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I live and work in a somewhat isolated corner of western Arizona, along the banks of the Colorado River. Here in Lake Havasu City, the nearest major airport is nearly three hours away. We are a bit removed from the world, with plenty of natural beauty and vacationing tourists but no neighbors. Without peers in other school districts or hands-on outside support, it鈥檚 up to us to make sure we鈥檙e getting things right for our students.

This year, we鈥檙e seeing a strong signal that we鈥檙e doing just that. Based on practice-test data, juniors at Lake Havasu High School are expected to score about 21, on average, on the ACT this spring 鈥� higher than the national average of 19.4. Back in 2021-22, our average ACT score was 17.5 and last year, it was 18.7. 

What changed?

It鈥檚 often said that there are no silver bullet solutions in education, and after 34 years working in classrooms and schools, that certainly rings true. But I can also point to one clear starting point for our high-school students鈥� academic rise: the adoption and tireless implementation of knowledge-building reading and social studies curricula in all of our elementary and middle schools five years ago. 

The work began in a single district school: a classical charter elementary school where educators opted to use knowledge-building. This was a major change for teachers and students. 

Often, elementary reading curricula are organized by a target skill of the day, and the topic of that day鈥檚 text or worksheet isn鈥檛 necessarily connected from one day or week to the next. These new knowledge-building curricula were organized by content鈥攊n each unit, they鈥檇 spend weeks reading, writing and discussing topics like fables, Mayan civilization, geology, as they practiced reading skills. Meanwhile, instructional materials in social studies are typically created or curated by individual teachers. The new curricula were designed to build knowledge over time, across an entire school or district.

Almost immediately, we noticed impressive, and important, changes. Students were engaging differently, with more confidence, stronger vocabulary and a deeper understanding of the content they were learning. I remember seeing fourth graders confidently explain key ideas from the American Revolution, saying things like, 鈥淲ait, so it wasn鈥檛 just about tea. The colonists were mad because Britain kept taxing them without letting them vote, so they decided to break away and make their own government!鈥�

If this was possible at one school, why wouldn鈥檛 we want this content-rich learning for every student? Pockets of excellence are insufficient and just plain unfair. And that gave us our next step: adopting the curricula districtwide.

It was a lot more complex than just ordering new materials. We needed to build a new, shared understanding of teaching and learning, one that was rooted in knowledge. As a district, we had to agree that all students need access to rich history, science, and literature content, and that what they learn in one year should intentionally prepare them for the next. We needed to develop a non-negotiable collective commitment to implement the curriculum with fidelity at every level.

Implementation was not instant or easy. If you鈥檝e ever watched a rowing team, you know that success doesn鈥檛 come from one strong rower working in isolation. It comes from the team’s shared timing, steady rhythm and trust in one another. That鈥檚 what we had to build.

Administrators strived to be honest and transparent about what the shift to knowledge-building instruction entailed. One difficult move: Teachers were required to stop using any materials or activities that were not part of the new curricula. They had to let go of familiar practices, which for some may have felt like walking into the abyss. But we also offered support, including monthly district-wide professional learning communities by grade level. 

This allowed teachers to plan together, wrestle with the materials and ask questions. We also gave teachers time and space to expand their background content knowledge, a crucial opportunity for elementary generalists preparing for in-depth history lessons.

Instructional leaders also played a big part. They visited classrooms frequently and shared informal feedback, guiding teachers to follow pacing guides and stay true to the new materials even when it felt uncomfortable. They also observed and provided implementation feedback to principals, whose support would be integral to our success. 

It was excruciatingly challenging and, at times, frustrating. But then we began to see glimmers of positive change, like sunlight on a river. Young students were engaging in conversations about history and literature with confidence. They were using vocabulary that was grounded in knowledge, not memorization, and making connections between what they read and what they wrote.

As the years passed, we saw students carrying ideas from one grade to the next, building on what they already knew instead of starting over. The gains accrued: fifth graders were excited to learn about the Maya, Aztec and Inca, exploring their pyramids, calendars and daily life; seventh graders were then able to analyze the rise and fall of those same civilizations, examine their systems of governance and belief and evaluate the impact of Spanish conquest because they had a foundation of knowledge to build on. 

Best of all, this development was consistent across classrooms and schools. Students had stronger comprehension, greater stamina, and a deeper ability to think critically about what they read. These were not pockets of opportunity, but knowledge for all. 

We are proud of the progress we鈥檝e made. More of our schools are by the state of Arizona 鈥� including four of our six elementary schools and the high school. This growth reflects not only the work we鈥檝e done with curriculum but also the coherence, alignment and intentional instruction happening across every classroom. We are rowing in the same direction.

Our implementation efforts aren鈥檛 over, because strong systems don鈥檛 stand still. Every lesson, every text, every discussion is another stroke forward. While the impacts of our work were almost immediate in elementary and middle school, we鈥檙e also getting a fuller sense of just how much building knowledge in the early grades benefits students in high school. Knowledge doesn鈥檛 just assist with reading comprehension today and instructional coherence tomorrow; it.

So we carry on. Just like in crew, we keep adjusting, listening and refining our practice based on what we learn. We take joy in this daily work and its results so far 鈥� but we鈥檙e most inspired by the future. Because when schools create opportunity, there is no limit to what our students can achieve.

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