Leadership Changes Everything

Summer break is a time to focus on your own learning and add to your leadership toolkit. Here are eight books for your summer reading list recommended by our staff.

Championing educational equity in schools is a marathon, not a sprint. If your equity work has stalled, these insights can help you take a concrete step forward.

It’s been a year—and no doubt your leadership made all the difference. Now it’s time to catch your breath. Learn how to restore, retool, and recommit this summer.

Let’s take a moment to pause and think deeply about who you are as a leader and how you show up. Personal leadership is always in your control—and can drive success.

Here’s how to get out in front of next school year by planning proactively to support the needs and build on the strengths of students, staff, and families.

Gain insights from school leaders who led through past national crises as you continue to navigate the demands of leading schools in the wake of the Uvalde school shooting.

In this era of the Great Resignation, when 40% of principals anticipate leaving their roles, district leaders need to develop resilient leaders who can meet the challenges ahead. Here’s how.

In addition to helping you grow as an educator, becoming a teacher leader can broaden your impact beyond your classroom. Here’s how to get started.

Leadership requires creating the conditions for achieving positive change at scale. Structuring your instructional leadership team for success will allow it to drive excellence and equity across your school.

Learn how one New Leaders alum and district leader is investing in teachers and leaders in our nation’s capital to redefine public education and motivate them to stay.

It is OK to slow down this summer to speed up. We offer advice on how to exercise resilience now and plan for equity in the upcoming school year.

Considering starting on the path to principalship? With the help of a few New Leaders alumni, we’ve put together some insights to consider as you’re thinking about your next step.

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month, we explore common AAPI stereotypes perpetuated in K-12 schools and three ways educators can disrupt them.

In honor of our 20 year anniversary, New Leaders is celebrating our talented and committed staff—and the passion that draws each of us to our work.

New Leaders launched the National Aspiring Principals Fellowship in partnership with Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. Learn more about why representation in leadership matters for students and our society.

Even with the many effects on student well-being, the pandemic showed that students are also capable of incredible resilience. Here’s how to continue to foster and learn from that resilience.

Strong leadership is an indicator of school success, but it doesn’t need to be in a vacuum. Here are five qualities to look for when building your instructional leadership team.

Arab-American culture and history are often overlooked in our schools. Hear from one New Leaders alum why that diversity matters and what it means for our students.

Learn how one HBCU graduate is spearheading our new online principal preparation and master’s degree program via a first-of-its-kind partnership with Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University.

Maintaining a positive school culture is a long game, and building relationships with your school community is a big part of that process. Here are some tips to ensure success.

The educator shortage isn't new, but it's increasingly concerning as more teachers leave the profession. Here are five actions you can take to reverse this trend in your school.

In honor of National Assistant Principals Week, learn from one New Leaders alum how her work as assistant principal is fueling a sense of ownership in her school.

Hear from a New Leaders and Clark Atlanta University alum on the importance of representation in leadership and how both institutions shaped who she is as a principal today.

The last months of the school year are in sight. Here’s how leaders can manage stress, maintain focus, and continue to create a school environment where everyone thrives.

Hear from leaders in the field on why representation in school leadership matters and how developing equity-focused and diverse principals can be a game-changer for students.

Become aware of the most common and well-researched inequities in schools and how equity-focused leaders can disrupt them so all students have access to a high-quality education.

Everything you need to know about the different kinds of leadership effective principals leverage and what to look for in a principal preparation program.

In an era of the Great Resignation and educators leaving the field en masse, one school is seeing the opposite trend: almost 100% teacher retention. Here's how.

First-of-its-kind principal preparation and masters degree program designed in partnership with Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University to train the next generation of equity-focused principals.

When you’re navigating challenges, your school’s shared vision can serve as a great reminder to keep focusing on what’s important. Here are six ways to keep it at the forefront.

Virtual coaching allows more school leaders access to coaching when it’s needed most. Coaching in a virtual environment is resource-effective, provides trusted thought partnership, and focuses on your leadership goals.

Celebrating women’s voices and insights from education leaders at every level. From spreading joy in our schools to empowering principals and teachers to motivating women to step into leadership roles.

In Part 2 of the series, practicing New Leaders alumni share what motivates them to stay in the profession as a source of inspiration for school leaders navigating pandemic-related challenges.

In honor of our 20 year anniversary, New Leaders is celebrating our talented and committed staff—and the passion that draws each of us to our work.

