Setting the Stage for Success in 2025-2026

Christine Mason, CEI Executive Director

As hundreds of thousands of students return to school this fall, schools continue to be asked to handle so many circumstances that are beyond our control. The lingering effects of Covid have left communities reeling, and schools can no longer always serve as safe havens. The realities of 2025 include persistent threats of gun violence and the necessity of “active shooter drills,” ICE raids impacting families nationwide, elevated youth suicide rates, lost protections for LGBTQ+ youth, the rapid rollback of DEI initiatives, and the complex consequences of digital communication. Together, these challenges paint a daunting picture. 

Against this backdrop, schools are striving to reach and teach youth in the midst of ever-increasing societal chaos that is broadcast minute by minute and hour by hour through multiple media channels. During the past few months, these concerns have coincided with losses to science and research, increased environmental damage due to climate changes, and the national guard policing streets in our cities, increasing our instability. 

What Schools Can Do 

Amidst this turmoil, the role of educators and school leaders has grown even more complex and demanding. The need to foster resilience, connection, and adaptability in both students and staff has never been greater. Parents, teachers, and administrators are called to reimagine what it means to create safe, responsive learning environments where young people can not only survive but flourish. As I wrote with co-authors Michele Rivers Murphy and Yvette Jackson, in Mindfulness Practices, “today schools can increase protective factors – factors that help protect students from both the short-term and long-term damages of stress and trauma” (p. 5).  

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Becoming a Transformative Leader: A Guide for Educators

Meghan Wenzel, CEI Editor

We stand at the threshold of a new era. The world is transforming rapidly around us—faster than we can fully grasp. Experts describe this as a VUCA world: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014). 

In this new reality, educational leaders find themselves caught in an impossible position—with competing demands, impossible expectations, and limited resources. Educators are supposed to prepare children for the future, but the future is unknown. 

To thrive amid such turbulence, educational leaders can embrace strategies rooted in adaptability and resilience. Success requires cultivating comfort with uncertainty and developing the agility to navigate perpetual change—transforming volatility from a threat into an opportunity for growth and innovation.

Dr. Renee Owen and Christine Mason’s newest book, Becoming a Transformative Leader from the Inside Out, speaks to the leadership needed in schools, districts, and governmental agencies overseeing education throughout the US and around the world.

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Raising Children Who Are Mentally & Emotionally Healthy

Maria Angelova interviews Laura Goldstein, LCMFT & Montgomery County Counseling Center

Note the initial interview with Laura Goldstein was originally published in the Authority Magazine in May 2025. Laura Goldstein is a member of CEI’s Advisory Board.

Our children are facing challenges that didn't exist just a short while ago. They are growing up immersed in social media, constant connectivity, and today's relentless pace of life, compounded by the pandemic's lasting effects and an overwhelming stream of troubling news. In short, our children are facing unprecedented mental health challenges. Anxiety, depression, and even suicide are on the rise. As parents and educators, what can we do to raise children who are mentally healthy? 

In this interview series, we are talking to authors, parenting experts, and mental health professionals who can share their expertise and advice on raising children who are mentally healthy. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Laura Goldstein, a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist in Rockville, MD. She is the founder and Executive Director of Montgomery County Counseling Center and the founder of TheraCourses. With over 13 years of experience in the field, Laura has established herself as a local expert in relationship therapy, public speaking, and therapy practice management.

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