Education leaders play a critical role in guiding the strategic direction of an organization’s initiatives while shaping its vision through evolving goals that respond to the dynamic and often unpredictable demands of the educational landscape. Once these leaders define clear objectives, educators can translate that vision into accessible, high-quality online learning solutions. These solutions provide students with the opportunity and flexibility to earn credits toward graduation and advance academically in ways that are both effective and adaptable.
By consistently demonstrating this type of educational leadership, Megan O’Reilly Palevich, the Executive Director at Stanza Education Corporation (which includes Holston Academy, an online private school, and Palm Beach International Academy, a microschool in Boca Raton, Florida), cultivates a highly impactful educational experience that meets the diverse needs of each student.
Megan’s focus on lifelong learning, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration with schools highlights her dedication to creating a flexible, student-centered educational environment. Her strategic approach also emphasizes the importance of building strong partnerships with schools, educators, and industry leaders, which creates a sustainable ecosystem that increases educational access and leads to student success.
Megan strategically utilizes innovative learning approaches—such as project-based learning, gamification, and virtual labs–to successfully reimagine traditional education and prepare students for the challenges of the future while developing engagement and critical thinking. Through online learning, Megan’s schools offer students worldwide the opportunity to earn accredited school credits and pursue lifelong educational journeys. Through her visionary leadership and personalized education model, she is shaping the future of learning for students by equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge they need to succeed.
Adapting Early Education Techniques
Megan grew up in an educational environment. Her mother was a preschool teacher, which sparked Megan’s passion for teaching at a young age. She pursued this passion in college and discovered the magic of education during a student-teaching stint in a first-grade classroom, where she witnessed those transformative “a-ha” moments that forever changed educators’ lives.
After graduating, Megan taught seventh grade and achieved success by adapting her first-grade lessons to create a classroom environment full of curiosity and fun. From the earliest days of her teaching career, Megan fully embraced the value of personalized instruction and how important it is to each student. To this day, personalized learning remains at the heart of Megan’s educational approach.
Transforming a Passion for Learning into Team Success
A self-proclaimed “edu-nerd,” Megan begins each day by reviewing listservs and LinkedIn to stay current on educational trends and topics. She enthusiastically shares helpful articles and content–as well as knowledge and insights she brings back from conferences–to keep her team informed and to create an environment that always encourages learning.
The Impact of Personalized Coaching
Megan values the importance of professional development (PD) and makes it more impactful by tailoring it to different teaching styles through personalized pathways that align with her educators’ strengths and growth areas. She offers both hands-on workshops for those who thrive in interactive environments and research-based sessions for those educators who prefer learning in a classroom-like environment.
At the heart of Megan’s approach to professional development is personalized coaching, working one-on-one with her teachers to set goals and connect them with mentors. She also promotes Personalized Learning Communities, encouraging collaboration based on teaching styles, grade levels, or subject areas.
To increase flexibility, Megan takes full advantage of technology that allows teachers to engage with asynchronous PD content at their convenience. By prioritizing choice, collaboration, and reflection, she fosters a culture of lifelong learning that supports educator growth.
Navigating Professional Development with a Growth Mindset
Megan recognizes that many educators have attended PD sessions and thought, “I could teach this better.” This is one of the reasons she believes that effective support for both students and teachers in diverse environments requires a balanced approach that combines personal connection, flexibility, and a framework for continuous growth.
Megan is committed to developing a growth mindset, emphasizing that everyone—student or teacher—can improve regardless of their starting point. She encourages teachers to model and promote this mindset by celebrating effort, embracing challenges, and viewing setbacks as learning opportunities.
In her PD offerings, Megan focuses on growth mindset techniques, urging educators to set ambitious yet attainable goals for their development. Reflecting her embrace of technology in education, she uses data-driven insights to tailor support for teachers and students, with the strong belief that data is essential in identifying where additional assistance is needed.
For example, at Stanza Education Schools, Megan and her team use data to provide individualized student support through an approach that begins with comprehensive assessments, including NWEA MAP Growth and MindPrint. These assessments inform each student’s Personalized Learning Plan (PLP), which is developed collaboratively with an Academic Coach and incorporates academic data, cognitive insights, and personal interests to guide tailored instruction. Megan emphasizes that these tools—along with other assessments—help strengthen personalized, evidence-based support for every student.
