Strategic Innovation by Design: Leading Future-Ready Schools

Strategic Innovation by Design: Leading Future-Ready Schools

February 24–March 31, 2026 Live Online

Today’s schools face challenges that demand more than tradition—they call for transformation.

The challenges facing educational leaders today are profound: declining academic performance, rising mental health concerns, and widening gaps in access to a quality education. These issues demand more than incremental change—they require bold, innovative leadership. Traditional teaching methods alone are no longer sufficient to meet the needs of today’s learners.

While increased funding is often seen as a solution, research shows that money alone doesn’t significantly improve student outcomes. What’s needed is a paradigm shift—one that empowers students, educators, and school leaders to think and act entrepreneurially.

At the core of an entrepreneurial school culture is a powerful idea: change begins with agency. When school leaders embrace and model entrepreneurial practices, they foster resilience, creativity, and collaboration—not just among students, but across their entire staff. This transformation starts with a willingness to experiment, to challenge the status quo, and to lead with vision. As a school leader, your role is pivotal. The time to create a lasting impact is now.

Is your school ready to evolve its culture so that every student, educator, and staff member is equipped with the mindset and skills to thrive in a future that is uncertain, fast-changing, and full of possibility?

#1

MBA in entrepreneurship for 32 consecutive years
U.S. News & World Report

#2

College in the United States
The Wall Street Journal

Transform Your School
Empower Your Students
Engage Your Leadership Team
Drive the Future of Education

At A Glance

Next Date
February 24-March 31, 2026
Duration/Time Commitment
Six 2.5 Hour Sessions
Format
Live Online

Learn more about the program

  • Collaborative Learning: Work alongside your leadership team to brainstorm, share insights, and co-create a strategic action plan for your school.
  • Expert Guidance: Insights from peers, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders experienced in school transformation.
  • Entrepreneurship School Culture Toolkit: Access templates, frameworks, and resources to support planning and implementation.
  • Data-Driven Decision Making: Set key metrics for success and learn how to measure true learning defined as changes in beliefs, attitudes, and actions.
  • AI Integration: Learn how AI tools support real-time adjustments to curricula, strategies, and operations, enabling schools to quickly adapt to emerging challenges.
  • Peer Feedback: Gain valuable insights and suggestions from global school leadership teams concurrently participating in the course.
  1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® and its impact on student learning, teaching practices, and school culture.
  2. Collaborate as a leadership team to design a tailored strategic action plan for creating an entrepreneurial school culture.
  3. Explore teaching methodologies that promote student-centric, experiential pedagogy and engage students in real-world, problem-solving activities that cultivate agency.
  4. Learn strategies that cultivate innovation and inspire entrepreneurial practices among staff and students, positioning the school as a leader in educational transformation.
  5. Collaborate with educational leaders to brainstorm and design interdisciplinary projects that strengthen your school’s entrepreneurial culture that includes problem solving, creativity, resilience, and innovative thinking.
  6. Develop metrics and storytelling techniques to showcase the impact of the entrepreneurial school culture and its value to stakeholders.
  7. Become an entrepreneurial leader with the agency, skills, and knowledge to redefine your school’s future.
  8. Develop a professional development plan for school leaders, teachers, and staff to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to embed entrepreneurial thinking throughout the school.

By the end of the course, participants will: 

  • Have designed a Strategic Action Plan to embed their entrepreneurial school culture.
  • Be ready to launch critical actions that inspire and support entrepreneurial thinking throughout their school.
  • Secured a new network of educators focused on achieving similar impact at their schools.
  • Understand how to engage key decision-makers and stakeholders as they position their school as a leader in entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and student success.
  • Be prepared to communicate the vision and share the ongoing story of the success of the entrepreneurial school culture and its impact on students, staff, and the greater school community.

Program Details

Course Structure:

The course consists of six 2.5-hour live online sessions held on Zoom. Three to five hours of work is anticipated each week to complete assignments and work on your school’s Strategic Action Plan.

Course Schedule:

Tuesday, February 24: 10-11:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, March 3: 10-11:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, March 10: 10-11:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, March 17: 10-11:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, March 24: 10-11:30 a.m. ET
Tuesday, March 31: 10-11:30 a.m. ET

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Week 1 »

Understanding the Power of an Entrepreneurial School Culture

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Week 2 »

Visioning Your Future and Setting SMART Goals

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Week 4 »

Building a School Culture of Innovation and Problem Solving

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Week 5 »

Implementing Your Entrepreneurial School Culture

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Week 6 »

Measuring Success and Telling Your Story

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Who Should Enroll

Strategic Innovation by Design empowers teams of two to five senior school leaders to strengthen their entrepreneurial mindset and lead change in today’s evolving K-12 educational landscape. Through an entrepreneurial lens, the program equips leaders to drive innovation, make strategic decisions, and foster a transformative school culture.

This professional learning program offers practical, step-by-step guidance that drives innovation and empowers school leadership teams with the tools, knowledge, and mindset to collaboratively design a strategic growth plan that fosters school-wide entrepreneurial thinking. By the end of this course, leadership teams will have built a transformative strategic action plan that disrupts traditional, outdated educational models. This plan will allow leadership teams to set their schools apart by creating an innovative entrepreneurial culture that inspires innovative thinking and acting as they prepare students for an unpredictable future.

Recommended Team Composition

  • Between two and five participants from each school are invited to participate as a team
  • Team members might include the head of school, school academic leaders, pedagogy and curriculum development leaders, board members, other critical influencers and stakeholders

Let Us Know How We Can Support Your Learning Journey









Questions?

Contact us at youthimpactlab@babson.edu