Originally published in the Spring 2025 issue of the MASB Leaderboard Magazine.

Introduction

A few years ago, I came across Master of Change by Brad Stulberg, and it couldn’t have landed at a more fitting time. Personally and professionally, I was navigating big transitions—shifts in my role in education, family and health challenges, and the dizzying pace of change unfolding all around us. Change wasn’t just happening to me; it was happening within me. I’m sure you’ve felt this too, the way life’s only constant seems to be change itself.

But what is change, really? And how can we define it in a way that’s meaningful for both our work in education and our own lives?

The truth is, change isn’t just an event. It’s a process, a force, sometimes a companion we didn’t invite but who shows up anyway. We experience it personally, collectively, gradually, and/or all at once.

When change is everywhere and all the time, we need ways to make sense of it. For me, having a skilled coach beside me was a game-changer, but I’ll come back to that shortly. First, let’s zoom out and explore change through different lenses. I believe that when we do this, we’ll see the key isn’t to resist change, but to master it, and the right coaching can help us do exactly that.

Understanding change through allostasis and rugged flexibility

To lead well through change, we first need to understand it more deeply. For decades, we leaned on the concept of homeostasis, the belief that systems work best when they return to a stable balance. I get it, we crave stability in life. But let’s be honest: in today’s complex world, especially in education, “going back to normal” isn’t always possible, or even desirable.

Instead, modern science introduces a more realistic, helpful model: allostasis. Unlike homeostasis, allostasis acknowledges that stability can be maintained by continuous adaptation. It is the science of stability through change, adapting and creating a “new normal” as circumstances shift. That idea really resonates with me, especially as I reflect on the sheer volume of change we all experience. Stulberg (2022) points out that the average person encounters 36 life-disrupting events. Think about that: a big disruption roughly every 18 to 24 months. I know you’re likely already doing that math for your own life, and yes, it adds up quickly.

In education, where change comes from shifting policies, technologies, student needs, and societal pressures, it’s essential that we, as leaders, develop mindsets, skills, and identities that help us not just endure change but use it as a catalyst for growth.

One concept Stulberg offers that’s helped me tremendously is rugged flexibility. It’s about holding firm to essential values, such as equity, student success, and instructional excellence, while remaining open to new methodologies, strategies, and approaches that better serve the changing needs of schools. I’ve found that rugged flexibility doesn’t just help me as a leader, it creates space for innovation and resilience across entire systems. And while it’s powerful on its own, there are additional tools we can use to navigate change with even more clarity and intention.

Mindsets, behaviors, and identities that support change

Change is inevitable, but how we respond to it is where choice comes in. In my own leadership journey, I’ve realized that how we navigate change is shaped by an interplay of mindset, behaviors, and identity.

Mindset: The lens through which we view the world. Certain mindsets have helped me—and many leaders I’ve coached—lean into change with confidence:

• A growth mindset reminds us that intelligence and capacity aren’t fixed; we can grow (Dweck, 2006).
• Embracing the impermanence of life helps us find comfort amid uncertainty or ambiguity (Dalai Lama, Tutu, & Abrams, 2016).
• A curiosity mindset pushes us to ask deeper questions and explore creative connections (MacKenzie & Bathurst-Hunt, 2018; Vance, 2022).
• An innovator’s mindset reframes challenges as opportunities and encourages bold thinking (Couros, 2015).

In my experience, watching leaders live these mindsets and being coached to adopt them myself has shaped how I see and respond to complexity.

Behaviors: Mindset alone isn’t enough. Our actions need to align. One of my favorite reminders comes from Henry Ford: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Here are three behaviors I encourage all leaders to practice and that I do myself:

1. Prioritize regular self-reflection. Create time to ask, what truly matters to me? What am I doing that is helping or hindering my transformation?
2. Foster authentic human connections. Have real conversations, not just surface-level exchanges.
3. Rely on intentional, defined processes aligned to long-term values for effective decision making, even when short-term pressures push on us all the time.

📋 Take a quick pulse-check:

How often have you lived these behaviors recently? Go to your calendar. Start to examine the frequency and depth at which each behavior—reflection, connection, and processes for choice-making has occurred. How many of these behaviors did you do in the past week? Do you need to go back further than a week? How about the past month? Now look at your calendar going forward, can you block out time to intentionally ensure you are practicing these behaviors? Remember, what you pay attention to gets done.

Identity

Finally, how do you see yourself? Do you view yourself as a change agent, a leader with the power to influence meaningful transformation? Titles might hint at this role, but the deeper driver is your core values. When we internalize identities like “architect of transformation,” we bring energy and courage to the work ahead.

Mindsets fuel behaviors, behaviors reinforce identity, and identity acts as a multiplier in our change journey. Yet, no one leads change alone. Sustainable transformation is also shaped by context, culture, and community—external forces we’ll explore next.

External Factors: The role of context and professional learning

Even the most adaptable leaders can’t create lasting change in isolation. Schools are living ecosystems influenced by politics, funding, and community expectations. That’s why personal adaptability needs to be paired with structural and cultural support.

Cynthia Coburn’s work (2003) reminds us that context matters when scaling or sustaining change. Schools don’t operate in a vacuum, they’re part of interconnected systems. As leaders, we must account for both internal and external influences as we design and evolve change efforts.

But here’s the thing: navigating change in education isn’t just about implementing an initiative; it’s about scaling it in a way that’s both meaningful and sustainable. And that’s where many well-intentioned people and efforts typically fall short.

