The 2026 Jean Ramseyer Award for Excellence in Approaches to Teaching and Learning

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This award is designed to recognize outstanding leadership and commitment in support of the mission of the International Baccalaureate in Michigan.

How does the IB define effective leadership? Effective leadership acknowledges the agency of all members of the learning community to take on formal and informal leadership roles to advance the school mission. To create the culture and conditions necessary for all to take on leadership roles, leaders lead by establishing a shared purpose, encouraging shared responsibilities and building leadership capacity in the learning community. Recipients of this award demonstrate a range of intellectual capabilities when learning about the context of their school, confronting problems, and exploring new opportunities.

Strategic intelligence: IB leaders are forward thinking, see the bigger picture, recognize emerging trends and translate strategy into action while aligning people and organization behind a set of shared values and vision.

Cultural intelligence: IB leaders continually interact with people, institutions, and ideas from different cultural traditions to their own. They harness the human potential within the diverse school communities and create a shared culture that not only respects and celebrates cultural diversity but also sees it as essential for intercultural learning.

Pedagogical intelligence: IB leaders develop a school culture that fosters and values professional learning. They recognise that they need to build individual and institutional knowledge and understanding so that schools continue to grow as places where knowledge and meaning is discovered and constructed.

Entrepreneurial intelligence: IB leaders expect change and respond in creative, analytical and practical ways. They demonstrate the ability to innovate, develop, communicate, promote, and evaluate new ideas and practices, take intellectual risks and support others in these endeavours.

Relational intelligence: IB leaders exert influence on individuals, groups, and systems to achieve a goal or set of goals. They understand stakeholders and support them to achieve their optimum. IB leaders support others to work together to achieve better outcomes for students.

Reflective intelligence: IB leaders are able to use and manipulate their own mental skills and thinking strategies when engaging with the different experiences they face. The emphasis the IB programmes place on critical thinking, multiple perspectives and constructivist views of knowledge creation requires leaders to be comfortable in creating an organizational culture that places critical reflection at its core.

Heuristic intelligence (insight): IB leaders develop their own mental shortcuts or make logical leaps of the mind to form an inference of what is the best explanation and solution. They have the capacity to self-reflect and are adaptable to new settings. Underpinning heuristic intelligence is the need to make quick decisions and rapid judgements with the big picture in mind.

(Source: ibo.org/leadership/what-are-we-learning-as-leaders/#/lessons/IlnVEX1Cz5KB4m9wuYnmWRw-FohplbFH)

Who can nominate?
- Colleagues with professional knowledge of the nominee.

Who can be nominated?
- Educators affiliated with authorized IB programmes (Career Programme, Diploma Programme, Middle Years Programme, Primary Years Programme) in the State of Michigan including teachers, coordinators, heads of school, and district leadership.

What is awarded?
All nominations will be reviewed by the IBSOM board based on the criteria above. A finalist will chosen from each programme and the overall award winner will be chosen from this group. All finalists receive recognition on the IBSOM social media platforms, at the Spring Symposium, and on the IBSOM website.

Additionally, the finalist receives:
- Free attendance at symposium (for award recipient and a guest)
- Recognition on the IBSOM social media platforms, at the Fall Symposium, and on the IBSOM website.

Nominations for 2026 are Due Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
Award recipients will be announced later in the year

An award ceremony will take place at the 2026 Fall Symposium - November 23, 2026

Email *

Please state your name, your IB Authorized school, and your position. *

Who are you nominating for this award? State the name, IB Authorized School, and position of the nominee. *

Describe the ways the nominee leads by establishing a shared purpose, encouraging shared responsibilities and building leadership capacity in the learning community. *

Choose one or two leadership intelligences that the nominee embodies when learning about the context of their school, confronting problems, and exploring new opportunities. *

Strategic intelligence: IB leaders are forward thinking, see the bigger picture, recognize emerging trends and translate strategy into action while aligning people and organization behind a set of shared values and vision.

Cultural intelligence: IB leaders continually interact with people, institutions, and ideas from different cultural traditions to their own. They harness the human potential within the diverse school communities and create a shared culture that not only respects and celebrates cultural diversity but also sees it as essential for intercultural learning.

Pedagogical intelligence: IB leaders develop a school culture that fosters and values professional learning. They recognise that they need to build individual and institutional knowledge and understanding so that schools continue to grow as places where knowledge and meaning is discovered and constructed.

Entrepreneurial intelligence: IB leaders expect change and respond in creative, analytical and practical ways. They demonstrate the ability to innovate, develop, communicate, promote, and evaluate new ideas and practices, take intellectual risks and support others in these endeavours.

Relational intelligence: IB leaders exert influence on individuals, groups, and systems to achieve a goal or set of goals. They understand stakeholders and support them to achieve their optimum. IB leaders support others to work together to achieve better outcomes for students.

Reflective intelligence: IB leaders are able to use and manipulate their own mental skills and thinking strategies when engaging with the different experiences they face. The emphasis the IB programmes place on critical thinking, multiple perspectives and constructivist views of knowledge creation requires leaders to be comfortable in creating an organizational culture that places critical reflection at its core.

Heuristic intelligence (insight): IB leaders develop their own mental shortcuts or make logical leaps of the mind to form an inference of what is the best explanation and solution. They have the capacity to self-reflect and are adaptable to new settings. Underpinning heuristic intelligence is the need to make quick decisions and rapid judgements with the big picture in mind.

Required

Explain how the nominee leverages these capabilities to establish a shared purpose, encourage shared responsibilities and build leadership capacity in the learning community. *

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