Leading Through Challenging Times

For many (if not most) educational leaders, 2020 has been the most challenging year of their careers. The coronavirus pandemic forced schools across the country to abruptly move to a distance learning model in the spring of this year, and a majority of students started the 2020-21 school year in either a virtual or hybrid learning model. As COVID-19 cases once again spike in most states, many schools currently in session are facing another round of potential shutdowns. In addition to these challenges, many communities have also seen increased levels of social unrest this year. When you add in the “normal” challenges faced by schools at all times—such as addressing inequality and closing achievement gaps—it’s no wonder many school and district leaders are feeling stretched to their breaking points.

How are principals and administrators rising to the challenge? As always, with determination, creativity, and grace under pressure. We talked to school leaders across the country to find out how they are leading through these challenging times. Special thanks to these leaders for sharing their wisdom with us:

• Lara Storm, Principal, San Luis Coastal USD, California
• Carol Littlefield-Halfman, Principal, Lucia Mar USD, California
• Korry Brenner, Principal, Chandler USD., Arizona
• Suzanne Owen, Principal, and Hannah Gray, Assistant Principal, Cumberland County Schools, North Carolina
• Sarah Evans, Assistant Principal, North Broward Preparatory School, Florida

Create a Plan…But Stay Flexible

All of our school leaders emphasized the need to be flexible and address emerging needs as they arise. The last several months have been notable for the speed with which schools have had to adapt to new health recommendations, state mandates, and community needs. As Lara Storm said, “Just when you get in a groove with something, it changes!” Sara Evans said that her number one challenge has been planning for the unknown, which required “creating several versions of schedules, class lists, classroom layouts, and teaching assignments so we would be as prepared as possible for whatever came our way.”

For most school leaders, planning in these times has meant focusing on the essentials. In some schools, that has meant boiling down learning plans to focus on the most critical standards for each grade. Korry Brenner says, “We have to give ourselves permission to focus on the highest priorities, and let some things go. You can’t make up all the [academic] ground at once. You have to prioritize.” In addition to standards, essentials include meeting the social-emotional needs of students and ensuring they have the basic materials and support they need for learning.

Flexibility also requires thinking about people and processes differently and staying open to new ways of doing things. Carol Littlefield-Halfman says that some of the changes they have made to address the pandemic are likely to stay in place—especially when it comes to implementing technology and providing alternative virtual ways for students and parents to connect. Hannah Gray, who anticipates similar changes at her school, notes, “The way we’ve been doing things forever doesn’t have to stay that way when we go back.” For her school and several others, the sudden shifts made to accommodate a virtual learning environment may ultimately result in learning models that are more flexible and individualized, regardless of where students are learning.

Build Resilience for School Teams

Rapid change and ambiguity can lead to stress and burnout for administrators, teachers, and staff. To help everyone get everyone through, leaders need to focus on building resilience in their teams. How?

• Connection: Korry Brenner says she is “working to empower our teams and make sure people are connected with other people.” Suzanne Owen stresses the importance of having an “open door” policy and making sure teachers feel comfortable coming to her for anything. In a virtual world, that means maintaining an open “Google Meet” channel during the school day for pop-in discussions. Lara Storm notes, “It’s harder to communicate and build relationships quickly when you aren’t having those casual conversations in the hall or on the playground. It requires a lot of intentionality.”
• Communication: Clear, direct, and frequent communication is the key to maintaining strong, resilient teams and reducing the stress of ambiguity. The more uncertainty there is for the future, the more important it is for leaders to be transparent and communicate what they know. At the same time, leaders stressed the importance of listening to teachers and staff who are on the front lines to find what is working well, what isn’t, and what needs to change.
• Collaboration: Carol Littlefield-Halfman emphasizes the importance of using everyone’s unique skills sets and sharing ideas among team members. She says, “I’ve encouraged our grade-level teams to work closely and share the load. Our collaborative teams have had the strongest implementation of virtual learning as perceived by both me and our parents and guardians.”
• Training: Ramping up training and professional development was critical as schools prepared for virtual and hybrid learning. Teachers needed targeted training in technology as well as best practices for lesson planning and delivery, classroom management, and assessment in a virtual or hybrid environment.
• Support: Beyond training, teachers need ongoing support from their administrative team to navigate the tough challenges they are facing. Sara Evans says, “One of my primary roles as a leader has been to reduce the barriers and challenges faced by our teachers so they can focus on the teaching and the wellbeing of our students.” Several leaders talked about the need to create an environment that encourages teachers to take risks, try new things and embrace failure and mistakes as part of the process. Suzanne Owen says, “We are resilient at Cliffdale because our teachers have been given the right to fail forward. We tell our teachers…stick with it and try again and if you still fail, we will be there to pick you up and help you through it.”
• Boundaries: Administrators also can support teachers by helping them establish boundaries to protect their mental health and personal time. Korry Brenner says, “We have to give ourselves grace in what we do. We all have to take care of our own needs and our families, too. As leaders, we have to tell them it’s OK.”

Take Time to Reflect

After the challenges of 2020, it will be especially important for school and district leaders to take time to reflect on what they have learned. This can happen both individually and in team meetings with staff.

Thinking Maps provides a structure that supports reflective thinking and collaborative discussion. Our A Language for Leadership guide provides examples and instruction to help leaders apply the Maps for communication, team discussion, goal setting, collaborative problem solving, and assessing progress over time.

Thinking Maps Learning Community (TMLC) subscribers will find additional support in the November 2020 Navigator. This series focuses on the challenges of leadership and includes a multi-map exercise to help school leaders reflect on their experiences over the last few months. TMLC subscribers can find it here: A Thinking Maps Exercise for Reflecting as a Leader.

Looking for more help to get through the months ahead? Download the eBook: Nine Best Practices for Distance and Hybrid Learning.