What is transformational leadership?
Transformational leadership involves leaders influencing, inspiring, and encouraging employees to achieve positive change.
“A transformational leader collaborates with teams to identify necessary changes and develops a vision to guide the process. They lead by example at the executive level, fostering a strong organizational culture and promoting employee ownership and autonomy in the workplace. This motivational approach empowers individuals without resorting to micromanagement.”
In education, transformational leadership serves as a model that educators such as deans, principals, professors, and teachers can utilize to lead by example. It emphasizes the importance of fostering community bonds and motivating both students and educators to attain higher levels of success.
Transformational leaders in education often inspire and nurture future transformational leaders of industry, government, and all aspects of society.
Comparing instructional leadership and transformational leadership in education.”
The instructional leadership model greatly influenced educational leadership since the 1980s, but transformational leadership became more popular in North America during the school restructuring in the 1990s. Transformational leadership focuses on creating a shared vision and inspiring exceptional performance.
However, during a period of school restructuring in North America in the 1990s, transformational leadership began to eclipse instructional leadership’s popularity.
In transformational leadership, the principal’s role shifts toward fostering a collective vision and motivating members of an organization to achieve extraordinary performance.
Why is transformational leadership important in education?”
The benefits of transformational leadership may not be as evident as those of instructional leadership. For instance, transformational leadership is not solely focused on discovering new teaching methods for subjects like math or science. Instead, it is centered on fostering overall cultural change that aligns with the school’s objectives and the success of all students.
Transformational leadership in education includes:”
- Educational equity
- Improved educator morale and motivation
- Better student experiences
- Strengthening school culture
- Innovation
- Community participation in school decisions
1: Educational equity
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of transformational leadership in schools. It has shown that while traditional classrooms work well for most students, remote learning can effectively meet the diverse needs of learners. Embracing remote teaching has created new learning opportunities, making education more inclusive for different student groups.
The transformational leadership that spurred the adoption of remote teaching created learning opportunities that didn’t exist pre-pandemic. For example, teenagers who have jobs, teenage parents, children with certain medical conditions, or kids who simply prefer learning virtually found remote learning to be more inclusive.
2: Improved educator morale and motivation
Research indicates “The positive impact of transformational leadership on teachers’ commitment to their schools, job performance, job satisfaction, and other related areas contributes to overall school success. It leads to higher morale and motivation among teachers, prompting them to exceed their job description and the standard curriculum in order to create more engaging and dynamic learning experiences for students.”
3: Improving student experiences”
“Student voices, especially those of at-risk students, are often overlooked in strategic planning.”
The district’s leadership team used ThoughtExchange to empower students, allowing them to gather feedback directly from their peers to address race, diversity, and equity. Now, the Race Matters Committee is using this feedback to develop its DE&I Plan.
4: Strengthening school culture
“With foresight, intentional action, and reflection, transformational leaders can shape the shared values and culture of their school.”
- Look in the mirror. Everything you do influences school culture. A collaborative, inclusive culture involves collective decision-making and seeking feedback from teachers, students, and parents.
- “Select your team wisely, since the educators and leaders you bring on board will shape the essence of your institution.
- Teach what you’d like to see—”If you want high-achieving students, you need to nurture high-achieving teachers.
- Broadcast your vision of the culture clearly.
- Make your vision tangible Remember the following text:”Through special school rituals, symbols, mascots, and the design of physical and virtual spaces.”
- Focus on social networks and connections to ensure nobody is isolated from the community.
5: Innovation
Transformational leadership in education is crucial for the long-term sustainability of education systems.
Transformational leaders quickly embrace innovative technologies, teaching methods, and processes, ensuring their successful adoption in schools.
6: Community participation in school decisions
School principals or superintendents have the authority to make changes within their roles. However, transformational leaders consult stakeholders before enforcing changes.
They host change forums for educators, parents, and family members to share thoughts and provide feedback, making participants more willing to contribute ideas and commit to the decision-making process.
Transformational leadership examples in the field of education
Former Professor of Education at Trinity University in San Antonio, Thomas J. Sergiovanni, highlighted the necessity of “freedom within boundaries” in exceptional schools. He also delineated five tools that educators can leverage for transformational leadership.
| 1 Technical |
| 2 Human |
| 3 Educational |
| 4 Symbolic |
| 5 Cultural |
“Tools for informed transformational leadership in education.”
Transformational leadership in education may fail if leaders overlook necessary details or if biases affect decision-making.
“Technology can assist educational leaders in avoiding these pitfalls.”
Michael Gomez, Ed.D., used discussion management software to gather diverse perspectives and nuanced data from his district, facilitating authentic feedback. ThoughtExchange allowed him to capture input from all community members, including English learners’ parents and caregivers, leading to informed decisions with strong community support.
Like most districts in the U.S., Saddleback Valley’s community is made up of many different language groups. To capture the voice of all community members—including parents and caregivers of English learners—Gomez needed a platform that would allow all participants to share ideas without a language barrier.Â
ThoughtExchange helped him efficiently achieve this. By running an Exchange with district stakeholders, he can make informed decisions that are more likely to be supported by the community.