Woodson created the idea of celebrating Black history. His legacy demands school leaders to spread it before and after February.

Hear from four New Leaders leadership coaches about how one-on-one virtual coaching is lifting up and supporting principals and assistant principals in this moment and the next.

From navigativing pandemic-related challenges to staffing shortages, education leaders are struggling to maintain their own well-being. We asked our New Leaders alumni to share what keeps them moving forward.

The challenges of the pandemic offer a reminder: School leaders should not have to lead alone. Learn how distributed leadership can lead to improved decision-making and better student outcomes.

In honor of our 20 year anniversary, New Leaders is celebrating our talented and committed staff—and the passion that draws each of us to our work.

Celebrating Black voices and insights from Black school leaders. From interrupting systemic racism to teaching the civil rights movement in color to advancing a vision of excellence in our schools.

Bringing together male leaders of color from across the nation and reigniting their shared purpose: to drive better outcomes for children and youth, particularly underserved and underestimated students of color.

Leaders are made, not born. Step up your leadership game by embracing your authentic style, relying on others’ strengths, building resilience, and facilitating open conversations about equity and justice.

Watching her community endure immense losses from COVID-19, one school leader is working to restore the humanity of teaching and learning for her students, teachers, families, and herself.

The beginning of a new year is a great time to assess your commitment to being an equity-focused leader. Reflect on the work you’re doing by asking yourself these six questions.

Rather than adding more programs and initiatives, here are three ways education leaders can support teachers to focus their energy where it matters most: meeting the needs of students.

New Leaders alum Joaquin Tamayo shares his leadership journey from high school teacher to chief of staff to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education—and what fuels his work.

Here are five top blog posts from 2021 that reflect what we most believe and inspire us to keep building schools that foster an equitable and just world.

With a new year upon us, we are energized by what is possible. Let 2022 fuel your passion and resolve for a stronger, more equitable, and more just society.

Investments in school leadership have never been more important. Read more about how the Build Back Better Act could support both current and future education leaders.

In honor of our 20 year anniversary, New Leaders is celebrating our talented and committed staff—and the passion that draws each of us to our work. (Part Two)

Eight big reasons why you and your work need to be celebrated. While school leadership has its share of challenges, there can also be plenty of joy.

A career educator reflects upon the impact of negotiating his racial identity with his role as a leader—a critical balance that leaders of color need to be successful.

How the annual New Leaders Roberts Award for School Innovation helps exceptional school leaders be proactive and respond to the specific needs of their school communities.

9/11 changed how one school leader saw the role of the principal and reinforced the deliberate dance between the “person” and the “position” of being a school leader.

In honor of New Leaders 20 year anniversary, we asked what it means to be a New Leader. Our #7wordstories capture the spirit of New Leaders. (Part Three)

Good coaching leaves a legacy. Here’s how an instructional coach forever changed the way one school leader taught his high school students and later led his school.

A district superintendent reflects on leading and adapting to the demands of the ongoing pandemic and the need for more time to care for teachers, students, and principals.

In honor of New Leaders 20 year anniversary, we asked what it means to be a New Leader. Our #7wordstories capture the spirit of New Leaders. (Part Two)

Learn why a leadership coach is an important part of your support system, and how a coach can help you cut through the clutter, get clear on goals, and take action.

In honor of our 20 year anniversary, New Leaders is celebrating our talented and committed staff—and the passion that draws each of us to our work. (Part One)

Education leaders who are serious about equity are continuously learning and pushing themselves to grow into better, more effective change agents. Here are five equity-driven leadership actions to implement today.

In honor of New Leaders 20 year anniversary, we asked what it means to be a New Leader. Our #7wordstories capture the spirit of New Leaders. (Part One)

New Leaders alum and principal, Eugene Stovall IV, shares how his journey back home to Oakland to teach—and eventually to lead a school—was not a straight line.

Education leaders need to not only practice self-care but model it for the people they lead. Here are ways to get more confident in strengthening your self-care muscles.

“New Leaders told me I couldn’t quit,” an alum reflects on her first day as a principal. Learn how she and her team transformed their school so all students excelled.

New Leaders is celebrating 20 years! What began with a small group of eager educators has grown into a national network of leaders committed to driving excellence and equity.

Behind every great teacher is a great principal. Here’s what we know—and what research confirms—to be the qualities of a transformational school leader.

