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Early in my education career, I sat at a conference dinner table surrounded by renowned K-12 leaders. As we discussed our philosophies on leadership, one superintendent’s response gave me chills: “My role is to put out fires.”
I was inspired and wanted to jump right up from the table and into superhero mode, ready to save the day and my students. That was until another administrator spoke up. “Well, my role is to prevent those fires from happening in the first place.”
Her words were transformational for me. The hero isn’t always the person in the cape, but the one with the clipboard, planning, organizing, and most importantly, allowing others to stand in the spotlight. I’ve learned leadership is about using the privilege of our position to build collaborative teams of talented and motivated individuals who can help us stay ahead of any problems and drive innovation that brings impactful change.
I haven’t ventured this transformational leadership journey without a few scars and scrapes, but the lessons learned have shaped how I work with others.
1. Leaders build for the future. In my first year as an administrator, our district debated how to maximize finances in the face of declining enrollment. For a year, our leadership team crunched numbers and performed a comprehensive facilities study before determining to close one elementary school and reorganize grades by building. We viewed it as a success, allowing for greater efficiency and significant cost savings.
Until it wasn’t. As soon as we presented the proposal, we received pushback from the school board, community, and parents–so much so that the project was immediately shelved regardless of the research we had to corroborate our recommendation.
This roadblock taught me that to elevate our districts, leaders must eliminate the top-down system and develop a grassroots mindset that engages all stakeholders. Successful leaders inspire a shared vision, ensure collective ownership of a project, and allocate tasks to those best suited for the work. It’s essential to empower and develop others around you to fulfill your mission and ensure it endures even after you move on.
2. Leaders leverage tools. Technology can help address chronic absenteeism, personalize learning based on student needs, and strengthen communication with families. But it’s not the main character in our schools’ story; it’s a supporting character, here to assist teachers, staff, and administrators in implementing best practices.
Successful school leaders are skilled at balancing tech integration so that it supports our educators’ preferred teaching models rather than stealing the spotlight away from them. One of my most eye-opening experiences was watching a teacher use technology to point out the parts of a leaf on screen rather than taking her first-graders outside to explore the pile of leaves right outside her window–all because the district ingrained in her the belief that technology was a non-negotiable.
In addition, superintendents need to identify AI and tech tools that help support our roles, including digital workspaces that allow for cross-department collaboration, fundraising systems that promote transparency and accountability, and foster communication inside and outside our school doors Just as important, we need to vet and evaluate each one prior to purchase to ensure it fulfills our strategic needs.
3. Leaders freeze. As school leaders, we have an inherent drive to innovate so that we may better our students’ learning experiences. So, for us, one of the most challenging aspects of moving our districts forward is taking a step back.
According to the three-stage change model developed by psychologist Kurt Lewin, the most effective way to avoid resistance and secure buy-in is to “unfreeze-change-refreeze.” Lewin’s theory resonated with me when I wanted to integrate more STEM into our curriculum. The process started by “unfreezing” the status quo–auditing where staff stood on current STEM programs, identifying the “whys” behind need for change, such as better preparing students for future careers, and developing a compelling message that energized stakeholders. During the change stage, we strived to empower early adopters and make modifications to the rollout based on their feedback. Once the curriculum updates were successfully implemented, we had to “refreeze” our school back to stability and ensure teachers settled comfortably into the new routine.
Doing your due diligence as a leader and including stakeholders is how we transform our school culture from compliance to commitment, where everyone is excited to be part of a movement that improves student outcomes.
4. Leaders develop teams. In the 1970s, the Vroom-Yetton leadership model was developed to help leaders choose from five decision-making processes based on quality, team commitment, and time constraints. The problem is, as humans, we naturally fixate on the last factor. Instead of being time-centered leaders, we need to evolve into developmental-centered leaders. The more information we have from stakeholders as we work our way through the decision-to-implementation process, the better off our students will be.
Last year, I had to adjust our schools’ bell schedule to accommodate a week of state testing. It’s basic mathematics–until you dive deeper into the impact a single shift can make. I could have scribbled down a schedule in minutes, but instead, I took a few weeks to get everyone on the same page. I talked to food service to figure out how to fit in all the lunch hours, the bus drivers about the impact of a delayed dismissal time, and career counselors to make sure our students could get to their offsite CTE programs. Devoting that time to team building ensured all stakeholders were comfortable with decisions and frustrations were avoided.
Visionary superintendents are committed to growth and change that lifts our students out of the status quo when it is no longer viable for impactful learning. Ensuring those around you share your dedication requires devoting the time to building talented teams, focusing on the future, and setting an intention for true collaboration district-wide.
As the African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I believe this message needs to drive everything we do in education–when we unite as a team, we create the best opportunities for our students.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
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