Demetria Haddock, a former turnaround principal, shares strategies for transforming school culture by focusing on three key groups: parents, teachers and students. Haddock, now an education professor at Gordon State College in Georgia, highlights the importance of meaningful parent engagement, building trust and renewing teachers and empowering student voice and agency.

If you want your team to understand your company's purpose and how they fit into it, then use your daily actions -- on purpose -- to reinforce it in meetings, hiring practices and communication by highlighting how their jobs make an impact, writes university professor Benjamin Laker, who notes that consistency is key. "Employees notice what leaders celebrate and what they overlook. When they see alignment between words and behavior, they respond with commitment. When they see contradiction, they respond with cynicism," Laker writes.

Students can't dream what they've never seen. From PreK curiosity to high school career planning, students in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) classes explore more than 280 careers and graduate ready to pursue them. Support Career Readiness from PreK to Graduation—Download the Guide >

The Teacher LENS framework, from Sheldon Eakins, gives educators a structured approach to building a culturally responsive classroom. The four-part process helps teachers more effectively recognize and support the diverse cultural backgrounds of their students, fostering an environment that values both individual and collective strengths.

Retention is becoming less of a leadership challenge as employees "job hug" amid economic uncertainty, but this presents an opportunity for leaders to focus on regeneration, writes leadership expert Julie Winkle Giulioni. This includes engaging in development conversations and encouraging safe experiments to keep employees engaged and thriving. "Investing in their growth sends a powerful signal of support while also allowing employees to take constructive action to prepare for an uncertain future," Winkle Giulioni writes.

The Center on Reinventing Public Education reports a significant increase in school districts adopting generative AI, with the number of early adopters nearly doubling to 79, particularly in urban areas. Districts like Denver Public Schools and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are developing comprehensive AI strategies, focusing on teacher professional development and student-centered resources.