Scaling change in schools: Depth before breadth

The challenge in education is not just adapting to change but also scaling it effectively. Coburn challenges us to rethink what it means to scale. It’s not just about how fast or far an idea spreads, it’s about how deeply it takes root. Coburn (2023) claims that scalable and sustainable change rests on three key principles:

• Depth: Ensuring that shifts in practice are deeply understood and embedded individually and/or in small groups before expanding them across a larger system.
• Pacing: Recognizing that real transformation takes time. Avoid rushing for quick wins that don’t last. Respect when timing is out of your control, but don’t stop moving either!
• Breadth/cultural integration: True change aligns with the values and behaviors of the entire organization, and is done with people, not to them.

I often hear myths like “If a change didn’t go systemwide, it wasn’t successful” or “If it didn’t happen on schedule, it failed.” But the real impact doesn’t always follow neat timelines or show up in spreadsheets. Sometimes, helping one person, one team, or one school take a transformative step forward is enough to spark a ripple effect. By utilizing a broader definition of scalability, as well as debunking these myths about scalability of change, sustainability, and impact, individuals like school leaders, groups like boards of education, and districts as communities can authentically navigate change together. And this is where coaching becomes invaluable, it creates the space for leaders (with all different titles) to think deeply, plan intentionally, and navigate change in ways that stick.

Professional learning to address change

Navigating change isn’t just an individual challenge, it’s a collective one. That’s why professional learning is so essential. In education, where complexity is the norm, leaders need high-quality learning experiences to strengthen their capacity to lead through uncertainty.

Jay Bennett (2023) spotlighted the Learning Forward Standards for Professional Learning, which emphasize that learning should be ongoing, collaborative, embedded in daily work, and data-informed. These principles don’t just apply to teachers and students; they’re critical for leaders, too.

While workshops, courses, and peer learning communities all play important roles, in my experience, coaching is one of the most powerful forms of professional learning. Coaching provides personalized, ongoing, just-in-time support that helps leaders build resilience, sharpen strategies, and sustain meaningful change.

Coaching for Change: The power of human connection

Coaching has been a game-changer for me, not just professionally, but personally. At its core, coaching is a relationship built on trust, reflection, and intentional dialogue. It’s about helping leaders like you and me surface ideas, challenge assumptions, and strengthen both mindset and action.

I draw from the work of researchers like Costa, Garmston, Knight, Aguilar, and others, but here’s my personal take:

• Coaching is an intentional set of conversations leveraging structured but authentic dialogue, growing an individual’s self-reflection, exploration of ideas, and the development of new perspectives and skills.
• Coaching occurs in a one-on-one environment, establishing a trusting relationship and a safe space to take risks and be honest. It is also customized based on the unique context (district, community, etc.) and needs of the individual.
• Coaching takes time but is most likely to sustain changes in behavior and mindset in a way that exceeds stand-alone professional development or other forms of learning.

From my own lived experience and research, I’ve seen four clear benefits that coaching brings to the change process:

1. By talking with another person, thinking is made visible, more real, and more actionable.
2. Repeated talking with a trusted person over time increases a person’s internal accountability and external sustainability of a transformation at multiple levels.
3. By engaging with others of various viewpoints and perspectives, new ideas are more likely to be generated. Exposure to different viewpoints challenges assumptions and encourages creative solutions.
4. By spending time in reflection with others, learning deepens, beliefs and mindsets solidify into behaviors, and effective decision-making processes increase.

Also, good coaching is customized to your unique role, your district, and your community. And while it takes time, it creates lasting shifts, far beyond what stand-alone professional development can do.

I know, I’ve lived it. I’ve been coached and have coached others for years. During my time as the Director of Learning Services and Instruction at the Jackson County Intermediate School District, with goals as a leader and a strategic vision for innovation, I found I wanted and needed a trusted person to push my mindset, co-build action and accountability for small steps of change, and much more. So, I invested in an external coach for myself as well as coaching for some leaders on my team. The results? Tangible, meaningful transformation—not just in me, but across the entire organization.

Today, I’m a champion of Leadership Coaching for Innovation, a model designed specifically for education leaders managing complex change and striving for innovation that will make a difference in our schools. Grounded in research and tailored to each leader’s unique context, this coaching approach has helped me and many others harness change as a lever for positive impact.

Conclusion

Change in education isn’t just inevitable—it’s essential. But it doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. When we understand models like allostasis, adopt the right mindsets, and engage in intentional behaviors, we start turning disruption into progress.

And when we add coaching to the equation? That’s when things really shift. Coaching provides the reflection, structure, and human connection that helps leaders like us move from reacting to change to mastering it.

I’ve lived this journey. I’ve seen how coaching has helped me, and countless others, build resilience, deepen purpose, and lead with clarity, even in uncertain times.

So, here’s my invitation to you: Don’t just navigate change. Learn to master it—with support, with intention, and with a coach by your side. Because when you do, change becomes more than something to survive. It becomes your greatest opportunity to lead, grow, and transform your community.

References

Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho., Tutu, D., & Abrams, D. C. (2016). The book of joy: Lasting happiness in a changing world. Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Coburn, C. E. (2003). Rethinking scale: Moving beyond the numbers. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3-12.

Couros, G. (2015). The innovator’s mindset: Empower learning, unleash talent, and lead a culture of creativity. Dave Burgess Consulting.

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.

Learning Forward. (2023). Standards for professional learning. Retrieved from https://learningforward.org/standards-for-professional-learning/

MacKenzie, T., & Bathurst-Hunt, R. (2018). Inquiry mindset: nurturing the dreams, wonders, & curiosities of our youngest learners. EdTechTeam Press.

Michigan Virtual. (n.d.). Leadership coaching for innovation. Retrieved from https://michiganvirtual.org/consulting/leadership-coaching-innovation

Spivey, M. & Shulberg, B. (2024, Jan. 2). Podcast: How to make your resolution stick, with ‘Master of Change’ author Brad Stulberg. Retrieved from https://www.spiveyconsulting.com/blog-post/brad-stulberg-podcast

Stulberg, B. (2022). Master of change: How to excel when everything is changing – Including you. HarperOne.

