School Leadership Reflection Protocol: The Little Things That Move the Work Forward

School leaders are constantly solving problems, responding to immediate needs, and managing competing priorities. In the middle of that work, it can be difficult to pause and reflect on what is already working. Creating intentional opportunities for reflection can help school leaders slow down long enough to recognize progress, identify areas for growth, and learn from one another.

Using four guiding questions focused on inclusive decision-making, support for multilingual learners, practices for students with disabilities, and Tier 3 student supports, participants reflected on the small but meaningful actions that help strengthen school communities over time. Rather than focusing only on large initiatives or major programs, the activity encouraged leaders to identify the “little things” that build trust, improve systems, and create stronger connections with students and families.

The activity also created opportunities for collaboration and idea-sharing. Participants discussed strategies that had worked well, gathered ideas from one another, and reflected on practices they wanted to continue, strengthen, or revisit in their own school communities. In many cases, the conversation helped leaders recognize how much progress had already been made and where there was still opportunity for growth.

Participants worked in mixed groups across school sites, reflected on guiding questions, and participated in a gallery walk where they could gather ideas, ask questions, and learn from one another’s experiences.

One of the most meaningful aspects of the process was seeing participants recognize how much progress had already been made. Throughout the conversations, people reflected on strategies that had worked well, practices that had created stronger connections with students and families, and ideas they wanted to bring back to their own school communities.

Reflection Questions and Shared Practices

The following questions were used to guide discussion and reflection. Participants considered the small actions that help sustain the work over time and shared examples from their own school communities.

Reflecting on Inclusive Decision-Making

Question to consider: How has your team taken steps toward including all community members int he decision making process?

What little things have you done and need to continue to do to support this work?

Examples shared:

• Student, parent and staff surveys
• Monthly MTSS meetings with staff and families
• Advisory team
• Gathering street data

Supporting Multilingual Learners Through an Asset-Based Lens

Question to consider: Share an asset-based strategy that you’ve implemented to support multilingual learners at your school site.

What little things have you done and need to continue to do to support this work?

Examples shared:

• Communication in multiple languages
• Newcomer group
• Community events that celebrate culture and identity
• Strategic empathy interviews

Learn more about empathy interviews below

Protocols

Conduct Empathy Interviews: Elevate Student Voices, So You Can Understand and Support Them

Empathy Interviews provide an opportunity to really understand a student, or group of students, by diving deeper than the surface-level question, “How are you?” and receiving the typical response, “I’m fine.” These interviews inform intentional classroom and school-level action by elevating student voices and garnering a better understanding of student needs (SEL and well-being), and experiences (engagement). This resource provides …

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Reflecting on Supports for Students With Disabilities

Question to consider: Reflect on the shared mental models around students with disabilities at your school site. Think about what you intend to change and consider the reality of its impact.

What little things have you done and need to continue to do to support this work?

Examples shared:

• Family workshops about supports and services
• Student self-advocacy support
• Collaboration around accommodations and sensory needs
• Systems that prioritize student voice

Addressing Tier 3 Needs Through Relationships and Understanding

Question to consider:
Think about a student who is identified as Tier 3. What is their story? How can you use that to support them?

What little things have you done and need to continue to do to support this work?

Examples shared:

• Student-led interventions
• Home visits
• Behavior and attendance agreements made with student/family
• Identifying specific caring adult with student
• Parent/guardian workshops

Continuing the Work

Reflection activities like this can help leadership teams move beyond compliance conversations and create space for honest discussion, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By focusing on small, sustainable actions, schools can identify practices worth strengthening while learning from the experiences of others.

This work by Inflexion is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International 

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