Leadership Entry: Empowering Schools and Communities | Harvard University

Education leader transitions are notoriously difficult. Leadership change can slow momentum, disrupt, and distract, putting everyone on edge. If done poorly, it can even do harm.  For leaders committed to more human-centered leadership that directly addresses long-standing inequities, the process is even more challenging, but it is also ripe with possibilities. How might we enter into education leadership roles, from the boardroom to the classroom, differently? This course focuses on leadership entry that sets the stage for positive change that leads to high performance and innovation.

Developed for new education leaders and educators who want to refresh their leadership, Building Your Entry Plan to Lead for Equity in Education helps you create a structured, intentional entry plan to gain insight into your new environment, build trust with your community, and set the stage for positive change. With your plan in place, you’ll be able to listen, communicate, and lead more effectively as you empower those in your organization and community to advance equity.

This six-week, asynchronous online program, based on the book Entry Planning for Equity-Focused Leaders: Empowering Schools and Communities by Jennifer Cheatham, Adam Parrott-Sheffer, and Rodney Thomas, draws on research and best practices in leadership in education. It employs video lectures, individual exercises, and a live coaching webinar to help participants build leadership entry plans that emphasize deep listening, human-centered data analysis, and strategies for galvanizing change. Participants proceed on a weekly schedule at their own pace.