Vance. J. (2022). Leading with a lens of inquiry: Cultivating conditions for curiosity and empowering agency. Elevate Books Edu.

Leadership in movies takes many forms; sometimes loud and inspiring, sometimes subtle and behind the scenes, but it’s always evolving. Now, imagine how some iconic characters’ stories might have changed if they had access to Leadership Coaching for Innovation, like the kind offered by Michigan Virtual.

This unique coaching model develops transformational leaders by helping them know, do, and be the change agents their systems need, especially in complex, shifting environments hungry for innovation. Let’s explore how coaching could have reshaped their journeys!

🎓 Tony Stark (Iron Man): Coaching for an Innovator’s Mindset

In Iron Man 2, Tony Stark spirals. He’s reckless, secretive, and resistant to help. Faced with his mortality and legacy, he makes unilateral decisions that strain relationships and destabilize his company. He’s brilliant but reactive, solving problems in isolation and letting ego drive his leadership.

Leadership Coaching for Innovation could have helped Tony reframe innovation from being about individual genius to a shared vision. A coach might prompt reflective questions like:

• Who else should be at the table?
• What assumptions are you making about your role as a leader?
• How might your innovations be more inclusive and sustainable?

Over time, Tony could build psychological safety within his team, allowing diverse perspectives to surface and grow. He might have shifted from burnout-fueled heroics to empowerment and succession planning, as we eventually see with Peter Parker. With coaching, his arc could accelerate from tech-obsessed soloist to a systemic change agent who fosters a culture of curiosity and capacity-building.

💡 Princess Leia (Star Wars): Coaching for Strategic Innovation

Leia Organa continually led through unprecedented challenges, uniting a fragmented Rebel Alliance, coordinating the complex evacuation of Echo Base, and nurturing the next generation of leaders within the Resistance. Leadership Coaching for Innovation would specifically have helped Leia cultivate innovative strategies rather than reacting to immediate threats. Reflective coaching questions might have included:

• How can we leverage collective intelligence to foster innovative solutions across Rebel factions?
• What innovative rapid-response frameworks can we prototype to enhance resilience?
• How might we intentionally build innovation capacity within emerging Resistance leaders?

Through innovation-focused coaching, Leia would move from managing crises to proactively developing resilient, creative, and strategically agile systems, ensuring the long-term strength and adaptability of the Alliance and Resistance alike.

🧠 John Keating (Dead Poets Society): Coaching for Inclusive Innovation

Clearly, Keating was a bold, passionate educator urging students to “seize the day,” to break free from outdated norms and rediscover their voices. He fostered curiosity, inspired creativity, and ignited a love for learning, but within a system that didn’t always recognize or reward risk-taking and was unprepared for his methods, he’s perceived as disruptive.

He knew change was needed, but the path forward seemed lonely, even perilous. What if a coach had been there to ask:

• How might you extend your impact beyond one classroom, without losing your voice or your values?
• What structures or allies could help you protect creativity in an environment built for compliance? Can we co-construct change rather than work around others or exclude them?
• How can you lead innovation in ways that invite others to explore, rather than defend?

A coach wouldn’t have told Keating what to do; they would have held space for the big questions, helped him move from intuition to intentional strategy, and supported him in designing change that inspires without isolating. With a true thought partner, Keating could have shifted from being a solo act of rebellion to a catalyst for collective transformation, rooted in reflection, guided by values, and amplified through strategy and design. This Leadership Coaching for Innovation approach not only sparks imagination but also builds durable innovation networks, so the work doesn’t leave with Keating. It accelerates sparks of vision into concrete, systemic influence.

🌊 Moana (Moana): Coaching for Collaborative Inquiry

In Moana, the eponymous heroine faces ecological decline, cultural inertia, and the burden of leadership, all without formal preparation. She knows the way forward lies in reclaiming her ancestors’ voyaging legacy, but her efforts are initially met with fear and resistance. Leadership Coaching for Innovation would support Moana in navigating adaptive challenges, rather than just technical ones. A coach might help her:

• Map the system she’s trying to influence (elders, youth, family traditions)
• Use collaborative inquiry cycles to surface community wisdom
• Build coalitions of support that anchor change in shared identity

Imagine Moana co-facilitating intergenerational story circles to reconnect the village to its seafaring past. Or co-designing exploratory journeys with her peers, embedding shared leadership and distributed responsibility from the start. Coaching turns her lone quest into community-powered transformation, showing that courage plus systems thinking equals sustainable impact.

🕊️ T’Challa (Black Panther): Coaching for ‘Next-Horizon’ Innovation

Wakanda is a highly advanced, hidden African nation, possessing extraordinary technological advancements due to its exclusive access to the precious metal Vibranium. Historically, Wakanda maintained secrecy and isolation, deliberately hiding its technological superiority to avoid exploitation or conflict. King T’Challa wrestles with Wakanda’s tradition of isolation versus the ethical imperative to aid global communities and share their advancements. Coaching with an embedded element of collaborative inquiry could have provided structured support for him to:

• Strategically engage diverse internal groups (tribal elders, council members, Wakandan citizens) and external international communities
• Use collaborative inquiry methods to ensure inclusivity and shared ownership of the transformative vision

Beyond that, a coach could have challenged T’Challa one-on-one with questions like:

• What might you need to consider (or do) if Vibranium is no longer Wakanda’s greatest advantage? How might you future-proof your leadership and nation beyond your current strengths?
• If success means more than security, what new metrics or milestones might you use to measure Wakanda’s progress in becoming a global force for good?
• What adaptive challenges do you anticipate as you shift from secrecy to openness, and how will you prepare yourself and others to lead through that uncertainty?

