Leadership

Pope Francis – A Leadership Legacy

The death of Pope Francis and the news media tributes caused me to recall a blog I wrote 11 years ago when he was a relatively new Pope. Following is the blog I wrote comparing his behaviors to how leaders in a complex organization can change the organization. I still think my observation as a leader is on point, considering how he acted as Pope throughout his tenure. It will take more time to measure Pope Francis’s impact on the Catholic Church, but he has affected many people, as shown by the tributes. As I reread this old blog, I realized that some political leaders must adopt some of Pope Francis’ leadership behaviors.

Pope Francis – Model of a Leader in a Complex Adaptive System

by Dick Jones 12/19/2013

Jorge Bergoglio was tapped in March as the new leader of the 1.2 billion Roman Catholic people. In these few months, he has generated considerable “buzz” for his leadership style, both within the Catholic church and the greater public. His first act as Pope was to take the unique name of Francis, which broke from tradition and inspired a key role of the church in aiding the poor. Leadership in any organization is challenging, but in large, complex organizations like the Catholic church, leadership is even more challenging. The strict doctrines, formal hierarchies, and rich cultural traditions imply an organization that will not change. However, issues like declining membership, public attitudes toward religion, shortage of priests, and conflicts in values create a tension that the organization must address. How does a new leader deal with this apparent “rock and a hard place,” needing to change but needing to stay the same? The answer is exactly how Pope Francis behaved. The lessons here are leadership lessons for anyone who assumes a leadership role in a complex organization. I think, particularly in the American political and education systems, which are complex adaptive systems, we need more leaders who think and act like Pope Francis.

When leaders step into the role of a large complex organization, they tend to think they were selected for that position because they are the smartest person in the room, capable of making the difficult decisions to solve the complex current problems. There is a tendency for leaders to believe they are all-powerful and that they can command any change. Due to religious and personal beliefs, Pope Francis understands that he is not all-powerful nor all-knowing.

More and more researchers are examining complex adaptive organizations and the unique ways they change. A complex adaptive system is composed of a diversity of people or processes that interact with each other and mutually affect each other. The result of these complex interactions is an overall organizational behavior. However, the pattern of behavior in these systems is not constant because when a system’s environment changes, so does the behavior of its people or processes. In other words, the system constantly adapts to the conditions around it. Over time, the system evolves through continuous adaptation. An excellent description of research on leaders in complex business organizations is “Leading at the Edge: How Leaders Influence Complex Systems.” Regine, B., & Lewin, R. (2000). https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327000EM0202_02

Pope Francis exhibits effective leadership behaviors in complex organizations.

Model Ethics, Caring, and Concern

Complex organizations have the capacity to change themselves over time. For that organization to change in a positive direction, it is the leader’s role to affirm the core beliefs of the organization and a commitment to strong ethical behavior. The leader should seek to inspire stronger, more positive efforts on behalf of the organization. The leader’s statements must strongly affirm the leader’s commitment to ethical principles in moving forward. The leader needs to show that he is fully committed to the organization, and every person in the organization is valued. Nearly every action by this Pope reinforces that he is deeply committed to the church and values every person’s work, regardless of position. There is no talk of “cleaning house” and removing unethical bishops or immoral priests. All of the conversation is positive. Those changes will come, but will not be driven in a top-down, authoritative manner.

Push to the Edge of Chaos

When change is necessary, the leader must convey that it is not business as usual. During a leadership change, many people who are comfortable in the organization want to see stability. They want the new leader to act like the previous leader to maintain the comfortable status quo. Pope Francis has not done that. Actions such as living in simpler quarters, changing traditions in dress, and avoiding condemning homosexuality have people watching and paying attention. He is not making changes in the organization, but sends a message that things are different. That creates a bit of chaos, not totally disruptive, but heightens everyone’s focus within the organization. It adds an energy of excitement and anticipation. From that, energy changes are more likely to evolve within the organization.

Evoke Emotions

Complex organizations establish procedures and doctrines to follow and maintain consistency within the organization. These become the boundaries of acceptable behaviors. But procedures do not inspire new actions. They tend to maintain the current status quo. A church dealing with so many social issues needs new energy and direction. Leaders do this by evoking emotion. In complex people organizations, emotions drive change. Leaders who want to strengthen the organization must evoke positive emotions in people. It is not the new policy or procedure that inspires action; it is emotions. The things we care about trigger our emotions — family, children, people less fortunate, and the environment. Pope Francis’ actions, such as embracing the disabled man with severe facial disfiguration and his affection for children and the poor, trigger emotions in us that make us want to join him in the work of the church. It is not following a church doctrine; it is following a leader.

