Think Piece
Reimagined Leadership for a Reimagined Education System
Shaping the future of learning from pre-K–12 and beyond
By Randy Ziegenfuss ’87, Professor of practice and director of Moravian’s new doctor of education program, Illustration by James O’Brien, Fall 2024
In 2015, classrooms filled with sleek laptops seemed revolutionary—a promise of modern learning. Yet beneath the surface, the same passive education existed: students clicking through digital worksheets and listening to teacher-led instruction and presentations. Despite the new technology, the anticipated transformation was disppointingly absent.
As a public school superintendent witnessing this, I felt the weight of missed potential. We had equipped our learners and teachers with powerful tools but neglected to foster new thinking and learning. Technology alone wasn’t changing education; we needed to rethink our entire approach, from how we engage learners to how we define success.
What Communities Really Want
The shortcomings of our technology-driven approach were not just a local issue but part of a wider disconnect in education. Recent research, such as the Purpose of Education Index (2023), reveals a significant shift in community priorities.
Traditional goals like preparing students for college now rank 47th out of 57 priorities. Instead, communities value education that emphasizes practical skills, critical thinking, and personalized learning experiences. This shift invites us to broaden our understanding of what a well-rounded education looks like, ensuring learners are equipped for the diverse challenges and opportunities they will face in life.
Adaptive Leadership: A New Way Forward
Reflecting on my 35 years in education—from music teacher to superintendent—I’ve seen the growing gap between educational practices and community aspirations.
The biggest revelation for me from the Purpose of Education Index? Communities aren’t seeking better versions of the same; they want something different. With 71 percent believing that more things should change than stay the same, and 21 percent thinking almost everything needs an overhaul, incremental tweaks aren’t enough. We need a reimagined education system.
So how do we arrive at a shared vision for a reimagined education system? I believe the answer lies in adaptive leadership. Traditional management, which focuses on solving problems with known solutions, isn’t enough for the challenges we face today. In a rapidly changing educational landscape, where the old ways no longer work, we need a different approach—one that is flexible, inclusive, and responsive.
Technology alone wasn’t changing education. We needed to rethink our entire approach, from how we engaged learners to how we defined success.
Leading Change: Lessons Learned
Adaptive leadership isn’t about imposing a top-down vision. It’s about collaborative innovation. It involves engaging the entire community of a school district—educators, families, other residents—in the process of envisioning the future. It’s about iterating, experimenting, and learning together from both successes and failures.
When our technology initiative failed to deliver the transformation we hoped for, we realized that new tools alone weren’t enough. We had to reimagine learning itself, and adaptive leadership was our key to change.
As an example, in 2017, our middle school principal and teachers approached the central office team with a bold idea: Create a “school within a school” for grades 6 through 8 that defied traditional structures like grade levels and standardized curricula. Named Project Wonder, it was a bold experiment focused on personalized, student- driven learning. It required rethinking schedules and redefining success metrics.
The results were profound—higher engagement, enhanced problem-solving skills, and students who saw real purpose in their learning. One student told me, “For the first time, I feel like my learning is about me, not just what’s on the test.” That’s when we knew we were onto something real.
Shaping the Future: Preparing Transformational Leaders
Project Wonder demonstrated what’s possible when we embrace adaptive leadership. We shifted our focus to practical skills over standardized test scores, individual learning experiences over one-size-fits-all approaches, and real-world problem-solving over rote memorization. It also softened the walls between school and the wider world, involving the entire community outside the school in education.
Preparing leaders who can drive this kind of transformation is crucial. Institutions like Moravian University play a pivotal role in shaping the future of learning in our communities. Our approach in the education department with our leadership programs is grounded in reality:
- Real-world application: Tackling practical challenges using adaptive leadership principles
- Systems thinking: Addressing problems within complex, interconnected systems
- Adaptive skills: Challenging the status quo, engaging diverse perspectives, embracing uncertainty, and helping others navigate change
- Ethical leadership: Leading with strong values to handle the ethical complexities of transformation
- Future focus: Preparing leaders for tomorrow’s challenges, not just today’s
The need for a reimagined education system has never been clearer. Our current approach isn’t meeting the diverse needs and aspirations of many learners. The solution isn’t found in incremental changes or simply upgrading our tools; it lies in a complete tranformation led by adaptive leaders and a curious community. By embracing adaptive leadership, we can challenge the status quo and reimagine education for the future.
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