Leadership Coaching for Innovation takes leaders from good to GREAT. By leaning into the power of collective intelligence and future-focused journeys, T’Challa would be seen as that “next level” leader that Wakanda needs for generations to come.

🎬 What These Stories Teach Us

While these characters (mostly) aren’t educators, their challenges mirror those of real-life school and district leaders: navigating complex systems, inspiring others, managing change with adaptive approaches, and building sustainable innovation. Transformational leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it grows from intentional reflection, collaborative problem-solving, and strategic risk-taking.

Michigan Virtual’s Leadership Coaching for Innovation equips leaders to meet the moment with clarity and courage as well as make the moments that matter. Through personalized, systemic, and reflective coaching, we help leaders:

• Be curious, uncover, and envision the possibilities
• Reflect deeply on their practice
• Navigate uncertainty with confidence
• Co-create meaningful change within their systems
• Champion innovation that not only advances education into the 21st century but also creates a joyful, purposeful future

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers or being the hero—it’s about asking the right questions, making space for others, and creating conditions where everyone can thrive. Movie magic aside, that’s the kind of leadership that truly changes the world.

✏️ Ready to Lead Your Own Sequel?

You don’t need a movie moment to become a transformational leader. You need a thought partner, an intentional coaching process, and a system that believes in your growth. Michigan Virtual’s Leadership Coaching for Innovation is ready to walk with you; one conversation, one cycle, one courageous act at a time.

👉 Start your coaching journey today.

If you’ve made it this far in the series, chances are something about Leadership Coaching for Innovation has sparked your curiosity—or maybe even your courage. You’ve seen how it works, who it’s for, and why it stands apart from traditional PD. So now what?

The next step is simple—but meaningful: act on that spark.

Whether you already have an idea you’re chasing, a challenge you’re navigating, or just a feeling that there’s something more you could do to serve students, this is your invitation to take the leap.

Because here’s the truth: innovation rarely comes from a lightning bolt. It comes from small, intentional steps—shifting your thinking, testing an idea, reflecting deeply, and trying again. And that kind of work doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in conversation. In partnership. In practice.

That’s what Leadership Coaching for Innovation offers: not a prescription or a playbook, but a trusted thought partner to help you navigate the messiness of change and discover what’s possible in your own context.

In the MiSoundBoard podcast, Don Wotruba and I talked about how lonely leadership can be—and often innovation can feel even lonelier unless you intentionally reach out. So many leaders are doing heroic work behind the scenes, but without anyone to think with, push them, or hold space for their learning. That’s the gap this coaching service is designed to fill.

So, whether you’re ready to define your next move—or just wondering what’s possible—know this: you don’t have to do it alone.

Reach out. Start the conversation. Let’s explore what Leadership Coaching for Innovation could look like for you.

We’re all familiar with the typical rhythms of professional development: workshops, webinars, maybe a conference or two. While these experiences can spark ideas, they often fall short when it comes to real, lasting transformation. That’s because true change doesn’t happen in a single day. It happens over time, in context, and through trusted relationships.

That’s where Leadership Coaching for Innovation stands apart.

This service isn’t confined to a training calendar or a specific time of year. It’s designed to be timely, responsive, and completely flexible to meet your needs. Whether you’re preparing to launch a new initiative, struggling with implementation, or still brainstorming your vision, the coaching adapts to your pace, not the other way around.

You choose the cadence. Some leaders engage in weekly or bi-weekly conversations during high-stakes moments. Others check in monthly as they build toward a bigger shift. What matters most is that it’s ongoing, not a one-and-done session. The work evolves alongside you.

And where does it happen? Wherever you are. Leadership Coaching for Innovation can be delivered virtually, one-on-one, so your coach can meet with you in your space and schedule. No travel. Or, we can come to you, wherever you feel comfortable. Again, make the best out of your time and resources, and just how you like it.

In my conversation with MASB’s Don Wotruba on the MiSoundBoard podcast, we talked about how this coaching model offers something that traditional PD simply can’t: internal accountability and external sustainability. It helps you think through problems, generate new ideas, and—most importantly—stick with it. The coaching relationship provides a space for honest reflection, real-time course correction, and a rhythm of learning that supports long-term transformation.

When you’re leading change, timing matters. Support matters. Having someone who’s just for you, at just the right time, matters most.

When people hear the phrase “Leadership Coaching for Innovation,” they often assume it’s just for superintendents or central office leaders navigating large-scale transformation. And yes, those roles are an ideal match—but this kind of coaching is so much broader than a job title.

Leadership Coaching for Innovation is for any educator or leader who sees potential in people and processes and is ready to take action to shape the future of their school, district, or organization. Whether you’re an assistant superintendent designing a new instructional model, a building principal with a bold idea for student engagement, or an emerging leader simply looking to grow, this service is for you.

As I shared in the recent MiSoundBoard podcast with MASB’s Don Wotruba, innovation isn’t about waiting until your schedule clears or until you have the “perfect” role. It’s about having the courage to ask, What if…? and the commitment to explore what’s possible now.

And because every leader’s context, goals, and experiences are unique, the right-fit coach matters more than anything.

At Michigan Virtual, our Leadership Coaching for Innovation team is intentional about match-making. We take time to listen deeply through a discovery process to understand your innovation goals, leadership style, and personal strengths and constraints. From there, we help pair you with a coach who has the right experience and gets you. Someone who knows how to listen, challenge, support, and walk alongside you with no side agenda—just the goal of helping you lead with impact.

And when the fit is right? Everything changes. Conversations deepen. Confidence grows. Ideas evolve. Action takes root.

So if you’ve been wondering whether Leadership Coaching for Innovation is “for you,” the answer might be simpler than you think: Do you want to grow? Do you want to lead change, not just manage it? Then yes—it’s for you.