Make Small Changes That Have Powerful Effects

Complex organizations seem totally resistant to change, but it is actually the opposite. They resist large-scale change but are constantly changing and adapting throughout the organization. The leader has an effect by making small changes that ripple across the organization. Just as a stone thrown in a lake creates a small ripple that cascades across the entire surface, small changes can have big effects. One example from Pope Francis is the answer to a reporter’s question about homosexuality, a polarizing issue in the church. His answer was simple, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” He didn’t avoid the issue with a “No Comment.” He didn’t say we need to change the policy. He acted in a way that we should not condemn and castigate homosexuals. This ripple effect could significantly impact the church by modeling the behavior of treating everyone with respect, regardless of beliefs or behaviors.

It remains to be seen, over time, the lasting leadership impact that Pope Francis will have on the Roman Catholic church, but as a new leader, he clearly exhibits leadership behaviors that are valuable lessons for other leaders in other complex organizations

All Learning is Social

Learning is often framed as an individual pursuit, with students expected to demonstrate personal competence through grades, tests, and assignments. While individual assessments and achievements are undeniably important, focusing solely on solitary learning methods—such as worksheets, homework, online modules, or one-on-one tutoring—can overlook the fundamental truth about human nature: we are social beings. Learning thrives in social contexts, where interaction, collaboration, and shared experiences amplify understanding and retention.

The Social Nature of Learning

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory emphasizes that individuals learn by observing, imitating, and interacting with others. This theory challenges the notion that learning is purely internal and individual. Instead, it highlights the importance of social dynamics in shaping knowledge and behavior. Humans are wired to learn through modeling others’ actions, sharing ideas, asking questions, and brainstorming solutions together.

In primary grades, social learning is often celebrated. Group activities, play-based learning, and peer collaboration dominate classrooms as children build foundational skills through interaction. However, as students progress into higher grades or adult training programs, the emphasis on social learning diminishes. Students are given packets to complete alone. Homework is done in solitude. Online modules are self-paced but often devoid of interaction. Even tutoring, while supportive, is often one-on-one and disconnected from collaborative thinking. There is a place for quiet reflection and personal mastery. But the overuse of isolated tasks neglects how we learn best: through interaction, exchange, and connection.

Middle schoolers need social learning just as much as kindergarteners. So do high schoolers. And adults in training programs. Whether in the trades, in tech, or in teacher preparation—people learn more deeply when they engage with others. Talking through a challenge helps clarify thinking. Watching how someone else solves a problem opens new pathways. Teaching a concept to a peer strengthens understanding more than reading it alone.

Social learning doesn’t mean sacrificing rigor. It means raising the bar by giving learners a chance to co-construct knowledge, to explain and justify their thinking, to listen and grow. It encourages students to ask for help without fear, to brainstorm together, to build not just academic skill—but confidence, empathy, and communication.

If we want learners who are ready for the real world, we must remember that the real world is not a silent room with a worksheet. It’s collaborative.

Cultivate Social Learning Opportunities

We need to consciously work on seeing learning socially throughout the entire learning journey, from kindergarten to continuing education. This means:

Incorporating more group projects and collaborative assignments.
Creating opportunities for peer teaching and mentorship.
Fostering classroom discussions and debates.
Using technology to connect learners and facilitate online collaboration.
Encouraging a culture of asking questions and seeking help.
Designing professional development programs that prioritize interaction and knowledge sharing.
Design lessons integrating modeling behaviors, role-playing activities, and collaborative problem-solving exercises.

Conclusion

While individual competence remains a cornerstone of education systems, it should not come at the expense of social learning opportunities. Humans learn best when immersed in interactive environments that encourage collaboration and shared growth. We can create more engaging and effective learning experiences that align with our inherently social nature by reintegrating social learning practices into higher grades and adult education programs. After all, “all learning is social.”

Learning for Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Forever

In education, we often wrestle with a vital question: What exactly should students be learning? The answer is more complex than any single curriculum map or graduation requirement. It requires balance—an intentional blend of the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, the innovations of the future, and the enduring human capacities that will serve students for a lifetime.

Too often, our systems lean heavily toward yesterday. We want students to read the same books we once read, memorize facts we once memorized, and master the topics that shaped our own schooling. There’s great value in historical knowledge, classic literature, and foundational skills. But when education becomes an exercise in nostalgia, we risk making learning more about our past than their future.

In the now, we attempt to make learning relevant. We use today’s technology to engage students. We align instruction to the requirements of current job markets, offering pathways to certifications and technical skills. This is important. It recognizes students’ needs in the present and helps them see school as meaningful. But today is fleeting—and building an education system solely around current trends leaves students underprepared for what’s next.

