Transformational experiences in higher education: sustainability for educational leaders

Introduction

In the past several years, increased incidents of natural disasters – wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, heat waves – have devastated parts of the United States (EdTrust and UndauntedK12, 2025; Henson, 2025; Soares, 2024). Global warming is shifting climate and weather patterns (Al Jazeera, 2024), and extreme weather is becoming more common, from heatwaves to floods to wildfires. Through it all, schools continue to provide essential instructional and social services to students, and educational leaders must prepare schools to be able to continue to take on the repercussions of climate change. The effects of climate change can be deep and long-lasting for student learning and are not retreating in the slightest. Researchers predict that children born after 2020 will experience more extreme climate events than past generations, by nearly seven times (Thiery et al., 2021). Importantly, disruptions caused by climate-related events (e.g., heatwaves, wildfires) have negative effects on student learning outcomes (Opper et al., 2023; Park, 2022; Park et al., 2020; Wen and Burke, 2022).

The importance of adapting schools across the nation to climate change is not for accolades or recognition, but for maintaining continuity of students' educational experiences and providing safe spaces through climate crises. Educational leaders provide a crucial role in school district climate adaptation and their career paths are unique. Studying K12 district sustainability leaders, their preparation, and subsequent career paths is important for supporting students through the anthropocene. Thus, the purpose of this study is to illuminate how higher education experiences impacted and shaped professional trajectories of K12 educational leaders for sustainability. For this study, I used previously collected interview data from 20 K12 district sustainability leaders across the country, from small and rural districts to large and urban districts in order to answer the following question: how does higher education act as a catalyst for K12 district sustainability leaders?

Methodology

This secondary study is based on interview data from a dissertation study exploring sustainability sensemaking and institutional activism of K12 district leaders. I implemented interviews as the research method for this particular study because of the research focus on the human experience. Based on findings from the original analysis, this secondary study further elucidates how transformative learning experiences in higher education may shape the way educational leaders understand and incorporate sustainability in their professional lives. It seeks to answer the question: how does higher education act as a catalyst for K12 district sustainability leaders? by making meaning from participant experiences. Both the original dissertation study and this secondary study are rooted in critical constructivism, understanding that meaning is built from human interpretation of the world around us and that experiences cannot be detached from human interpretation (Crotty, 1998).

Theoretical frameworks

For the original dissertation study, I employed theories of sensemaking and instutional activism through which to analyze interview data (Pettinicchio, 2012; Weick, 1988). I engaged in a mix of inductive and deductive coding to analyze the data. The deductive codes were informed by theories of sensemaking and institutional activism, while the inductive codes were themes that emerged from the interview data, and were used to make additional and deeper meaning from the interviewee experiences. I created a matrix to show emerging themes in order to organize topics in different ways and make insights (Yin, 2017, p. 167). Transformative learning theory – used in this secondary study – surfaced through this original coding process. “Transformative learning is learning that transforms problematic frames of reference—sets of fixed assumptions and expectations (habits of mind, meaning perspectives, mindsets)—to make them more inclusive, discriminating, open, reflective, and emotionally able to change”, writes Mezirow (2003, p. 58). In the case of this study, mindsets related to sustainability and environmental causes evolved through higher education experiences. Using transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2003) as a lens through which to view higher education experiences related to sustainability allows an examination of promising practices and activities to support educational professionals in their sustainability understanding, outlook, and subsequent implementation.

Trustworthiness

The trustworthiness of this study is validated by three constructs (Hays and Singh, 2011): peer debriefing; an audit trail of documents, communications, and protocols; and, in-depth memoing during the analysis process. As themes emerged during my coding process, I engaged in a process called member-checking, sharing back ideas with participants themselves to substantiate my thoughts and concepts (Maxwell, 2013). Member-checking also provides an opportunity for data validation, articulation of specific topics with professionals who are closely involved in the topic.

Methods

The data for this study was collected during my dissertation research project, which aimed to answer questions about K12 district leadership sensemaking of sustainability, and how their districts leaders' understanding of sustainability influenced their institutional activism for sustainability. This study uses the in-depth, semi-structured interview data collected from these 20 K12 district leaders across the country. Participant districts varied by size, location, demographics, and politically (see Table 1). The category of “district leader” encompassed a variety of titles (see Table 1); many titles specifically pertained to sustainability (e.g., Director of Sustainability and Energy Manager), while other titles related to broader topics (e.g., Special Projects Coordinator and Career Technical Education Director). Most positions were placed, organizationally, in Facilities and/or Operations departments. Most participants (n = 16) identified as women and four identified as men. Over half of the participants (n = 14) had over 10 years of experience working in sustainability, and all but three participants (n = 17) were over the age of 35. Almost all (n = 18) identified as white, while one participant identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, and two as Asian or Asian-American. This imbalance is noticeable, with 90% of the sample identifying as white (see Table 2 for a more detailed overview of participant characteristics).

