Education Leadership Shifts: Focus on Stakeholders, Not Washington

Public Education is Entering a Relationship Economy

The Trump administration is poised to peel back decades of federal oversight, triggering a sea change in the policy context in which public educators  seek to serve children, young people, their families and our communities. The new administration has demonstrated its intent to eliminate or erode many of the  nation’s established frameworks and procedures, and both the pace and methods of these changes are creating chaos for state education agencies and their local counterparts.

These federal frameworks formerly provided much of the guidance for how we led our states, our districts, and our schools. They created a stable footing of authority, and in their absence, even the best leaders among us may be feeling off-balance without the backing the federal government provided.

Agencies and districts are doing their best to remain focused on their core business during the uncertainty: teaching and learning. However, that good work of keeping day-to-day guidance clear and up to date is not enough to lead through this time and end up with a stronger and more effective public education system in 2029. Education leaders need a new way to lead in an environment where the potential for chaos is around every corner.

A New Paradigm Requires New Leadership

By removing, relaxing or ignoring the federal regulations that were previously overseen with vigor, the new administration is changing the dynamics of education, and by extension, changing how we will need to lead our states, our districts, our schools and our communities.

Until now, education leaders have leaned heavily on federal regulations to shape their decisions. Whether they did so gratefully or begrudgingly, the regulations were all they needed to justify their decisions to their peers, subordinates, and the communities they served. The pressure to build public support for their decisions was lessened because ultimate responsibility for the decisions could be punted to the "higher-ups." In fact, seeking public input could be risky, should community desires turn out to be at odds with federal constraints.

Now, many of those regulations have been deemed either unimportant, radical or wasteful. Even federal constraints that do remain are unlikely to be enforced over the will of local communities. Pretending the federal pressure is still the same will erode our credibility with educators, students and families. Gone are the days of “my hands are tied,” or “I hear you, it’s frustrating to me, too.” 

Even more importantly, if we want to make decisions in service of serving every student well, we will need to make them in full partnership with our communities. We no longer have the authority to make those decisions for them. 

In this new paradigm, it’s not enough to merely validate decisions with surveys or focus groups. A new kind of leadership is emerging: leadership that comes from the depth, quality, and diversity of our relationships and the transparency of our efforts.

Education leaders have already experienced an opportunity for relational leadership during the onset of the COVID pandemic. The suddenness of the crisis, coupled with conflicting directives from above, left education leaders to make very high-stakes decisions on their own. 

Some, like one state superintendent C!E supported, had the foresight to seek solutions from those most impacted: the students, families, and communities they served. Instead of assuming they had to have all the answers, these leaders became relationship brokers—taking the potential solutions generated by the community to inclusive district teams which would let them know which of those solutions were feasible. If they were feasible—the decision was easy, they would implement them. If not, they’d  go back to the community to negotiate a feasible version that was still satisfying enough. During the process, they were able to work hand-in-hand with their staff and their community to identify, implement, monitor, and adjust solutions in their rapidly changing contexts.

When we lead through relationships, we naturally develop trust. By creating a mutual understanding and ongoing negotiation between the education system and the public, rather than just deferring to expertise or imposing decisions, it brings people into the fold as more than just receivers of information or consumers of our product, it invites them to be partners and co-owners. The more we include people in our processes—and truly empathize with their perspectives—the more they will come to trust and value public education. That is how we can begin to transform this hobbled system into a vibrant public asset. 

Beyond the changes of the new administration, other changes are driving us toward relational leadership. AI is delivering radical access to information and analysis, moving us beyond the information age. What will become the driver in the new paradigm? It will be the most human parts of our lives, it will be our relationships. 

In the relationship economy we all have to learn to communicate differently, plan differently, and lead differently.

Are you ready?

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Do you have priorities that you’re concerned about preserving through shifting federal regulations and directives?  Is there some difficult question you’re apprehensive about stepping into with your field? Well, great! We want to get into the chaos with you. Join us in building new legitimacy that doesn’t depend on federal cover, stepping into community relationships and partnerships that build on our shared belief in the power and potential of our children and a public education system that serves each of them well.

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