School Improvement Needs a Mechanic’s Mindset and Here’s Why

A few weeks ago, I found myself sitting in the waiting room of a car dealership listening to bad TV while my car was being repaired. The technician came out with a clipboard and said, “We ran a diagnostic, and the check engine light was just the symptom. There are three underlying issues we need to fix if you want this thing running like it should.”  After catching my breath from the cost, I sat back down to wait.

As I waited, my brain connected the dots on how the mechanic identified my underlying issues from a symptom and how that relates to the school improvement process.

I concluded that the mechanical mindset is precisely missing in how many principals approach school improvement.

Most Leaders Try to Fix the “Check Engine Light.”

We obsess over state test scores, student discipline data, or teacher turnover. These are symptoms. But without real diagnostics, we replace parts that weren’t the problem. Often, what is being “fixed” doesn’t connect to the problem, or we hope that motivational speeches will magically tune the engine.

A mechanic knows better.

They employ systems thinking, follow protocols, and seek root causes, rather than surface symptoms. They don’t just clear the dashboard warning and send you back on the road.

That’s the school improvement mindset school leaders need. 

Diagnostics, Dashboards, and Data: A Model for School Improvement

Here’s what it means to approach school improvement with a mechanics mindset:

1. Run the Right Diagnostics (Hint: It’s not the EOY test scores)

Mechanics don’t guess. They have data, tools, and processes. Similarly, principals need more than end-of-year scores. They need formative walkthrough data, teacher practice trends, and feedback on instructional implementation. These are your diagnostic tools. I will say it again: the end-of-year test scores are a symptom.

2. Isolate the Root Cause by Looking At All Levels in the School

A faulty sensor doesn’t always mean it is broken; it might indicate an engine misfire. Similarly, low test scores might stem from weak assignments, ineffective feedback, or inconsistent instructional strategies. You can’t fix what you don’t understand. It is essential to examine all levels of the system, including the leaders within the building.

3. Use a Systems Approach to Diagnose Problems

One broken part can cause a cascade of problems. For example, what appears to be a great lesson may fail to deepen learning if it does not align with grade-level expectations. Mechanics understand how each system connects. School leaders must, too.  In a school, you may need to address the systems for planning through PLCs, maybe your informal monitoring is lacking, or maybe there are different definitions and expectations around high yield strategies.

4. Build Routines of Observation, Feedback, and Coaching

Mechanics know what needs attention before it breaks. It is excellent to get your car in for a 50,000 or 75,000-mile check-in, because any mechanic will tell you that you don’t need that oil change today, but if you don’t get it eventually, it will cause more expensive issues. Great principals establish routines of observation, feedback, and coaching that prevent instructional wear and tear from becoming costly breakdowns. It is essential to do check-ins throughout the year, and I don’t mean after a benchmark assessment, which is another symptom.

5. Don’t Overlook the “Cheap Fix”

Sometimes, a five-dollar O-ring saves a $5,000 repair. In schools, the budget sometimes gets in the way, and leaders have to make difficult choices. The simple truth is that making the right decisions on how to address the root cause is essential, as it yields a greater return on your investment. When you apply a systems mindset, you might identify the root cause as a lack of think time, inconsistent use of graphic organizers, a lack of collaborative structures, or misaligned formative assessments. High-yield strategies often require a small training cost, but the PD’s impact improves with intentional support for development.  Remember, state assessment data will never tell how well specific strategies are being implemented.

What Are You Tuning?

As I drove away from the dealership, my car’s engine humming a little smoother, I kept thinking:

What if more principals approached school improvement in this way?

Not as inspirational speakers or instructional experts but as mechanics of school culture, curriculum, and capacity. Don’t stop at the symptom level of state test scores; keep digging until you find the root cause.  Root causes can be addressed, and fixing them improves your systems, ultimately enhancing student success.

Because the truth is, schools aren’t broken. However, every school has something that needs tuning.

When we take the time to diagnose, trace, adjust, and follow up like master mechanics, we move from good intentions to real improvement.

Looking Under The Hood: A 4th Grade Example

About a week later, I was asked to sit in on a 4th-grade Professional Learning Community (PLC) that was reviewing the end-of-year (EOY) benchmarks and trying to determine which standards or topics needed to be addressed with the few weeks left in the school year. We quickly ended up with a question that students overall answered incorrectly. The standard assigned to the question was focused on providing evidence to support the main idea.  After reviewing the question, we noticed that students select two primary elements, and based on the answers, it appears that students were struggling with the word “effect” and its meaning.  We then examined questions assigned to the same standard during the MOY benchmark and reviewed two questions from that test.  For one question, over 70% of the students got it right, and for the second question, only 20% chose the correct answer.  We examined both questions and quickly identified that the question on which students performed poorly had the word “effect” in it. The issue wasn’t related to a lack of understanding of the concept of cause and effect.  This immediately changed what the teacher would review in preparation for the EOG.

A Question for You

If your school were a car…

What would the warning lights be telling you?

And more importantly…

Are you treating the symptom or fixing the system?

Let’s connect.

If you’re a school leader committed to long-term, systems-based school improvement, we would love to hear your story or help you run the right diagnostics. Contact us to learn more about Making Progress, a leadership resource that explores systems thinking.