Looking toward tomorrow, we stretch to teach futuristic thinking. We introduce students to emerging technologies, encourage innovation, and discuss global issues like climate change and racial equity. These are critical conversations. They inspire students to be thoughtful citizens and problem solvers. Yet even this approach can fall short. Why? Because it’s still anchored in a linear idea of progress, assuming we can predict what the future will need.

But the real question isn’t just about yesterday, today, or tomorrow. It’s about forever.

What do students need not just to survive in a changing world—but to thrive in one we can’t yet imagine? The answer lies in timeless human skills: thinking, listening, problem-solving, and communicating. These are the capacities that transcend content, tools, and timelines. They prepare students for a world where change is the only constant.

That’s why we must create space for challenging, creative projects—work that doesn’t just test knowledge but builds capability. Projects where students take risks, collaborate with others, and face authentic challenges. Where there may be more than one solution—or none yet imagined. These experiences develop resilience, adaptability, and curiosity. They empower learners to navigate uncertainty with confidence.

Our responsibility as educators is not to load students with our knowledge of the past. It’s to equip them with the human skills that will carry them into a future we cannot see. Let’s balance the best of yesterday, make use of today’s tools, look ahead to tomorrow—but, most importantly, prepare students for forever.

Pattern Seeking in Education Leadership

I have had the rewarding experience of visiting many schools throughout my career. I calculated that I’ve been in over 2,000 schools, seeing some of the best and some of the weakest. There is no doubt that education leadership is the most critical factor in creating high-quality schools. However, I observed significant variation in outstanding leaders’ backgrounds, voices, personalities, demeanor, and approaches. But, what makes a successful leader?

I am a pattern seeker, always trying to connect the dots of vast amounts of information into a logical pattern or organized list. This has served me well in a variety of work situations. I often thought about the patterns that could be applied consistently to define outstanding school leaders. Schools are not like manufacturing factories or digital processes. Schools are more like living organisms. For several years, I’ve described these patterns in terms of the characteristics of the natural world, which are the principles of nature which makes it sustainable. Great school leaders understand this consciously or unconsciously and are good stewards of school ecosystems. I am writing again about connecting the Principles of Nature to leading and learning in schools.

I have created a list of 12 principles of nature that apply to the dynamics of school systems and how each applies to good leadership characteristics.

The Principle of Nourishment
The Principle of Self-Preservation
The Principle of Self-Regulation
The Principle of Self Organization
The Principle of Unintended Consequences
The Principle of Socialization
The Principle of Exploration
The Principle of Procreation
The Principle of Adaptation
The Principle of Entropy
The Principle of Diversity
The Principle of Natural Selection

Leadership Practices from Nature

The Principle of Nourishment in Leadership requires supporting team members with essential resources to be productive and reach their fullest potential. It is also vital to avoid wasting resources and retain additional resources for emergencies and new opportunities.
The Principle of Self-Preservation in Leadership acknowledges that team members’ first instincts are for personal well-being; however, when established relationships and trust exist, there is a commitment to a common goal of survival.
The Principle of Self-Regulation refers to a leader’s ability to manage their emotions, impulses, and behaviors in a disciplined and constructive manner. It involves staying calm under pressure, thinking before reacting to model the behavior they expect from others.
The Principle of Self-Organization in Leadership reveals that leaders do not always need to initiate every change or action. When there are clear goals, teams often self-organize to operate, effectively complete tasks, make changes, and improve.
The Principle of Unintended Consequences in Leadership requires anticipating that many actions or decisions can have unintended consequences, and it is essential to consider the bigger picture, think ahead, and take steps to mitigate negative impacts.
The Principle of Socialization in Leadership emphasizes facilitating positive social interactions and promoting a sense of community among the team.
The Principle of Entropy in Leadership requires leaders to maintain order and structure within their team and organization to prevent decay and chaos. Also, leaders pursue continued growth and improvement to prevent the organization’s decline.
The Principle of Exploration in Leadership encourages leaders and their teams to explore new ideas and take calculated risks to foster growth and innovation. This is most often done by identifying and supporting risk-takers.
The Principle of Procreation in Leadership stresses identification, training, and mentoring to develop future leaders within the team and organization to ensure continuity and growth.
The Principle of Adaptation in Leadership describes the need to be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and to guide teams through changing conditions and new challenges.
The Principle of Diversity in Leadership demands that groups acquire a diverse talent pool of team members to address ever-changing needs and aspirations. Leaders promote and value diversity within the team to foster creativity, innovation, and adaptability.
The Principle of Natural Selection in Leadership encourages leaders to recognize and reward team members who demonstrate initiative, potential, and skills, and encourage their growth and development.