This is part one of a four-part series about Leadership Coaching for Innovation.

If you’ve worked in education for any amount of time, you’ve probably felt that tension between what we know is possible for students and the realities of the systems we lead. The truth is, schools weren’t built for the world we live in today, and meaningful change can feel hard, messy, and even lonely.

That’s exactly why Leadership Coaching for Innovation exists.

Leadership Coaching for Innovation isn’t just another leadership program. In fact, it’s not a program at all; it’s a personalized, one-on-one service, and more than that, it’s a way of thinking, learning, and leading. It’s built on authentic relationships, trust, and deep, context-driven support that meets leaders exactly where they are.

Innovation doesn’t always mean massive disruption or overhauling huge systems.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as shifting your own perspective and being inspired by new ideas, testing a new instructional approach, or designing opportunities to think differently about what’s possible for your school or district. At Michigan Virtual, we define innovation across a spectrum—from generating new ideas, combining existing practices in unique ways, and making space for curiosity, creativity, and what’s possible.

In the latest episode of the MiSoundBoard podcast, I had the chance to talk with Don Wotruba of MASB about this work. We explored how Leadership Coaching for Innovation equips education leaders with the mindset, competencies, tools, and trusted thought partnership they need to move from ideas to action AND from action to sustainable change.

Leadership Coaching for Innovation isn’t a static model or a fixed set of steps. It’s a flexible, responsive learning experience that evolves with you, your context, and your vision for transformation. Whether you’re trying to define an innovation, design a new approach, or lead your team through complex implementation, this kind of coaching meets you and the moment.

So, why now?

Because change is already happening. The question is whether we’ll shape it, or just react to it. Leadership Coaching for Innovation offers the clarity, courage, and community needed to lead with intention and impact.

Monday, August 1st, marked the first-ever Future of Learning Council Superintendent Leadership Summit, co-hosted by the Future of Learning Council (FLC) and Michigan Virtual.

Rain clouds stirred overhead as we gathered at Traverse City’s Career Tech Center. Inside, superintendents from 17 districts across Michigan filtered in, bearing a cautious optimism. 

To say the last couple of years have been challenging for our educators is an understatement. And yet, despite the toll the pandemic has exacted, an air of perseverance and hope buoyed the room as FLC leaders considered strategies to redesign learning in a post-pandemic environment. 

School leaders traveled from all over the state — some from as far away as the northernmost reaches of the Upper Peninsula — for a day of dreaming and planning with Michael Horn, one of the nation’s foremost experts on K-12 innovation. 

Attendees shared that they’re eager to go beyond the theoretical to explore innovative strategies for transforming learning in their school communities. 

“We’re ready to move past the why and into the how,” said Dr. John VanWagoner, superintendent of Traverse City Area Public Schools. “How are we going to make meaningful change to move learning forward in our districts?”

The energy of this group’s collective vision, expertise, and passion is contagious. It’s hard to leave events like this one without feeling more optimistic about the future of learning in our state.

Three major takeaways

Unsurprisingly, Horn’s latest book is one of his finest works to date. Comprehensive and practical, From Reopen to Reinvent: (Re)creating School for Every Child offers a road map for school leaders looking to make transformational shifts in a system historically resistant to major disruptions.

Below are three insights from this book that spurred conversation during the Superintendent Leadership Summit:

#1. Shifting from threat → opportunity framing

There is a time and place for labeling threats as “threats.” Horn shared some fascinating research illuminating that “threat framing” is effective for marshaling resources and motivating action. 

Consider the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of this mentality. The threats to both safety and learning loss led to a swift injection of federal aid dollars into the K-12 system across the nation.

But there is a downside here, which Horn refers to as “threat rigidity.”  Left unchecked, over-focusing on threats (instead of opportunities) leads to a top-down, command-centric organizational model that is not conducive to innovation. 

As human beings, when we’re faced with danger, we tend to stick to what we know rather than thinking outside the box. 

“It’s hard to remain curious when you feel threatened,” explained Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of Michigan Virtual. “To create an environment that fosters innovative thinking, you need to shift away from a ‘threat’ mindset and toward an ‘opportunity’ mindset.” 

From Horn’s perspective, it’s time to shift away from conversations about “learning loss” (the threat) and focus instead on “mastery” for every student (the opportunity). 

#2. The power of small, autonomous teams

It’s no secret that massive system change is difficult to achieve in K-12 education. So many stakeholders need to be on board before sweeping changes are made.

That’s why it can be so incredibly effective to start small instead. Begin with a coalition of the willing. Give this small team the autonomy they need to rethink anything and everything. They need the freedom to dream without being constrained by the limits of the existing system. 

This is one way micro-schools can be developed. Small, autonomous teams are given the ability to create pockets of change within the larger system. 

Rather than replacing the traditional model of schooling, micro-schools offer families the ability to opt their child into a new learning experience. When successful, these movements will grow organically. 

#3. Your innovative pilot projects shouldn’t be PR machines

When you give small teams the autonomy to create change, you must also protect them from public scrutiny while they’re still growing.

If your goal is to empower these teams to create innovative and effective student learning experiences, they need to be allowed to experience fast failures and iterate quickly. 

As a school leader, giving them this space to innovate is difficult if you’re simultaneously shining a floodlight on what they’re doing and broadcasting it to the larger community.

It’s important to hold off on the PR efforts until you’re further along in the innovation process. Your team needs to be able to fall down, skin their knees, get back up, and try again. They need time to learn and continually make adjustments that improve the student learning experience. 

While you’re still piloting these programs, it’s best to insulate these teams so they can design a program with enough success and momentum to weather the limelight. 

“Success is the best deodorant,” Horn explained. “Kids talk. Parents talk. If your micro-school is working as intended, parents will call asking to sign their kids up for this program.” 

