Day one facilitated by Rami Madani

In an era of rapid change and unprecedented challenges, school leaders are navigating a complex educational landscape shaped by shifting stakeholder priorities and values, complex global conversations, and emerging technologies. This whole-day workshop introduces a Context-Based Leadership Framework, designed to empower school leaders with ideas and tools to adapt their leadership strategies to their unique environments.

Participants will explore how to align their approach to leadership with their school’s core values while addressing contemporary complex issues such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), social-emotional learning (SEL), artificial intelligence (AI), and unavoidable global polarizing conversations. By examining leadership through the lens of context, the workshop will help participants move beyond traditional skills and adopt strategies that are relevant, inspiring, and forward-thinking.

Through interactive sessions, case studies, and hands-on activities, participants will:

• Identify their Core Position and Values for a Range of Critical Topics: Ground leadership in context-based purpose and authenticity to guide decision-making. This is an iterative and ongoing process.

• Deeply Understand the Context: Analyze the realities of the school ecosystem, from stakeholder dynamics to external trends related to the context at hand.

• Evaluate and Address Leadership Strengths and Growth Areas: Reflect on personal leadership strengths and areas for growth in navigating the context, and develop the agility to respond to complex challenges.

• Plan Strategies and Pathways Forward: Create actionable plans for engaging stakeholders, addressing challenges, and leveraging tools like AI to enhance leadership impact.

This workshop is designed for heads of schools looking to share their knowledge and sharpen their capacity to lead through ambiguity, navigate polarities, and build a positive school culture. By the end of the day, participants will leave equipped with an understanding of how to use such learning in their context and with practical strategies to drive meaningful change in their schools.

Day Two facilitated by Samantha Gayfer

This half-day session, anchored in appreciation and respect for each school’s and country’s context, utilizes transition models and theories to support participants’ action plans and pathways identified on Day One. 

Through information gathering and sharing, collaborative discussions and exemplars, participants will investigate their unique relationship and capacity for influence on three elements of change:

• Community Readiness: Gauge how community preparedness compares to internal and external expectations to address topics like DEI, SEL, AI, and polarizing global issues. Explore how shifting trust and communication impact reception to new or changing ideas.

• Policy Development: Student-centric, mission-forward approaches to policy design can support schools across the day-to-day administration and crisis management continuum. Participants will explore the impact of policy rooted in colonialism versus context using examples of hiring practices, advancement, and community conduct.

• Implementation: Acknowledging our entry into the era of the outrage algorithm, we will identify the role conflict hooks unconsciously play in HOS-stakeholder interactions and the steps leaders can take to mitigate them.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with tools to transition their insights from Day One into structured, context-appropriate policies and approaches that foster positive change and strengthen school culture.