I plan to write about these characteristics, illustrating examples of school leaders I’ve observed. I invite feedback on my characteristics of the principles of nature as they apply to school leaders. Richard Jones

Teaching in a World of Generative AI

As someone who has worked in education for over 50 years, I believe this is one more technological advance that teachers, administrators, and parents will ultimately adjust to. Still, there will be bumps and bruises along the way. It is up to us to teach students how to use these apps for positive learning.
I am preparing my contribution to ethically and effectively use this technology in schools. I teach a graduate course in Education Leadership for prospective school administrators in Integrating Technology in schools. I have been teaching this course for eight years, and its content has changed significantly as rapid technologies have invaded schools. Last year, I introduced the topic of Generative AI, which triggered questions and conversations among educators who needed more awareness of this new technology. This year, we will dive deeper into ways to use AI as a teacher tool and how to help students use the tools effectively and ethically. Simply ignoring or banning the Generative AI is not a solution. Neither is trying to punish suspected AI use since the current tools to detect AI writing still lack accuracy.

My preliminary thoughts on how administrators, teachers, and students can use AI productively in teaching and learning are below.

Craft Clear Policies: Establishing clear policies on the allowed and prohibited uses of generative AI in assignments is crucial. Not all generative AI is a form of plagiarism. Apps can be used to brainstorm, organize, and revise. This clarity ensures that both teachers and students understand responsible AI use.
Communicate Expectations: Some schools have set policies defining levels of AI use, and teachers communicate to students which AI uses are appropriate for each assignment. Clearly communicate to students the appropriate and inappropriate use of generative AI tools in technical skill assignments. Guiding on when and how AI can be used and the consequences of misuse helps set expectations.
Do Your Homework: A teacher must explore many new apps and understand their features. There must be more time to be an expert on these, but be curious, listen, and keep yourself informed. The Common Sense organization website shares excellent suggestions and links to the most used education apps. There continue to be dozens of articles on this new technology. Stay active in your professional organizations and literature.
Modify Assignments: Teachers can modify written assignments to minimize the effectiveness of generative AI. Following are some ways to modify assignments. Teachers can even use AI to alter this. The app MagicSchool.ai has many teachers’ tools for writing and will also rewrite your student assignments to make this more AI-proof.
- Make Assignments Personal: Design questions that are personal, reflective, specific, and local examples, making it more challenging for students to use AI to write a whole assignment simply and with little thought.
- Encourage Higher Order Thinking: Designing assessments that promote higher-order thinking skills, such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating, can deter students from relying solely on generative AI tools.
- Scaffold Assignments: If the learning goal is to improve writing, break down assignments into chunks, requiring students to provide outlines, first drafts, and final papers explaining their decisions and learning process. This approach focuses on the process rather than just the final product.
- Incorporate Video Presentations: Include oral or video presentations where students explain their work and learning, adding a layer of accountability beyond written submissions. In some cases, replace a written assignment with a video and PowerPoint to reveal what students have learned.
- Relevant Assignments: Focus on student tasks that require hands-on application, problem-solving, or practical demonstrations that are challenging for AI to replicate accurately.
Analyze AI Power and Limitations: With older students demonstrate AI tools, analyze AI-generated content from different perspectives related to academic integrity, authority, validity, and trust within the course context. Have students analyze AI-generated work in groups, focusing on evidence, sources, bias, and other critical aspects of the course content. AI can be a powerful learning tool.

These ideas will get you thinking and talking as I work on my plans for updating my course graduate students this summer.

GroupThink–The Opposite of Thinking About Groups

The term groupthink comes to mind when listening and thinking about public issues. Groupthink is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. Groupthink can be a powerful constructive or destructive force. The groupthink that arises around preserving the comfort of the status quo harms organizations. College leaders are losing respect as they are caught up in groupthink. Politicians of every party echo common beliefs and ignore other opinions–groupthink. It is comfortable to stay within the boundaries of shared beliefs and uncomfortable to consider different points of view. But listening to the opinions of others (and being uncomfortable at times) is precisely what leaders need to do in making the best decisions for all groups.

When I was a manager in the NYS Education Department working on new curriculum and standards, we embraced many innovative ideas. We had one member of the team who we all referred to as the curmudgeon. He always seemed to be opposed to the group’s ideas. But listening to his opposing views helped us take more thoughtful actions rather than too radical a move. The opposite view helped us avoid staying in our comfort zone of groupthink and stop and reflect on all groups and how our choices might affect everyone rather than satisfy our ambitions.

