How Effective Leaders Transform Their Schools- Tony Wagner

Speaking at Google Headquarters in August 2012, Tony Wagner makes the case for not just improving our schools but transforming them into hubs of innovation and creativity that will help children develop the vital skills necessary to be successful in the modern world– not just for college and career but for life.

What makes an effective of these change leader?

Successful change leaders clearly articulate the need for change to a variety of audiences in intellectually coherent and emotionally compelling ways. To establish authenticity, change leaders must  immerse themselves in the change so that they clearly understand and communicate the relevant skills, habits of mind and dispositions that are essential today.  They help people understand the world no longer cares how much students know, but rather what they can do with what they know.  They also take care to seek out and listen carefully to students to better understand them, their motivations and needs.

Highly effective leaders recognize the only way to create sustainable systemic change is if the community deeply understands and supports it.  Thus, these leaders take considerable time to educate the community about the changing world and student needs through talks, book discussions and invited speakers.

In order to create an environment of continuous growth and improvement, effective leaders create a culture of collaboration, transparency and authentic sharing where teams of teachers regularly and openly share their learning with one another and the whole school. Highly effective change leaders work relentlessly to provide working conditions to support those teams and enable ongoing change, especially providing the time necessary for collaboration and development. Leaders become lead learners modeling the behaviors of learning, collaboration, effective teaching, and risk-taking that they expect of their teachers.

Finally, the most effective change leaders take calculated risks.   They provide resources for research, development, and establish laboratory schools or schools within a school to fast track innovation and new practices and celebrate failure as a learning opportunity.