Planning for changes in leadership

Changes in internal leadership, especially involving a leader who was a founder of the school, can be scary. If possible, plan in advance so your team can ensure a smooth transition that minimally disrupts the school’s culture.

Some teams engage in succession planning, often when a leader announces his or her intent to leave or retire. Others rotate their leaders every two to three years to prevent burnout, minimize cultural disruption, and set the expectation that everyone will have leadership duties at some point.

What can your team do to ensure it is prepared for leadership changes?

Resources

Collaborative Management: Discussion Starters for Creating a Teacher-Powered School
Discussion Starters.

Teams starting or improving a teacher-powered school should use this resource to explore how to cultivate efficient, democratic decision-making practices as well as how teams delegate authority to leaders among leaders. See page 6 regarding leadership transition.

Founder Transitions: Creating Good Endings and New Beginnings
Report.

In this guide, Tom Adams examines the unique challenges presented by transitions in leadership and provides clear advice for confronting the complex issues these transitions present.

Doing the Work Together
Blog post.

A blog post from Mission Hill K-8 School in Boston on their transition from a longtime school leader to a new co-leader model.