Leaders need to avoid the comfort of groupthink and continually think about groups and their needs. I hope political leaders will cast aside groupthink, but that is beyond my expertise or influence. Education leadership is my experience and an area I can speak to. Influential school leaders thoughtfully consider student, staff, or community groups. There is always a shiny and loud groupthink opinion that drives school decisions and overwhelms diverse opinions. Consider recent issues such as school closures during the pandemic, child gender issues, or parent involvement. Leaders must avoid getting sucked into the vortex of following the crowd. When everyone around you thinks the same, you might be in a groupthink bubble.

I recall a paper I wrote on Overwhelming Cultural Inertia https://nyctecenter.org/images/files/Publications/Overwhelm-Cultural-Inertia.pdf and trying to reshape College and Career Readiness in schools. The overriding groupthink was that college readiness was the ideal pathway, and career readiness was a path for some. Actually, it is the opposite: career readiness is the perfect pathway, and college is a path for some.

Many groups fail to speak up against the majority group’s voice to correct their co-members’ mistakes. Mindlessly following group thoughts often amplifies those mistakes. The loudest voices of a few may establish the impression that the school is doing well and that public criticism is unjustified. Groupthink simply echoes this impression. Leaders, however, must avoid joining in the groupthink and seek to redirect by asking questions, such as, “How can this school do a better job with ALL students?” or “What can we learn from models where ALL students do better?”

Our politicians have harmed their political parties with groupthink and ignoring the needs of all party members. At the school level, administrators can show better leadership by supporting students in avoiding groupthink and thinking about groups by asking questions and making better decisions.

Write, Reflect, and Improve

“Tell me about your writing experience?” That was the question that was asked of me during a job interview early in my education career. I had been a successful teacher and was considering a job in the private sector. I was confident describing my teaching but stumbled when asked about my writing experiences. As a college graduate, I had completed all of the required essays and papers, and there were some writing expectations as a teacher. However, once confronted by this question during the interview, I recognized that my writing skills were woefully weak. Teachers do a lot of talking but little writing. Later when I entered my graduate program, I made a point of minoring in communications and taking several writing courses. Over the years, I think I have gradually improved my writing skills. The fact that I have published 14 books indicates that I can fashion a few complete sentences and some logical paragraphs.

Writing is a powerful and essential communication skill that is becoming even more challenging when we look at the multiple forms of writing that use technology, including text messaging, emails, tweets, and blogs. Effective educators today must not only have good pedagogical skills but examine their skills in the area of writing. As someone who has engaged in writing for some 50 years, I now recognize that writing is more than just a process of putting words on paper or a computer screen.

Writing, including the process of preparing and revising text, is a powerful thinking process. Writing plays an important role in continually improving individuals in the profession and education as a whole. All educators should be encouraged to write, not simply to have good communication skills and share their ideas, but as a reflective improvement process critical to professional learning. Noted, 20th-century educator John Dewey made a comment, “We do not learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience.” As teachers and administrators engage in experiences in their profession, those can become powerful learning experiences by reflecting on those experiences. What better way to reflect on those experiences than through writing? Even if you never published that great novel or completed a dissertation adding writing to your daily responsibilities will help you improve within the profession.

Technology today offers many tools to check spelling and grammar and even artificial intelligence to compose text around your ideas. These tools will help you write well and give instant feedback to learn and improve. Technology also enables us to have multiple forms of writing in simpler ways to publish our work and thereby share the results of our writing. A personal journal is a good form of reflection but doesn’t hold the same accountability because it’s not published. A personal journal reflects on experiences by putting thoughts into words. But writing that involves publishing and sharing those thoughts with others creates greater accountability, heightening the level of reflection.

Educators should consider writing blogs, Twitter, journal articles, book chapters, grant applications, and even graduate degree writing to improve in the profession.

Blogs

Blogs are an incredibly easy way to publish thoughts and share experiences. Blogs are less than 500 words, and there are many opportunities to publish as personal, professional organizations, or school communities with short thoughts and ideas. Try establishing a routine of touching on important topics in a blog format to continually focus on the best practices and reflect on how those might be improved. Podcasts are becoming a more popular narrative form of communicating ideas. The best podcasts have writing behind them with a detailed outline or even a complete written script.

Twitter

Twitter is a short form of blogging. It is an incredibly easy and quick way to publish your thoughts in a tweet. It is considered microblogging because you are limited to 280 characters. This is a real challenge in writing to take and summarize an idea in a short form. You begin to question if this idea is worth sharing and how to. adequately describe it in just a few characters. Maintaining a regular Twitter feed constantly has you thinking about those items of new information that will be valuable to your work and interesting to your followers. Twitter has recently gotten a bad rap in the political realm, where pundits post insults and personal attacks, yet there is much valuable information sharing within Twitter.