We’re at a tipping point — Which direction will we head?

Throughout our full-day event, we explored many other topics relevant to the challenges that district leaders are facing today: 

• Co-designing the purpose of schooling with your community 
• Leading toward consensus in the face of widespread disagreement
• Creating micro-schools within your district
• Maximizing teacher satisfaction and motivation, and 
• Optimizing learning models for the most effective uses of class time, teaching staff, and technology.

Throughout these conversations, attendees shared their experiences, challenges, current innovations, fears, and hopes for the future. 

One noteworthy part of our conversation centered around finding common ground in communities fractured by disparate beliefs, values, and politics.

“One of the most important things we can do is find common ground,” said Dr. Kelly Coffin, assistant superintendent at Farmington Public Schools. “If we’re going to move forward together, we need to be able to get community buy-in and develop a shared vision for education.”

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the threats facing our school communities —  polarizing political views, a lingering pandemic, and teacher shortages, to name a few. Certainly, these are all valid and pressing concerns, but it’s also important to remember that we’re also amid a ripe period of opportunity.

“The ask of public education is different today than it was 20 years ago,” explained Dr. Dave Richards, executive learning strategist for Michigan Virtual. “As leaders, we have the opportunity to engage in these conversations with our communities and redesign learning to guarantee success for every student.”

In other words, if there were ever a time to foster public dialogue about transforming K-12 education, that time is now. 

“We’re at a tipping point,” Horn predicted at the event’s end. “We have to utilize this window of opportunity. It would be equally easy to fall back into ‘the way things used to be’ if we don’t act while there’s still urgency.”

What’s next for the FLC?

The Future of Learning Council was created precisely to facilitate events like this one with Michael Horn. 

Launched in September 2021, this coalition of 40 school districts and learning organizations has banded together around a single mission: to shape the future of learning in Michigan. 

Over the past year, we’ve brought in an incredible line-up of national experts, including Rebecca Midles and Tom VanderArk of Getting Smart, Dr. Paul Facteau of Apple, and Dr. Theresa Ewald from Kettle Moraine School District. 

These speakers have galvanized our collective visions and helped us to develop practical strategies for moving forward.

In the coming months, the FLC will be working with Michigan Virtual to produce two additional resources for district leaders.

1. A practical guide for busy school leaders —  We really believe that Horn’s book offers a valuable roadmap for K-12 innovation, and we want more school leaders to benefit from its wisdom. In the coming months, we’ll be creating a practical guide designed for busy school leaders, so you can take the key insights and apply them to your leadership practices. 
2. A map of Michigan-based innovations — Next, we’ll be crowdsourcing a map of K-12 innovations across our state, so you can better visualize what’s going on in your neighboring districts and discover who to reach out to if you have questions or would like a site visit. We do better when we rise together. 

Leading in a digital culture

To effectively implement change that supports a digital learning program, school leaders need to think about how they can foster a digital culture. Effective leadership practices often involve a focus on learning for an entire school community. The driving concern should be if and how students are meeting curricular goals through new digital learning opportunities. 

Once a digital learning program takes off, teachers and staff should be able to find ways to continue to innovate and evolve their instructional and student support practices. Members of the broader community may then have options and resources that they did not have before.

School leaders need to maintain diplomacy and flexibility to encourage a school or district to sustain new digital learning initiatives. Also, it is helpful to remember that technologies help teachers do their jobs; technologies are not a replacement for teachers and what they have been trained to do. Therefore, school leaders should consider some apt advice:

Let technology do what it does best, and let teachers do what they do best.

By advocating for innovative changes that help teachers grow and learn as professionals, school leaders can maintain a positive work environment for teachers, which ultimately helps students and school communities advance their skills and knowledge through digital learning innovations.

Be the “champion”

Shepherding a new digital learning program from conception to enactment requires much energy, willpower, and adaptability. In many ways, a digital learning program needs a champion who will be an instructional leader, an advocate, a counselor, and a cheerleader focused on making a vision turn into a reality. It is hoped that a champion’s efforts then inspire teachers and staff to continue the momentum within the broader school community.

Being a champion requires establishing a culture of trust, expectation, and innovation. School leaders need to communicate clearly and with transparency. They need to make sure all crucial stakeholders are included and feel included in the process from start to finish.

Moreover, leaders need to help a school community recognize that there are opportunities for success as well as the chance that failure happens along the way. Together, everyone can “fail forward” by embracing risk-taking and reflecting on lessons learned as the process unfolds to achieve a digital learning program’s underlying vision and purpose.

School leaders should recognize that people look up to them and watch them as change is introduced and carried out. As such, they should model the desired behaviors they want to see in others within the community.

School leaders become the exemplar of innovative change by being empathetic, diplomatic, available to listen, and open to modelling self-care. Or, as Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi famously advised, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” 

To create change that leads to the successful implementation of a digital learning program, school leaders must reflect on their place as champions for the cause.

At the same time, they should make sure that whatever technological resources are pursued align with the school’s or district’s instructional vision. When school community members are included and feel like their voices are taken seriously to realize this vision, more champions for digital learning emerge, which only help increase the chances of success in the long run.

Looking ahead

As this School Leader Insights blog series has emphasized, school and district leaders are the linchpin to the success of any digital learning program. Being intentional by listening to all members of the school community goes a long way to introducing and sustaining innovative change. This blog series provides advice and tools to be the leader and champion of a digital learning program:

• Establish a clear purpose (a reason “why”) for a program
• Understand the interplay of curriculum, instruction, and assessment for a program
• Examine technology as a foundation for implementation and long-term impact
• Recognize professional learning as a catalyst for change
• Take a 360-degree look at school operations to support digital learning
• Be a champion of a culture focused on learning, having clear expectations, being willing to innovate, and adapting as necessary to realize the vision of the initiative

Moving forward, Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute will continue to study what is necessary for leaders to successfully implement change in support of a school or district’s vision of innovating through digital learning.

