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Special Report
School & District Management Explainer

VUCA: What It Is and Why It Matters to Schools

By Kevin Bushweller & Emma Patti Harris — April 27, 2021 7:00
VUCA: What It Is and Why It Matters to Schools
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You may not know what VUCA is, but you are living it, probably more than ever before. It is a way to describe and understand the increasingly complex environment that businesses, governments, and schools are operating in.
V is for Volatile.
U is for Uncertainty.
C is for Complexity.
A is for Ambiguity.
That’s VUCA and let’s take a look at why it matters, especially for school and district leaders.

Kevin Bushweller oversees coverage of educational technology and learning environments for 91Ö±²¥.
Emma Patti Harris is a deputy managing editor for 91Ö±²¥ who oversees visuals and immersive experiences.

Coverage of leadership, summer learning, social and emotional learning, arts learning, and afterschool is supported in part by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, at . 91Ö±²¥ retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

Video

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Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Philip A. Dwyer/The Bellingham Herald via AP
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Students in Melissa Haggett’s first grade class start the day dancing along with Snoop Dogg’s affirmations video at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/91Ö±²¥
Student Well-Being Video This School Keeps Kids Moving All Day. See How It Works
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4:11
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Assistant Principal Beth Bearor and kindergartener Rhys Gallup practice letters and letter sounds while walking through a rope ladder during P.E. teacher Robyn Newton’s action-based learning class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/91Ö±²¥
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A teacher's tips for mastering the art of digital organization and using student feedback to guide the classroom.
3:35