Dear Educational Leaders,

What you've accomplished this year deserves profound recognition. You have navigated waters that would make the most seasoned sailor dizzy. Those district meetings stretching past midnight. The calls from concerned parents interrupting rare family time. The weight of decisions affecting hundreds or thousands of young lives. Through it all, you've kept students at the center.

You've done the seemingly impossible this year. While statistics show over 40% of districts experienced leadership changes in the past five years, you stayed the course. Despite spending nearly 70% of your time on administrative tasks, you still found ways to be the instructional leader your community needed. When facing divided opinions about everything from curriculum to technology integration, you made tough calls that honored your educational values.

As Nelson Mandela wisely noted, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Your leadership is the force that sharpens that weapon.

As summer approaches, consider taking a step back completely. The research shows that educational leaders rarely disconnect, which is a recipe for burnout that affects many in your position. Yet the world keeps spinning when you take needed time away.

Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education." The same applies to your leadership journey. This summer, reflect intensively on your successes: The national graduation rate held steady at 87%, despite ongoing challenges. The teachers who flourished under your mentorship. The curriculum adaptations that sparked joy in classrooms.

But also think critically about challenges: Where did efforts fall short of expectations? Which relationships need repair? What approaches might be adjusted with a fresh perspective? Consider creating three simple lists: what to start doing, what to stop doing, and what to continue doing in the coming year. This structure can help transform reflection into action.

The educational landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed. Current challenges include persistent staffing shortages that place additional burdens on your shoulders, often requiring you to cover classes personally. Rising mental health concerns among students demand more of your time and resources. Frequent policy shifts create uncertainty, while budget limitations hinder your ability to implement needed programs.

Yet educational leaders across the country are finding innovative paths forward. Some partner with local businesses to create apprenticeship programs that bring learning to life. Others use data not just to identify problems but to allocate limited resources where they'll make the most significant difference. Many models of vulnerability build authentic school cultures.

Jack Welch once said, "Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." Your most lasting impact isn't measured in test scores or balanced budgets; it's in the leaders developing around you. The administrators thriving under your guidance. The future leaders stepping up because you created space for them to shine.

For those retiring or moving to new challenges outside education, your contributions deserve special recognition. The decision to leave isn't easy, even when it's right. But your influence continues long after your departure. The systems you built. The people you mentored. The culture you fostered. These ripple outward in ways you may never fully see.

Your educational expertise remains valuable when channeled in new directions by serving on nonprofit boards, mentoring new administrators, or advocating for education in policy circles. As Mahatma Gandhi said, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Your service has made a difference that extends far beyond your tenure.

Whether just starting on the leadership journey or winding it down, what you do matters profoundly. Lao Tzu wisely noted, "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." You create the conditions for others' success—perhaps the most meaningful work of all.

The months ahead deserve real rest and reflection. You've earned it. And when fall arrives, you'll be ready to create that climate of possibility all over again.

On behalf of the communities you serve and the lives you have impacted, we thank you. May you have a fantastic summer.

Your Educational Community