Stay up to date on blogs in this series by signing up for email notifications!

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Tracy Gieseking from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute for her contributions and advice in writing this blog post.

About the authors

Christopher Harrington

Dr. Christopher Harrington, director of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, has served public education as a teacher, an administrator, a researcher, and a consultant for more than 25 years and has experience assisting dozens of school districts across the nation in the design and implementation of blended, online, and personalized learning programs. He has worked on local, regional, and national committees with the Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) and various other education-based organizations aimed at transforming education through the use of technology.

Ed Timke

Dr. Ed Timke is a research specialist for Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute. Although he specializes in qualitative research — such as interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, and textual and visual analyses — he was trained in mixed methods research while in his doctoral program in communication and media at the University of Michigan. Ed has taught online and face-to-face courses on writing, research methods, global media and communication, the role of advertising in society, and intercultural communication at American University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.

Role of digital learning in an academic program

To successfully roll out a digital learning program, implementation should not be done within a vacuum. Schools are complex organizations with many layers contributing to their operations. The various stakeholders responsible for school operations need to be included in the planning and implementation of any digital learning program.

Previous blog posts in this series emphasized the importance of understanding the underlying goals of a digital learning program; examining the interplay between curriculum, instruction, and assessment; thinking carefully about technology needs; and offering professional learning opportunities. If logistical concerns of school operations are not also factored into enacting a digital learning program, implementation can be significantly hindered.

When thinking of integrating a digital learning program within existing school operations, careful considerations are needed. School leaders need to remember that school operations often involve a finite number of dedicated facilities staff, limited budgets, and rigid and time-sensitive schedules. Thus, school leaders must think about how much a digital learning program will impact existing procedures, processes, and systems that keep a school functioning. 

School leaders should reflect on the nature of a digital learning program. Is it supplemental to existing operations and more of an add-on that might not necessarily disrupt existing plans and procedures?

Or is it something that needs to be highly integrated across many different school operations systems, plans, and procedures? Similarly, is a digital learning program a system-wide adaptation throughout a school, or is it an isolated program that targets a particular part of a school community?

Suppose a digital learning program is isolated or supplemental. In that case, there may not be a dramatic impact on existing school operations. However, coordination with relevant stakeholders still needs to occur to ensure a digital learning program can be enacted and function smoothly within a school’s broader operational structure.

If a digital learning program is more integrated and systemic, even more significant discussions are needed with school operations leaders and staff to ensure that new and existing work can be managed well within the desired implementation timeline. 

Lastly, depending on the intensity and reach of the digital learning program, careful thought must be on expectations of how staff will use technologies and where and when they will use those technologies.

Such reflection requires attention to the most granular operational details to ensure interoperability of technologies and software as well as the availability of facilities staff to install and test new equipment properly.

Making room in day-to-day operations

Implementing a digital learning program requires careful planning, especially ensuring there are enough resources and support to keep day-to-day operations as smooth as possible. As noted about doing careful assessments of what kinds of technology would best serve a digital learning program, school leaders need to plan what technologies need to go where and when they should be installed, tested, and integrated into the learning environment. 

Such planning means that school leaders need to make sure staff and contractors who know how to install technology and new equipment are available. Educational technologists and facilities staff are best equipped to implement technology installations and upgrades. They must be given adequate notice and time within their existing work schedules to help roll out a digital learning program.

Similarly, buying new equipment and technology is only one part of the budgeting process. There may be significant installation and operational expenses to keep in mind. New equipment installation may require specialized outside contractors. New furniture or room equipment might be required to situate and use technologies in the classroom properly.

Also, electrical lines and outlets may need to be added to allow technologies to be placed optimally within a classroom. Technology additions and upgrades may involve long-term operational costs, including increased electricity costs and outside maintenance contracts with technology vendors.

Therefore, school leaders need to see where a digital learning program fits into a school’s facilities maintenance schedule and budget and have regular discussions with facilities staff to make sure any new work and procedures can be implemented and supported.

There are many schedules to account for when schools are operating, especially teachers’ teaching and prep schedules. 

If schools expect teachers to take on new roles in a digital learning program, they need to give teachers time to collaborate with other faculty and staff to plan and put the program’s curricular goals into action. 

Moreover, teachers need time to engage in professional learning opportunities, which could include mentorship programs, to enhance their teaching practices using new digital tools. Time must also be allocated in teachers’ schedules for them to take on new responsibilities and build the skills necessary for a digital learning program to succeed. The same should be said for support staff and students who may be engaging with new technologies for the first time.

Administrator support goes a long way in implementing any change within school operations. Effective school leaders are intentional in reaching out to all school community members to learn about and address their needs and concerns.

Change can be a source of stress for anyone, especially if it involves adding more responsibilities, developing new skill sets, and making adjustments to existing schedules. School leaders should work with teachers and staff to make sure that any new initiative does not derail existing priorities and operational procedures.

Administrators should also work closely with teachers to develop programs and resources that help teachers grow their skills and better understand their expectations as they implement a new digital learning program.

In the end, a new digital learning program presents exciting opportunities to innovate and grow.

However, for a school community to feel enthusiastic about the changes that will come, school leaders must have a full understanding of a program’s impact on school operations at all levels—from paying the electric bill to ensuring students’ grades are released on time. Such an understanding requires listening to many school community members and being intentional about trying to help everyone do their best to keep a school running smoothly.

Looking ahead

The final blog in this School Leader Insights series will focus on how to lead a new digital program toward long-term success.

Stay up to date on future blogs in this series by signing up for email notifications!