Journal Articles and Book Chapters

A well-known expectation of higher education professors is that they must publish their work. These same expectations do not fall upon K-12 educators however, taking advantage of the opportunity to publish an effective practice in one of the many journals as an article is a great experience to reflect on the essence of what makes a practice effective. Thinking through that experience and describing it enables you to reflect on that practice and begin to replicate how those good educational practices might be replicated in other experiences. Look for opportunities to write articles and tackle a book for a chapter in a book. When I started teaching, I had no idea I would ever write a book, but looking back, it was some of my most rewarding educational experiences.

Grant Applications

There are many government and not-for-profits that fund education initiatives. This is a special form of writing targeting the priorities of the funding source. But meeting the challenge of describing your program’s success and focused goals is a powerful reflective experience, even if you don’t receive the funding.

Graduate Degree Writing

Many educators complete graduate degrees for added prestige, opportunities to pursue new positions, or increased salaries. Dissertations often required in these programs require research and scholarly writing. I have enjoyed working with many educators over the last several years in my adjunct teaching at Lynn University. The structure of completing a dissertation is a rich learning opportunity to probe deeply into an issue your feel passionate about. It also provides feedback from other scholars in improving your logical thinking and writing.

In summary, do not consider writing as just a communication process. It is also a process that drives thinking and reflection, which leads to improvement. Taking advantage of opportunities to write helps move you further on a journey of continuing to learn and grow in the profession.

Resilient Schools

External forces such as the COVID pandemic, changing societal values, regulations, and public opinion continue increasing pressure around schools. In addition, for the last several years, schools have struggled with internal forces, including new technology, challenging student behaviors, and higher expectations for student achievement. These external and internal forces continue to build, and schools are facing severe budget cuts after the federal pandemic aid disappears. These pressures will have a significant impact on many schools. However, some schools can deftly adjust to these increasing forces. I call these resilient schools.

Resilience is being able to recover from or adjust easily to change. I have learned from many of the schools that I have visited that adapting to change is about something other than adopting best practices or even following research-proven programs. Instead, resilience creates conditions for a school to use staff talents to meet student needs uniquely. School leaders must abandon any hope of maintaining the status quo and be able to lead their organizations to adapt to these changing conditions as resilient schools.

School reform tends to closely examine successful schools and replicate their practices, such as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), block scheduling, or mimic visioning and strategy planning. However, simply trying to replicate these practices may not be the answer! Instead, the answer is creating the underlying strength of resiliency. Resiliency is not resistance or resignation. Neither is it protecting the comfortable status quo. Resiliency is the quality of adaptation to changing conditions and perseverance to achieve goals.

There are three strategies school leaders should pursue in creating resilient schools: developing an integrated and aligned system, 2) understanding schools as living systems and 3) improving organizations through adaptive leadership.

Developing an Integrated and Aligned System

When we think about services in our society, we focus simply on the vital occupation in that service. For example, we focus on doctors in medical care, pilots in airline transportation, or soldiers in the military. The reality is that doctors, pilots, or soldiers could not function and do the complex tasks involved in their job without a support system around them. Doctors rely on a system of technicians, assistants, researchers, data analysts, and administrative support to do their jobs well. Pilots rely on air traffic controllers and maintenance staff to ensure that thousands of flights take off and land safely. The recent airline delays were not a result of poor pilots but the result of faulty computer systems.

In the case of education, we focus on the teacher as the visible role in schools. But as challenging as teaching and learning is today, teachers require a complex integrated system of professionals and data systems to support them. In some cases, teachers have yet to receive adequate data systems or support in technology, counseling, or nutrition to support their work. School leaders need to consider the entire system to enhance teaching and learning and not simply focus on the quality of individual teachers. Additionally, that system needs to be aligned around supporting the critical delivery of learning experiences. Often because of contracts, regulations, and just plain tradition, schools neglect to build the capacity to support current teachers and teaching. Many schools carry on functions that have little connection to instructional goals. It makes little sense to have many people working within an industry if they are not focused and aligned toward providing the important service. For example, remote learning during the pandemic causes us to rethink the traditions of attendance and the traditional school day/week/year. School leaders must consider building an integrated system that works efficiently and focuses on delivering high-quality learning experiences to every student.

