School improvement initiatives can be like New Year's resolutions. They begin with a cherished vision of possibility and a spirit of commitment, and at first they make genuine progress. But over the long run, they fizzle out. In this article, David N. Perkins and James Reese explore four factors that help determine whether a change effort will collapse or survive: frameworks, leaders, community, and sustainability. According to the authors, many education leaders fail to recognize how complicated change can be. They follow a simple plan: make your goals clear, create learning opportunities, expand the effort step-by-step, and expect that reluctant stakeholders will eventually come around. But unless they plan for the inevitable obstructions that can arise in each of the four areas, promising change efforts may flounder.