7 Reasons Why New ELA Curriculum Adoptions Stall and What Makes Them Stick

This edWeb podcast is sponsored by Fishtank Learning.The edLeader Panel recording can be accessed here.Building on the April edWeb podcast, Using Whole Texts to Foster Student Agency and Critical Thinking, this follow-up session turns from the what and the why to the how.Katie Gribben, District Instructional Lead for ELA/Literacy, Upper Schools at Cambridge Public Schools, and Brigitte Seyferth, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning at LEARN Charter Schools, joins Emily Wojtusik, Senior Director of Implementation at Fishtank Learning, to explore why new ELA curriculum adoptions stall in schools and districts and the seven shifts that make them stick. The panelists reframe adoption not as a purchase but as a multi-year change process: one that is a science, involves investment and training, and that can’t be done alone.Listen to this session to discover:Why Good Curricula Stall: The seven most common traps, from handing teachers new materials with no time to train to not having a school or district leader to champion the implementation to expecting results before year three.What Makes Adoption Stick: How to build the systems, investment, change management, and shared ownership that carry a curriculum past the learning in the first year, including phasing in one adoption at a time to prevent teacher overwhelm.Implementation as a Science: Why lasting change means giving a new curriculum three-plus years, creating space for teacher reflection and voice, and adjusting schedules, structures, and routines so the materials can succeed.The Cost of Stalling—and the Power of a Pilot: What districts lose when adoptions fizzle—student learning stalls, teacher trust erodes, and there’s no sustainable expertise—and how a well-run pilot works out the logistics and builds buy-in before full rollout.This edWeb podcast is of interest to K-12 district leaders, school administrators, curriculum directors, instructional coaches, and teacher leaders.Fishtank LearningCreate the classroom connections that matterDisclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Learn more about viewing live edWeb presentations and on-demand recordings, earning CE certificates, and using accessibility features.