Modern Learning Network
Leadership Academy
Lead Change for Long Term Impact: Academy for District Leaders
Spring 2026
Elevate your leadership skills this spring with the Modern Learning Network. Learn from experts and join a cohort of district leaders engaged in leadership strategies that focus on change management, instructional model development, instructional rounds, and design thinking. This National Cohort will meet monthly for 1.5 hr collaborative discussion and learning sessions.
March-April-May-June
All sessions are designed for district leaders who prioritize continuous improvement and elevating student agency.
Build capacity to lead successful second-order change
Establish clear, shared understanding of high quality teaching & learning through a strong instructional model
Use instructional rounds to inform system-level improvement
Employ human-centered design to develop responsive, testable solutions
What To Expect
Time and space to step back and think strategically
Collaboration with peers from across the country
Practical strategies and tools to support your leadership
Next steps to aid your work
Key Information
Virtual Monthly Sessions via Zoom
Pricing: $1,500.00/per person
Bulk pricing available
CEU hours opportunity
Questions? Reach out to Sue Holmes: sue@leapinnovations.org
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm ET / 8:00 - 9:30 am PT
Leading Change for Long-Term Impact
Workshop #1: Change Management
Leading second-order change—change that challenges existing norms and ways of working—demands more than strong plans or clear communication.This workshop supports leaders in understanding how change actually unfolds in complex school systems and why well-intentioned initiatives so often stall, fragment, or fade. Participants will explore core principles of effective change leadership, including building shared purpose, addressing adaptive challenges, and anticipating predictable forms of resistance. Leaders will examine real examples from school and district contexts and apply a practical change framework to an initiative they are currently leading or preparing to launch, with a focus on increasing the likelihood of full implementation and long-term impact.
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Distinguish between first-order and second-order change and identify which type of change they are leading
Explain why many school initiatives fail to reach full implementation and name common breakdown points
Apply a change framework to analyze a current or upcoming initiative
Academy Series
Academy Series
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm ET /8:00 - 9:30 am PT
From Vision to Practice: Developing a Clear Instructional Model
Workshop #2: Instructional Model Development
A strong instructional model provides clarity and coherence across classrooms, schools, and districts—but too often models exist only on paper. This workshop supports leaders in designing or refining an instructional model that clearly articulates what high-quality teaching and learning look like in practice. Participants will examine the essential components of an effective instructional model and analyze examples from real school systems. Leaders will then begin drafting or refining key elements of their own model, ensuring alignment with their vision, student outcomes, and equity commitments.
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Describe the essential components of an effective instructional model
Assess the clarity and coherence of their current instructional vision
Draft or refine one core component of an instructional model aligned to their context
Identify areas of misalignment between instructional expectations and classroom practice
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30 pm ET/8:00 - 9:30 am PT
Seeing Learning Clearly: Conducting High-Impact Instructional Rounds
Workshop #3: Conducting Instructional Rounds
Instructional rounds are a powerful leadership practice when they are focused, aligned, and grounded in a shared instructional vision. This workshop helps leaders move beyond compliance-based walkthroughs toward instructional rounds that deepen understanding of teaching and learning and inform continuous improvement. Participants will learn how to design and conduct instructional rounds aligned to their instructional model, practice identifying evidence of learning, and reflect on how to use walk data to support educators and guide system-level decisions.
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Distinguish instructional rounds from instructional walks and walkthroughs, including differences in purpose, structure, and outcomes
Identify the essential components of instructional rounds, including a clear problem of practice, shared look-fors, and collaborative debrief
Practice collecting descriptive, non-evaluative evidence of teaching and learning aligned to an instructional model
Analyze patterns across classrooms to surface system-level insights, rather than individual teacher feedback
Explain how instructional rounds can be used to inform professional learning, instructional improvement, and leadership decision-making
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
11:00 am - 12:30pm ET / 8:00 - 9:30am PT
A Human-Centered Approach to School Improvement
Workshop #4: Design Thinking
School and district leaders are regularly asked to solve complex challenges—engagement, attendance, instructional coherence, and student belonging—without clear or simple solutions. This workshop introduces design thinking as a disciplined, human-centered approach to addressing problems of practice in education.Participants will learn the core phases of design thinking and apply them to a real challenge from their own context. Emphasis is placed on empathy, problem definition, and rapid prototyping—helping leaders design solutions that are responsive, testable, and grounded in the lived experiences of students and educators.
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Explain the core phases of design thinking and their relevance to leadership
Use empathy to deepen understanding of a problem of practice
Develop a well-defined problem statement or “How might we…” question
Identify assumptions and next steps for testing potential solutions
LET US BRING THE ACADEMY TO YOU!
If you’re interested in our workshop series but can’t make the dates, we’ve got you covered! We offer customized workshops and academies designed specifically for your team, right at your location. Let’s make learning convenient and impactful together! Reach out to discuss how we can tailor these sessions to meet your team’s unique needs and schedule.