Creating Flexible Learning Environments for All
Megan sees a significant opportunity for schools to adopt student-centered, gender-inclusive approaches that respect each student’s individuality. She emphasizes the importance of developing autonomy, choice, and reflection to support student self-discovery and personal growth.
When aligned with gender inclusivity, these practices create an environment where every student feels valued and motivated to reach their full potential. Megan also advocates for personalized education by considering students’ learning preferences and interests while encouraging adaptive, inclusive curricula within flexible learning environments to ensure all students have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed.
The Impact of AI on Student Engagement and Success
One of the most important and impactful developments in education, in Megan’s opinion, was the shift from dial-up to high-speed internet and wireless connectivity.
By enabling instant and unprecedented access to information, real-time communication, and interactive learning experiences at previously unseen speeds, high-speed internet and Wi-Fi permanently changed the educational landscape–particularly with today’s prevalence of virtual classrooms, which became essential during the COVID-19 pandemic and empowered individualized learning through computers and mobile devices. Megan views this model as especially beneficial in blended and hybrid environments, where the boundaries between in-school and at-home learning are more flexible.
Megan also acknowledges the immense potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom. While imperfect in its current form, AI can streamline many of the more mundane and time-consuming administrative tasks, allowing teachers to focus on student interaction while providing real-time performance analysis to guide targeted support.
For students, AI-driven adaptive learning tools personalize lessons and offer immediate feedback to maintain engagement. Megan also believes Augmented and Virtual Reality (XR) will revolutionize education by creating immersive, hands-on learning experiences that make education more inclusive and equitable.
Empowering Students through Innovative Learning Models
Megan has witnessed a significant shift in curriculum development, as the more traditional, content-centered model has moved toward a more flexible, skills-oriented, and student-centered approach. Through a growing emphasis on critical thinking, problem-solving, and real-world application, educators are focused on teaching skills and strategies that prepare students for a rapidly changing world. These skills include project-based learning and interdisciplinary approaches that connect content to real-life scenarios and increase the relevancy of the learning.
Technology integration has been pivotal in this transformation, with digital resources enabling personalized learning and expanding access to diverse content. Additionally, standards-based grading and mastery-based models allow students to progress at their own pace, receiving feedback that supports meaningful learning.
Megan has championed hybrid and blended learning models that accommodate various learning styles, developed personalized learning plans using formative data, and advocated for integrating social-emotional learning. Through this work, she strives to create engaging, empowering learning experiences that meet the needs of today’s students and teachers.
Embracing Innovation to Create Modern Classrooms
Megan believes balancing tradition with innovation is key to establishing an effective educational environment. She prioritizes time-tested values like strong teacher-student relationships, structured learning, and character education to build a foundation for emotional and intellectual growth.
At the same time, she embraces innovative practices, particularly the aforementioned hybrid learning models that blend in-person and online education. This approach maintains traditional classroom benefits such as engagement and feedback while offering flexibility, personalization, and access to diverse resources. Most importantly, Megan sees hybrid learning as an approach that allows students to learn at their own pace, accommodates a variety of learning styles, and fosters self-directed education that results in profound understanding and retention.
The Power of Collaboration in Educational Innovation
For Megan, developing a culture of creativity and innovation among educators requires intentional strategies that encourage risk-taking, collaboration, and new ideas. She models this belief by embracing continuous learning and transparency in her professional development and leading by example.
By facilitating brainstorming sessions and creating collaborative spaces, Megan helps educators build on each other’s ideas to spark innovation. She seeks to promote a growth mindset, emphasizing that trying, learning, and growing are essential for both personal and collective improvement.
Cultivating Curiosity in Educational Leadership
Megan advises future leaders in education to lead with both empathy and vision, believing that these qualities guide decisions that truly benefit those they serve. She emphasizes the importance of staying curious to maintain relevance and inspire others.
Megan also stresses the need to keep students at the center of decision-making and remembers that the ultimate goal is to prepare them not only for tests but for life. She views leadership as a journey that requires passion, patience, and perseverance to create a lasting impact in classrooms and communities–something she’s done quite successfully throughout her career.