Understanding Schools as Living Systems

Schools are a system but one with unique characteristics. Some simplify the school as a system by drawing analogies to manufacturing or computer systems, where it is essential to isolate the system and improve the quality of resources or information taken into the system. That would simply demand that schools improve by admitting better-quality students. Manufacturing and computers are examples of closed systems attempting to maintain consistent performance and high-quality outputs by eliminating unwanted contaminants and distractions.

Schools are an open system, like a living ecosystem constantly influenced by the environment around them. It is often impossible to isolate schools from outside influences. What happens in the community and families or neighborhoods comes into school daily. Schools also have no control over the education that occurs before students come to that school as a preschooler or as a transfer. Schools must accept every student and try and do the best that they can to help to develop their potential.

There are lessons from open systems that can guide us in operating under the unique characteristics of schools as a system. In the living environment, organisms change and adapt by constantly sensing their environment, modeling the behavior of others, building strong relationships, managing their resources wisely, and taking appropriate risks. In schools, we need to enhance communication systems and have timely data that can inform teacher actions and adjust instruction daily. We need to encourage teachers to model the behavior of other teachers and encourage collaboration and peer observation. Relationships are fundamental in building a solid community that collaborates and works together with a strong sense of community. We must also use resources wisely and make careful decisions about allocating staff and resources to ensure that it benefits the community. We also want to encourage risk-taking and innovation to bring new ideas to develop the following practices that will improve school organizations.

Avoid simple comparison of schools as a closed manufacturing system. Instead, recognizing the unique characteristics of a school as a living system and just as a farmer creates the conditions for the growth of a crop, school leaders must create the requirements for the growth of the school and its students.

Improving Organizations Through Adaptive leadership

Quad D Leadership — Four Quadrant Leadership

The final strategy is to recognize the situational aspects of leadership. Leadership is not a set of practices or a “to-do” list. Leadership is much more dynamic and includes taking actions appropriate for the conditions. Leadership is not about a position or job title, and leadership is about action and developing teacher leadership and student leadership within a school. The four-quadrant model of Quadrant D Leadership describes the different aspects of leadership which must occur based on appropriate conditions. First, in every school, there is a necessity for Authoritative Leadership, particularly in safety and security cases, ethics, and legal and financial issues. However, Authoritative Leadership will not create the conditions necessary for a school to adapt and grow over time. There are conditions when schools must become more collaborative in building relationships among staff in effective team decision-making and action, termed Collaborative Leadership. However, Collaborative Leadership may not be sufficient if the school staff continues to maintain the status quo and do business as usual. As the conditions for learning change, schools must create and reduce new visions and opportunities for learning, termed Creative Leadership. There are times when leadership must step forward and make this new vision and encourage innovation in instructional practice. Finally, Adaptive Leadership can be considered a combination of creativity and collaboration. This is the aspiration for leadership that has to occur over time. Principals and assistant principals, and teams should constantly reflect on their leadership actions to determine the degree to which they’re embracing the characteristics of Quadrant D Adaptive Leadership in building a resilient school.

Summary
More effort is needed to replicate the practices seen in other schools. Resilience requires good leadership following these three strategies looking at an integrated, aligned system, recognizing schools as a unique living system, and using adaptive leadership skills. Many schools already possess these strategies. I hope your school is one of them or moving in that direction.

Resolved: To Be Positive and Appreciative

I always think of myself as a positive person. When confronted with problems or issues, I usually strive to control my emotions, reason, and be optimistic about moving forward. Friends and colleagues often refer to me as the “glass-half-full guy.” However, lately, I find myself more often discouraged and less optimistic. I am perhaps spending more time keeping current with news concerning the events in the world. The negative nature captures the media headlines, whether in the economy, politics, or social behavior. My environment has also changed since I am no longer working full time, which gave me opportunities to meet many new people and observe many different schools. Those personal observations provide a more accurate perspective and make us realize that there are vastly more positive experiences in the world than negative ones. When you lack first-hand observations and rely on the media for your information, you have no personal experiences the counter the negative. It tends to make you more cynical, and it takes willpower to maintain that positive attitude.

As I reflect on the decades of my education experience, I can see progress in many areas and hope that my contributions have positively impacted some. Yet, there remains much to do in improving student achievement, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. The media points out student achievement declines and increasing demographic gaps. Parents are frustrated, and teachers and administrators are burned out. It is easy for education and political leaders to propose solutions to these problems with government tools, primarily money and regulation. While regulation and money are essential, they are not the most effective way to forge a path to improvement.

