building, rooted in results 

These habits of collaboration and environment-building sharpen instruction, strengthen relationships, and create consistency for students across classrooms. It is also a reminder that instructional excellence is not fostered in isolation – but rather cultivated in community. 

These strategies and themes are at the forefront of our minds at NIET as we continue to pursue our mission with partners across the country. By staying mindful of supporting our pipeline of new teachers, taking initiative to use data to inform decisions and goals, and establishing networks of collaboration and positive environments across school systems, we can set the tone for excellence for this school year – and many more to come. 

Looking for more ways to start strong this school year? Reflect on these 3 questions to ask yourself this month, or explore these four tips when creating school goals.