This year’s Atlantic Festival convened national thought leaders—including New Leaders CEO Jean Desravines—to discuss how the pandemic presents an opportunity for us to transform our public education system.

Learn how representation allows students of color to see themselves reflected in the educators and leaders that surround them at school—and then imagine bigger and bolder dreams for themselves

Great principals build great schools. The difference a good principal makes is lasting—for students, teachers, families, and communities. Here are the top five ways good principals create great schools.

A New Leaders alum reflects on the power of small changes to enhance her leadership and coaching style. After a year of disrupted learning, these tips can deliver big wins.

What should school leaders do first? With another historic school year upon us, a former New Leaders trainer offers words of wisdom on how to begin by noticing.

Three bold actions for school leaders as they transition their learning community back to the physical school building this fall and focus on students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

A New Leaders alum and principal shares five leadership actions that carry him through the demands of this historic time and motivate his school to continue to do better.

Schools and districts cannot afford to pile on new initiatives without stopping the initiatives that no longer work. Simplifying, the fourth key leadership shift, can deliver results.

Big school systems had no choice but to change course during the pandemic. They had to adapt. This ability to meet the moment is another key leadership action.

Leading through crisis requires that we magnify students' strengths and put them on a path toward success. Learn how one New Leaders alum and principal did just that.

How can you reimagine the roles parents play as we build more equitable schools? Partnership is one of four key leadership shifts we’re exploring this July.

A new school year is on the horizon with equally unprecedented challenges and opportunities. Our key leadership shifts—Partner, Believe, Adapt, Simplify—are what every education leader needs right now.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) presents a critical opportunity to improve education in bold and dramatic ways. As education leaders, we must seize the moment.

Two former principals and current leadership coaches (as well as New Leaders alumni) share three essential supports that made a transformative difference in their leadership.

A New Leaders alum and principal reflects on what cultural competency, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) month, and representation in leadership mean to him as a school leader.

Why invest in teacher leadership? Principals can’t do it all. Teaching and leading are different skill sets. And strong teachers with job-embedded training can have a greater impact on more students.

The Chauvin verdict is an important step in the long journey to upend systemic racism. We have so much more to do. Education leaders are instrumental in this work.

Motivating other aspiring leaders, particularly women and teachers of color, to stretch beyond their role enables them to influence positive outcomes for more students, more teachers, and more communities.

A New Leaders alum and coach reflects on distributed leadership: “I knew if I created a partnership with my team, we could build the culture our students needed to thrive.”

Principals matter, a new report from the Wallace Foundation concludes. We could not agree more. Charged with driving excellence and equity within their school communities, principals challenge the status quo.

With Dr. Cardona as the new education secretary, Latinx students will see someone who looks like them as our nation’s education leader. The same is true for Black principals.

Teaching the Civil Rights Movement—the most important domestic struggle of the 20th Century—only in black and white makes it seem so far away. It happened in maximum living color.

Our Leadership Toolkit for Supporting Remote Instruction offers tools and resources that you can use right now to focus on learning and teaching and keep equity front and center.

School leaders are instrumental to the endurance of our democracy. Here is how you can prepare and support teachers to lead ongoing discussions that reinforce our nation’s democratic values.

Our work this past year reminds me of the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.”

Can you please mute? Is the link working? These all-too-familiar phrases echo across our nation’s remote learning landscape. Our Virtual Classroom Toolkit helps educators set students up for success.

In this time of pandemic and racial unrest, leaders have a duty to ensure their every word nurtures a learning community that affirms students of their intrinsic value and worth.

New Leaders alum and assistant principal rethinks their curricula to zero in on student voice and identity. “One thing we have control over is how we engage students in learning.”

How one New Leaders alum and charter leader is creating a space where leaders can be vulnerable and develop empathy to coach their staff through more virtual schooling.

Hear from one of our principal trainers on how to develop adaptive and resilient leadership. “It’s all about having an asset-based mindset, even when you are pushed to your limits.

In-person instruction? Remote? Hybrid? The options are swirling. One New Leaders alum and principal reflects on the power of our Transformational Leadership Framework to ground his leadership choices.

Educators are deep into planning this summer. Here’s how one New Leaders alum and principal is engaging all voices in creating a new vision for their school community.

Learn how one online-by-design principal preparation program is training transformational school leaders. In partnership with New Leaders, this program offers a unique blueprint for remote professional learning options.