One of my past educator experiences was visiting several outstanding high schools in this country. With my colleagues, we reflected on the common characteristics of these exceptional schools. What made them different? They served challenging populations that many schools do, yet they did not suffer the same problems. They were highly effective. The most common characteristic seen in all schools was the remarkably high level of staff collaboration driven by leadership and positive personal and professional values. This collaboration enabled groups of teachers to solve problems and create innovations, often without going through a chain of command or higher leadership to get permission. They knew the organization’s goals and the leadership vision and constantly worked to increase its effectiveness.

This aspect of frontline problem-solving to improve organizations, as I saw in these high-performing schools, is not a unique nor an original approach. One of the organizational models which takes this approach is appreciative inquiry. In contrast to a traditional problem-solving model, which defines the problem, identifies potential solutions, and picks a solution to move forward, the appreciative inquiry takes a broader approach. Instead of focusing on the often negative situation, the appreciative inquiry model focuses on what works well within the organization and how those successful practices could be expanded or modified to address the problem. It takes an approach of problem-solving from focusing on the positive rather than dwelling on the negative. You can learn more about appreciative inquiry from this video or some of the many publications.

In the new year, I am resolving not to let the challenging issues in education and society dim my positivity. Despite the many challenges in education, thousands of teachers do great work with students every day. I resolve to appreciate their work and find ways to support it and replicate that in every classroom in a school. In my writing, I constantly remind myself of all the good things happening in education and continuously ask questions about how those positive practices can be expanded to benefit more students.

The Education Treadmill

I don’t care for treadmills; for several reasons. First, despite the potential fitness benefits of running on a moving platform, treadmills are a dull routine, pushing a demanding pace, and there is always a danger of falling. Education today has become a treadmill. The day-to-day experience in secondary and post-secondary education has become, for many students, a relentless pace of running in search of a goal with little change of scenery—course after course after course with tests in between. Most have unclear relevance to the world outside. Students are pushed to “stick with it,” for the more education you get, the better your chance for career success. To a certain extent, that correlation is accurate. We spotlight those professionals who complete the treadmill education journey and move into well-paying jobs. But what about the students who don’t complete, that fall off and never finish? The students who give up are the vast majority of our youth. What are they prepared for? Those that don’t make it receive a smirk from those who did, just as we chuckle at the novice jogger who falls off the actual treadmill. There must be something wrong with them.

Alarming statistics on youth unemployment released this week by the New York City Comptroller’s Office triggered my thoughts about what role education has played in creating this problem. The report states that unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds stands at nearly 18% in the city, as compared to about 9% in the rest of New York state and 8% nationally. In comparison, overall unemployment is currently 5.6% in New York City and 3.4% in the nation. In addition, the unemployment rates for young Black (18.5%), Hispanic (23.3%), and Asian (23.3%) workers in the city are higher than their white (16.2%) counterparts.

Youth unemployment is always the highest demographic. However, this should raise the alarm for the future of these youth and the economy, even more so in the vast NYC economic engine. . Several economic factors, such as the pandemic, and rising minimum wage, likely contribute to this concerning number. However, educators should not ignore any responsibility for this dilemma. Unfortunately, most educators remain focused on running the “treadmill” and blame this issue on a lack of employer altruism and poor personal decisions.

Too many youth in this unemployed pool lack a career focus, technical skills, and work habits to make them productive employees. As a result, employers are reluctant to hire. The education treadmill did not work well for the unemployed. A limited number of NYC secondary students had access to programs such are Career and Technical Education early-college technical programs like P-TECH, or work-based learning. These career-focused programs work closely with employers and community organizations to better prepare students to transition to the work world before or after college. Unfortunately, most students in school follow almost an anti-career focus that seems like a treadmill of only preparing students to jog on to the next level of education. The measures of success are passing exams, earning credits, and grade point average, all education constructs disconnected from the real world.

Schooling has value, but students deserve a more career focus in school to discover their interests and aptitudes. Deciding on careers is a gradual decision rather than keeping pace on the education treadmill to college graduation and then looking around for employment.

Following are some thoughts for each of us in erasing this image of an education treadmill to a dynamic system where all youth are the most prepared for 21st Century employment.

Education policy and political leaders need to place a stronger emphasis on career-focused education and provide incentives to remove barriers to innovative programs.
Educators need to acknowledge that all students need a career focus, and it is not something for a student who chooses not to attend college. Attending college should be a means to a career goal and not an end goal. Teachers, as successful college graduates, quickly encourage students to attend college. However, teachers should become familiar with and advocate for the multiple learning career options for students.
Parents should encourage their children toward continuous learning to provide choices in life and speak up about schooling that does not exhibit rigor or relevance.
Employers should acknowledge their role in preparing future workers by partnering with schools to provide work-based learning opportunities and supporting career programs.