Successful Decision-Making during Uncertainty: Four Pathways for School System Leaders

These are unprecedented times for K-12 schools. With a global pandemic, an economic recession, calls for racial justice, natural disasters, divisive politics, and the already demanding work of educating students on their plates, school system leaders face a set of crises unlike anything most have ever experienced. To help leaders through these challenging times, this brief offers four research-based pathways for navigating the tough decisions before them. Understanding these decision pathways, and the tradeoffs each entails, can help leaders steer through their present storms with a greater likelihood of success. This report outlines the research behind these pathways and the insights they have to offer leaders for this moment.