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Tracy Gieseking from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute for her contributions and advice in writing this blog post.

About the authors

Christopher Harrington

Dr. Christopher Harrington, director of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, has served public education as a teacher, an administrator, a researcher, and a consultant for more than 25 years and has experience assisting dozens of school districts across the nation in the design and implementation of blended, online, and personalized learning programs. He has worked on local, regional, and national committees with the Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) and various other education-based organizations aimed at transforming education through the use of technology.

Ed Timke

Dr. Ed Timke is a research specialist for Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute. Although he specializes in qualitative research — such as interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, and textual and visual analyses — he was trained in mixed methods research while in his doctoral program in communication and media at the University of Michigan. Ed has taught online and face-to-face courses on writing, research methods, global media and communication, the role of advertising in society, and intercultural communication at American University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.

Begin with the end in mind

At the end of the previous blog post in this series, professional learning was emphasized as a critical concern when introducing new technology in any digital learning initiative. When teachers feel comfortable with their ability to leverage the technology available to them, they are set on a path toward success in helping their students and growing as professionals. 

Some might argue that digital learning goals will be easily within reach if you give teachers new technology. Procuring technology is only one part of the equation. Adequate training and professional learning need to be offered and available. However, a distinction should be made between training and professional learning. 

Training refers to providing nuts-and-bolts guidance on how to do specific tasks involving technology, such as accessing software, uploading PDF documents, or recording a class. 

Professional learning centers on higher-order strategies of using technology and other tools to achieve particular instructional and professional goals. 

Some school community members may already have a lot of technical knowledge, so only offering training may be seen as tedious or unnecessary. School districts should provide professional learning to give teachers an opportunity to advance their instructional skills and abilities in serving students and the broader community.

When a school district establishes professional learning goals, they should be aligned to the instructional vision of the district. This ensures that teachers’ growth and development can have a direct positive impact on students. 

Additionally, professional learning goals need to align with how teachers are supervised and evaluated as well as where a school wants to be in meeting its curricular goals and objectives. When teachers see that they are rewarded for their commitment to growing as educational professionals, a school or district creates and encourages a culture of continuous learning and innovation which benefits the entire school community.

Personalizing professional learning

To implement an effective professional learning program, school leaders must understand the needs of adult learners. As noted in a Digital Promise study on creating conditions to implement new instructional technologies, teachers want professional learning lessons to be relevant, valuable, and immediately applicable. 

If relevance, utility, and application of lessons learned are not emphasized, adult learners will tend to tune out and not see professional learning opportunities as worth their time.

Professional learning should not follow a one-size-fits-all approach. School leaders need to provide teachers with a voice and a choice to pursue the opportunities that suit them, their needs, and their goals as professionals. A wide variety of options should be available, and teachers should be regularly surveyed about what topics and formats of professional learning interest them.

School leaders should use individual teacher data—collected from sources such as classroom walkthroughs, formal observations, and student assessments—to drive teachers’ professional learning. Not only does this make professional learning tailored, but it makes any professional learning opportunity more relevant, useful, and accountable for teachers and those they serve. A focus should be on building instructional competencies that can be applied and demonstrated tangibly in the classroom. Understanding the ins and outs of technology through training is essential, but what is most valuable is guiding teachers on how to use technology to make their teaching more effective and enjoyable for them and their students.

A focus on competencies means that school leaders need to revisit teacher supervision and evaluation. Rather than treating teacher supervision as a top-down formalized evaluation exercise conducted once or twice per year, school leaders should embrace regular open dialogue with teachers focused on skill development that can advance and enhance their instructional practices in the short and long term. 

By having recurring, informal conversations throughout the year, teachers and administrators can work together to identify strength areas to continue and opportunities to pursue for growth and improvement. When this process is continuous and intentional, the evaluation process becomes less confrontational. It focuses more on the reason teachers are evaluated in the first place—to support teachers’ ability to achieve excellence in their service to students and the school community. 

Role of the supervisor

School leaders play an important role in supervising teachers. The most effective supervision is focused on guiding professional growth and development rather than dictating from a position of authority. Giving teachers a voice and a choice in planning, implementing, and evaluating professional learning opportunities will go a long way to create a culture of agency among the instructional staff. 

When educators feel empowered in their professional learning and growth, they feel more satisfied and confident in their work. They also will be more apt to support, contribute to, and champion new innovations in digital learning. When teachers feel invested in a digital learning program that empowers them and their students, they become catalysts of change. 

Again, using individualized teacher data is essential to inform and shape the co-creation of professional learning experiences between school leaders and teachers. When teachers’ unique needs, perspectives, and goals are taken into account, they feel more valued and ready to bring their best and fullest professional selves to enact a new digital learning initiative.

Looking ahead

The following blog in this School Leader Insights series will focus on how to shift school operations effectively to advance the implementation of digital learning programs.

Stay up to date on future blogs in this series by signing up for email notifications!

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Tracy Gieseking from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute for her contributions and advice in writing this blog post.

About the authors

Christopher Harrington

Dr. Christopher Harrington, director of Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute, has served public education as a teacher, an administrator, a researcher, and a consultant for more than 25 years and has experience assisting dozens of school districts across the nation in the design and implementation of blended, online, and personalized learning programs. He has worked on local, regional, and national committees with the Aurora Institute (formerly iNACOL) and various other education-based organizations aimed at transforming education through the use of technology.

Ed Timke

Dr. Ed Timke is a research specialist for Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute. Although he specializes in qualitative research — such as interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, and textual and visual analyses — he was trained in mixed methods research while in his doctoral program in communication and media at the University of Michigan. Ed has taught online and face-to-face courses on writing, research methods, global media and communication, the role of advertising in society, and intercultural communication at American University, Duke University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Michigan.