Leading Strategically in K12 with Authors Liz City and Rachel Curtis

In K-12 education, the urgency of children’s needs often eclipses strategic thought, resulting in constant reaction and a “whack-a-mole” approach to problems. We talk with co-authors Elizabeth “Liz” City and Rachel Curtis about their new book, ⁠Leading Strategically: Achieving Ambitious Goals in Education⁠, which offers a practical, accessible framework for leaders at all levels—from teachers to superintendents—to shift from constant doing to intentional, effective action.

Liz City, a Senior Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Rachel Curtis, a consultant with deep experience in the Boston Public Schools, draw on their decades of work to move beyond the traditional “strategic plan” that often falls flat. We explore their five-part framework that helps leaders navigate the complex emotional, intellectual, and human-interaction challenges of their daily work. This framework emphasizes that effective leadership is developmental, not something people are simply born with, and provides the tools for all educators to grow their strategic capacity.

We dive into the importance of anchoring in purpose, making deliberate choices, and cultivating a culture of learning. We discuss why taking a pause and prioritizing listening are among the most strategic actions a leader can take, especially in the face of challenges like polarization and emerging technologies such as AI.

Key Takeaways:

• The Five Elements of Strategic Leadership: We break down the framework’s components:
  • Discern: Getting crystal clear on your purpose, what success looks like, and the root cause of a problem to avoid tackling mere symptoms.
  • Relationships: Cultivating care and humanity between one another while intentionally connecting cross-functional elements of work that are often siloed in school systems.
  • Understand Context and History: Being mindful of what is happening both inside and outside the organization, and acknowledging past initiatives and current capacities before moving forward.
  • Harness Power: Recognizing that power is always flowing and learning to leverage both formal and informal authority in service of the greater good.
  • Think Big, Act Small, Learn Fast: Using purpose as an anchor, breaking strategies into manageable pieces, and building a mechanism for learning from both anticipated and surprising outcomes.
• Moving Past “Leaders are Born”: We encourage a shift in mindset, acknowledging that leadership is a skill that is developmental, and we can all get better at it.
• Strategy vs. Plan: We distinguish between an actual strategy—a focused choice on what to do—and an overstuffed strategic plan that doesn’t actually guide daily work.
• The Joy of Leadership: Despite the difficulty, K-12 leadership is deeply meaningful and joyful work, a narrative that we must not lose sight of.

Why You Should Listen:

If you are an educator who feels overwhelmed by the day-to-day demands of your role, this conversation provides an actionable framework to step back, discern root causes, and lead with intentionality. We offer concrete tactics for dealing with uncertainty, building the capacity of your team, and making your work more effective and resilient—all of which are essential in the current K-12 environment. Moreover, we help you understand how to cultivate a powerful learning culture for adults, which directly impacts the success of students.

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