Lori J. Stollar is an experienced district leader, executive director, and nationally recognized consultant specializing in change management, strategic planning, and professional learning system design. She serves as Executive Director of PA EDGE (Pennsylvania Association for Elevating, Developing, and Growing Educators), where she leads statewide efforts to strengthen leadership practice and educator development. With a career spanning curriculum leadership, innovation, and higher education teaching, Dr. Stollar bridges research and practice to support continuous improvement. Her doctoral research on professional learning communities reflects her commitment to collaboration and resilience. She is the co-author of Leading Resilient Schools (Corwin, 2026) and a sought-after leadership coach who helps school and district leaders navigate complex change with clarity and purpose. Lori holds a bachelor's degree from Shippensburg University, a master's degree in Teaching and Curriculum from The Pennsylvania State University, and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Widener University. Dr. Lindsay Prendergast brings two decades of experience in global education, where her roles have ranged from leadership coach to principal, consultant, and classroom teacher. As a senior leader with The Danielson Group and founder of EdHabits consulting (www.edhabits.com), she collaborates with districts, schools, and educators to promote equitable teaching and learning. She coauthored the bestselling Habits of Resilient Educators: Strategies for Thriving During Times of Anxiety, Doubt, and Constant Change (Prendergast & Lee, 2024) and Habits of Resilient Leaders: Personal Practices That Drive Professional Impact (Prendergast & Lee, 2025), and Habits for Resilient Learners: Empowering Students to Thrive Through Challenge and Change, as well as dozens of articles and manuscripts in the field of education. Lindsay's work centers on leading systems change and advancing instructional leadership with practical and impactful insights. Recognized as an ASCD Emerging Leader and Champion in Education as well as an AAIE Fellow, Lindsay is an established thought leader who frequently shares her expertise on leadership development, growth-centered supervision, and assessment practices through ASCD, Learning Forward, Edutopia, AAIE, EARCOS, AMLE, Cognia, and more. Driven by a commitment to impactful change and global competence, Lindsay's work empowers educators to navigate complex challenges, fostering environments where both teachers and students thrive. Lindsay holds a bachelor's degree from Wofford College, a master's degree in education leadership from Colorado Western State University, and a doctoral degree in education leadership from Wilkes University. Piper Lee brings over twenty-six years of experiential wisdom in education, including teaching, administration, instructional coaching, and leadership development. Her dedication to enhancing student learning and teacher effectiveness drives her national work as an instructional leadership coach. Piper has partnered with students, educators, leadership teams, and families across various contexts, including support for district leaders and principals in one of the largest school districts in the country. Post-pandemic, she coached more than eight superintendents and over forty-five principals alongside Lindsay Prendergast, dedicating extensive time to data analysis, facilitating professional learning communities, and classroom observations. These experiences shape her evidence-based approach and inform the purpose of this book. Piper champions the philosophy that "rigorous relationships" are foundational to transformative school cultures and effective leadership. Piper holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education, a master's in curriculum and instruction, and an education leadership certification from Winona State University. Grounded in practical strategies and informed by deep field experience, Piper equips education leaders to navigate complexity and foster environments where both students and educators thrive.
Build a thriving, resilient school community that adapts and succeeds together School leaders today face a constant tug-of-war between urgent demands and important goals. Managing competing priorities, unexpected disruptions, and staff well-being can be incredibly overwhelming. Leading Resilient Schools shifts the burden of resilience from your individual shoulders to the very fabric of your school. This practical guide shows you how to transform fatigue into collective empowerment by embedding resilience into your vision, culture, and daily systems. You will explore essential topics like building trust, fostering collective efficacy, and aligning instructional leadership to navigate uncertainty with confidence. Key features include: Actionable strategies to cultivate psychological safety and relational trust Research-grounded frameworks to strengthen collective teacher efficacy Practical tools and reflection prompts for sensemaking and shared ownership Education leaders will learn how to move beyond merely surviving challenges to intentionally designing human-centered learning environments. Ultimately, students will benefit from a cohesive, agile community where they feel supported and are fully equipped to learn and flourish.
Foreword Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction Chapter 1: Anchoring Resilience in a Clear Vision Chapter 2: Cultivating a Resilient School Culture Chapter 3: Building Resilient Teams Chapter 4: Strengthening Collective Efficacy Chapter 5: Deepening Resilience Through Evaluative Thinking Chapter 6: Fostering Coherence and Alignment Chapter 7: Leading Instruction in Resilient Schools Chapter 8: Nurturing Future-Ready Mindsets Chapter 9: Building an Agile School Community Chapter 10: Leading for Sustained Resilience Epilogue References