Shaping the Future: Four Leadership Pivots for Lasting Educational Impact
About this ebook
Public education is facing an unprecedented crisis. Exhausted educators are leaving the profession in record numbers, while persistent systemic issues and polarizing debates distract from the core mission of education—student success. Shaping the Future offers educational leaders a compelling guide to meet these challenges head-on and transform their leadership approach to improve outcomes for students and staff alike.
Grounded in original research and rich experience in over 400 school districts, Lyle Kirtman introduces four pivotal leadership shifts to align vision, leadership practices, and student success. Additional features include:
- Practical frameworks and real-world examples demonstrating how to overcome persistent barriers in workforce challenges and accountability
- Strategies to integrate diversity and social emotional learning into goals and actions for academic excellence
- Reflection tools, case studies, and step-by-step guidance to help you act immediately and effectively in your unique context.
This book equips leaders with tools to address misalignment in improvement strategies, low morale, and the retention crisis, while reigniting a collective focus on student achievement. Shaping the Future is more than a leadership guide—it’s a solution-driven call to action for anyone dedicated to sustaining public education and unlocking the potential of every learner.
About the author
Lyle Kirtman has been a leadership development consultant for more than 30 years. As CEO, Future Management Systems Inc. has worked on developing leaders to increase results for students in 350 school districts in 15 states. Kirtman’s publications are influencing educators nationally and internationally. His books, Leadership and Teams: The Missing Piece of the Educational Reform Puzzle, Leadership: Key Competencies for Whole System Change (with Michael Fullan), and Coherent School Leadership: Forging Clarity from Complexity (with Michael Fullan) have influenced educational practice throughout the US. Kirtman’s focus on innovation in education is a key element of his presentations, keynotes, and publications. He was able to help former Governor Patrick in Massachusetts by chairing the Governors strategic planning task force on innovation in education. Kirtman brings a unique background to his leadership work in education through his consulting experience in the federal government (EPA), Health care (Massachusetts General Hospital), Universities (Harvard University), Corporate (Cisco Systems) and non- profit worlds (United Way). He has also worked as a senior administrator in central office for the Boston Public Schools in the organizational development and leadership field for school operations. Kirtman’s field based research has already made major contributions to the educational leadership arena through his 7 Competencies for educational leaders, the use of leadership assessments for self- reflection and hiring, and the importance of getting a “C” in compliance to increase focus on results for student achievement. Lyle earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York (SUNY) and a Master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in career development from SUNY and Fairfield University, Connecticut.
