This past week, I had the chance to talk to a team of school leaders from a public middle school in the Midwest. It was their last day of the year, and in between saying goodbye to students and signing out teachers for the summer, they told me about their takeaways from their first year in the Wisdom at Work Fellowship—a 20-month executive education program that brings leadership teams together to learn about and develop practically-wise approaches for school leadership.
I expected to hear that the leaders became wiser. I thought they’d tell me that they were now more at ease in making hard decisions, more prepared for the many challenges they face in the trenches each day.
And, yes–I did hear those stories. But I also heard how a principal, two assistant principals, and a lead counselor came to appreciate each other’s strengths. They told me how they found time to listen to one another amidst amongst the bustle of their duties, and how they came to recognize that they were all pulling in the same direction. The counselor, a veteran with more than 15 years of experience, said:
We've really come together as a team. And so it's not like we're working individually, but as a team, and using all of our strengths to help students, and I think you can see that students are open to conversations. I think it's because, as a team, we're all saying the same things. We weren’t this team when we started in August.
This seemingly simple remark reflects some of the core principles that inform Wisdom at Work. Wise leadership is not a solo act, as no leader is working individually. Wise leaders recognize what is and isn’t within their power, knowing that all of our strengths are needed to work towards the good. And, wise leaders keep a North Star front of mind—in this case, the students and their flourishing—when deciding what should or shouldn’t be done.
Through monthly, interactive workshops, Wisdom at Work provides school leadership teams the opportunity to collaboratively address on-the-ground challenges alongside other leaders from across the country. It aims to cultivate the knowledge, practices and dispositions necessary for bringing wisdom into work. In doing so, it aims to revitalize school leadership.
We are currently building our cohort for the 2026-2027 academic year—we hope to see your application. Click below to apply.
Mark Pacheco, Ph.D., is the Co-Principal Investigator and Director of Research for the Wisdom at Work Fellowship. He is an Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Florida.
Wisdom at Work is a fully funded, two-year School Leadership Team Fellowship.
Spaces are limited. Applications due June 12, 2026.