Melissa the best way to gain traction being new to any organization is to master their current set of policies and procedures and be excellent at what you do. Introduce simple suggestions at first to gain some followers and at some point others will ask you how you get such great results. Conform where necessary to be part of the team but continue to interject your ideas within your own classroom and measure your results.
Results tend to speak volumes with respect to your ideas but showing value for the traditions of any institution is also important to ensure others see you as a member of the team and not some type of outside threat.
I hope you find this information helpful. Not an easy fix by any means but most things worth having take time and do not lend themself well to quick and easy.