Table 1. Study sample.

Table 2. Participant characteristics.

The original research project for which this data was collected focused on sustainability sensemaking of K12 district leaders and subsequent implementation, so while district leaders were asked about their professional paths towards sustainability matters and their current sustainability projects, they were also asked to identify the origin of their interest in sustainability at the beginning of each interview. The answers to this particular question and subquestions (see Figure 1) unraveled a hefty amount of information about experiences in higher education and its impact on professional trajectories towards careers in sustainability. The intended purpose for this question was to spark insight into what spurred their careers in sustainability, how their understanding of K12 district sustainability has changed since then; ultimately, their answers to this one question demonstrated the weighted impact that experiences in college and at university had on educational sustainability professionals.

Results: transformative experiences in higher education

While the original intent of the dissertation study did not pursue a focus on higher education, an obvious theme emerged from the data as over half of the interviewees mentioned their experiences in college as transformative to their sustainability careers. Transformative experiences in higher education took the forms of study abroad trips, extracurricular activities or clubs, captivating courses, passionate faculty or guest speakers, and residential experiences in dorms. Others expressed that while they did not major or minor in sustainability specifically, their degree generally shaped their understanding of sustainability as interconnected and intertwined with all other aspects of life. Evelyn, a Director of Sustainabilty in a large, urban district shared about her geology major: “I understood holistically that [sustainability] was, you know, systems thinking, critical thinking, and that a sustainable solution is a solution that solves more than one problem without introducing a new one. …And I really do think that it came from my geology background”. Samantha's degrees in public health also pushed her to think about sustainability from that lens. She noted during her interview, “It was before sustainability was really a specific field of study in colleges. So it wasn't really a degree that I could pursue, but for me and for everybody who works in public health, that is what public health is”. These connections across sectors are integral to sustainability work.

Extracurricular and club activities, another facet of college and university experiences, introduced these future district sustainability leaders to the power that students hold to transform their campuses into sustainable communities. Chelsea, District Sustainability Director for a large, urban school district shared about her experience leading an extracurricular sustainability club and how it shaped her later career: “I started off in green roofing because I did a green roof at my alma mater and raised a quarter million dollars. Started at a student club and gained momentum to install a 7,000 square foot green roof. And that's kind of what propelled me into this path of sustainability within education, recognizing how empowering students can really affect change”. Chelsea is not alone – the infectious feeling of making long lasting change was a powerful driver for others in their pursuit of careers in sustainability. Karen also had a transformative experience via student government:

We wrote the first sustainability policy for [my college]. We got the first sustainability director hired. We put out the university's first recycling bins, the gateway to sustainability. We did a lot with the campus. So I just loved that experience. And I love the feeling of actually making positive change that lasts, that is the sustainability of sustainability, basically. All of those things we did are still there. If you visit the [college] campus, all of that's still in place. And I think that really resonated with me that to do work that's beyond myself as an individual, but really more about the whole, about the community. That's cool that those things are still there.

Extracurriculars, clubs, and student government, can bring sustainability topics to life, from theory to practice, and ignite longterm interest.

At times, interviewees only needed one college course to ignite an interest focused on sustainability. Michael described going to college not knowing what he wanted to major in or focus on:

And I remember going into college and not really knowing what I wanted to do…And I took a class called Human Impact on the Earth and it was kind of like a cultural geography class, but more focused on human history and how we evolved, you know…like early humans to industrial revolution and kind of how that impact continued to grow exponentially. And it was kind of the first time that I was like, wow, this is like…it was a big issue. And that was like my first class that I remember, like, I'm really interested in this, how can I explore this further.

Chelsea also described a transformative experience during her coursework, although her experience as she described it was impactful because of a particular professor: “Then on a whim, I took an environmental science course, just because I really enjoy the outdoors. And that professor fundamentally changed my life”. Both Chelsea's and Michael's experiences describe passionate faculty, high quality instruction, and theory-to-practice approach that they now work to incorporate into their approaches in K12 education. As Michael later stated, his experience pushed him to think about how he could make the most impact in his career: “I just had that moment in college where I was like, I want to be part of this solution, like to fix this. [W]e've grown and developed quite impressively as a human race, but [w]e're not doing it in a sustainable way. So how can I work to upsell some of that?” His answer to that question led him to working in K12 education.

