Great school leadership has no sector. The challenges of building trust, navigating community conflict, making difficult decisions under public pressure, and leading with both courage and humility are universal to anyone who leads a school community. I was invited by School Administrator magazine to review this book for its 2025-26 publication, and I am glad to share it here with fellow school leaders who will find its lessons equally relevant.
Peter Stiepleman, educational leader and former superintendent of Columbia Public Schools in Missouri, podcaster, and author of An Imperfect Leader, has written a book that feels like a real conversation between peers, focusing on practical experience rather than abstract theory. Serving as a Lead Learner looks at the challenges of leading schools during times of political tension and public attention. The book uses the Human-Centered School Transformation Model, which highlights collective aspiration, nested patterns, and leaders’ learning work toward a culture of deeper learning, bringing together honest reflections from over 150 school leaders across the country, and offering an unusually candid portrait of the school leader’s role.
The book’s main strength is its honesty, as leaders talk openly about their mistakes, including a rushed bond election decided by one vote, quick hiring decisions, a de-tracking plan that worried parents, and decisions made during the pandemic that still have an impact. In doing so, they collectively model the lead learner mindset the book champions: that honest reflection on failure is the foundation of meaningful growth. School leaders across the country offer perspectives from both rural and urban, well-funded and under-resourced communities, which makes the book more credible.
However, readers should know that this is not a step-by-step guide, as the interview format feels real but can sometimes seem uneven or repetitive. With more than 150 leaders featured in eight chapters, some stories appear only briefly and offer a quick lesson before moving on. Readers who prefer a focused, evidence-heavy guide may find the book’s episodic, podcast-highlights format more inspiring than instructional.
The book’s biggest contribution illustrates that imperfection is a natural part of leadership, not a personal flaw, showing how leaders who are open about their mistakes, doubts, and growth help create a culture of openness. Stories about school leaders wrestling with ability grouping, grading equity, cultural traditions, and board relationships show that leadership is grounded in values as much as in management. Seasoned school leaders will find this validating, and new or aspiring leaders will get an honest look at the role.
Drawing on more than a decade of experience leading schools in New Jersey and teaching change leadership at the doctoral level, I find Stiepleman’s framework equally applicable to any school leader navigating complexity, regardless of sector. I have one suggestion for the author: a future edition could include more detailed case studies of fewer leaders, following their experiences across several chapters, as this would make the book even more valuable. As it is, Serving as a Lead Learner is a timely, sincere, and honest addition to the educational leadership literature that will resonate most with school leaders at every stage, and leadership teams willing to hold a mirror to their own practice.
Rui Dionisio, Ed.D., is a school leader, scholar, and professor with more than a decade of experience leading schools in New Jersey. He teaches change leadership at the doctoral level and writes about leadership, learning, and community on his blog, Everything Matters.
