Giving Compass' Take:

• Former history teacher Michael McQuillan writes how Martin Luther King Jr. and other key civil rights figures set an example for administrators.

• What is the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your school? What are some measurable and achievable goals to improve in these areas?  

• Here are five lessons from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief that every individual has an innate capacity for leadership was a cornerstone of the civil rights movement. His leadership style — under which thousands of others were able to display moral heroism and rise to greatness — shows how powerful a facilitator can be and is one that can be adopted by education leaders.

King understood that the civil rights movement’s success would depend on continuous mass mobilization, beyond the bus boycott in Montgomery, the Edmund Pettus Bridge march in Selma, or any one demonstration. At times, he engaged in a game of cost accounting, tallying the risks and rewards of his actions.

But school principals — pressured to raise test scores or other measurables — may, to their detriment, rush through issues and create a revolving door of leadership. According to one report, “three years in, 60% of principals in New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature School Renewal program were replaced, in contrast to the 35% citywide total.”

King also never relied on celebrity for his own self-esteem. Instead, he “shared space,” expanding his influence by empowering others to emerge as leaders — this ensured that the civil rights movement would outlive him.

Read the full article about Martin Luther King Jr.'s shared-power leadership by Michael McQuillan at Education Dive.