Not all transformative experiences in college occured on campus, though. Many of the participants who shared about their college experiences noted learning about sustainability in an international context during their study abroad or volunteer programs. Daisy shared that during her studies of water treatment techniques, she “did study abroad, which was eye opening, I think that changed the entire trajectory of my thought process as far as sustainability was concerned, and made it more important”. Karen also found her passion outside of the classroom: “I did a lot of immersion and volunteer trips, volunteering in the U.S. and in Mexico. Hurricane Katrina relief work just kind of brought out the activist in me. And so I did a lot of campus sustainability work”. Study abroad programs, with educational components included with cultural immersion, are a staple of many higher education institutions. The experiences of the students who participate in them highlight the importance of utilizing the environments around us to ground the work in practice, while also learning about how different cultures, people, and places experience sustainability.

Ultimately, interviewees described a variety of experiences in higher education that informed their understanding of sustainability and built a foundation for their future careers. “I went from [working in] higher ed to K-12 because I figured in order to make true generational change, I needed to get to students even younger so that it could be part of their everyday thinking from a very early age, and also just to prepare them for the challenges their generation will encounter”, on interview participant expressed. Participants have gone on to create green “champion” educator programs, sustainability-certified diploma programs for students, lower energy bills for the surrounding community via district solar energy credits, increase shade canopy at schools across their districts, and lower carbon emissions by transitioning their bus fleets to electric vehicles. These gains were not without challenges, and most of the 20 district sustainability leaders interviewed shared that the bureaucracy specific to public schooling was a hindrance to their progress and challenging. While this may be unsurprising to educational leaders with a background in education, it can be quite burdensome without preparation.

Discussion

District sustainability leaders described their experiences in college and university as “eye-opening” and ones that galvanized their activism. They credited passionate professors and unique courses with supporting a nuanced understanding of environmental sustainability. This is consistent with recent literature connecting higher education with larger global sustainable development goals (Purcell et al., 2019). Institutions of higher education are “activating students and faculty around shared purpose” (p. 1,345) and including “students as partners (rather than customers), ensuring their dynamic participation in their own learning journey as active global citizens fully aware of the need to build and maintain a sustainable society” (p. 1,348). Considering the impact that educational leadership has for students, creating more and stronger pipelines to educational leadership for sustainability creates K12 schools that are prepared for the future of climate change and supports students in successful outcomes.

Particularly notable in this data is that 80% of all K12 district sustainability leaders interviewed completed their undergraduate degree in a sustainability-related major (e.g., science topics, environmental topics, or sustainability related), and then chose to work in K12 education. While the education sector is inextricably intertwined with sustainability, it also has its own specialized skills, knowledge, and programs. Prior knowledge of or practice in the education sector is vital to understanding the specific barriers, challenges, strengths, and opportunities of K12 district work. Interviewees described originally intending other majors like public health or undeclared (and then ultimately deciding to change their career path to sustainability), but no participants mentioned education topics in their degree path. However, as Chelsea, a Director of Sustainability in a large, urban district in the western U.S., directly pointed out, their higher education experiences supported their understanding of K12 schooling as a place where their efforts could make the most difference in sustainability because of the sheer amount of students their work would touch.

Limitations

While this study brings important topics to light, namely the importance of and opportunities to connect education [leadership] preparation programs and sustainability, there are limitations. First, the small sample size of 20 participants limits the generalizability of the study and instead findings focus on broad concepts and themes. Next, the sample itself is fairly homogenous with 90% of white participants, 80% female, and most having over 10 years of professional experience in sustainability. This invites questions around race, gender, and representation in the sustainability field, while at the same time understanding that students most affected by climate change (and who may benefit from sustainability measures) are from historically marginalized and low-income groups. Additionally, the homogeneity could be due to snowball sampling techniques used, which restricted my ability to control the sample. Finally, my critical constructivist approach to research also recognizes the power of data interpretation and my own subjectivity as a researcher.

Conclusion

As sustainability-related majors become more mainstream options in higher education, the experiences described in this study demonstrate that there is a need to connect K12 educational leadership preparation programs and sustainability programs together. In this way, educational leaders are encouraged to pursue sustainability topics, in addition to drawing sustainability professionals into education. Innovative ideas shared across educational [leadership] preparation programs, and new preparation pathways, can create solutions to climate adaptation that can be widespread, far-reaching, and long-term. Future educators and educational leaders who are interested in green topics should be supported to pursue degrees with sustainability specialization (just as those interested in art education, special education, or otherwise are able to do so). For example, institutions of higher education may choose to include Whole School Sustainability (Barr et al., 2014) concentrations in educational leadership programs, including green leadership practices for organizational management of school systems (Kensler and Uline, 2017). Conversely, sustainability professionals pursuing school-specific sustainability should have course options to study educational topics in sustainability in order to truly understand the specific context of educational organizations. Providing these options may also lead to a stronger, more robust labor force, leading to expanded opportunities for professionals to further sustainability in education contexts.

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Footnotes

Edited by: William L. Sterrett, Baylor University, United States

Reviewed by: Marlon F. Adlit, Philippines

Isa Spahiu, State University of Tetovo, North Macedonia