Opinion Blog

Finding Common Ground

With Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson

A former K-5 public school principal turned author, presenter, and leadership coach, Peter DeWitt provides insights and advice for education leaders. Former superintendent Michael Nelson is a frequent contributor. Read more from this blog.

School & District Management Opinion

Why Bad Bunny’s Half-Time Performance Was a Case Study for School Leadership

7 takeaways
By Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson — February 17, 2026 3 min read
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Did you see Bad Bunny’s half-time performance at the Super Bowl? Not the next day on social media, but truly watched it when it was happening? Did you watch it with open eyes or with a mindset of criticism because most of it was in Spanish and you don’t speak the language?

Music is the universal language of love, and Bad Bunny’s half-time performance was a celebration, resistance, and a call to action that focused on loving our neighbors and ourselves. Additionally, the performance offered a case study for leaders in schools and districts, because it offered numerous lessons that we can all learn as leaders and use starting today.

If we treat leadership as performance, we’ll miss the point. This was leadership as invitation. An invitation to widen who belongs, whose language counts, and what love looks like in public. School leaders do this same work every day through what we spotlight, what we tolerate, and what we choose to protect. Before you judge a community, ask what you’ve truly tried to understand. Before you “go neutral,” ask who neutrality harms. And before you speak for others, make space for them to speak for themselves. This week, pick one lesson below and act on it—then collect evidence of impact.

Here are some of those lessons:

Know your story. The setting was beautifully done. From the beginning of the performance, Bad Bunny shared his story, and that story continued all the way through the performance. He knows where he came from, has not forgotten it, and shared it in the most beautiful way. As a leader, how often do you share your story? How often do you share the story of your school in ways that will last days, weeks, and months after you tell it?

Embrace your community. Bad Bunny stopped at a wedding and different business along his route to the football field during his concert to highlight his love for Puerto Rico, which is very much a part of the United States. How do you, as a leader, embrace the different parts of your community in ways that make them smile when they see you coming?

Celebrate diversity. So many people had an issue with the performance being mostly in Spanish. First of all, music should have no boundaries when it comes to language. Many of us listen to music that is non-English, and it adds to the richness of our lives. The United States is a diverse country, and so many Black and brown people saw representation during a time when the presidential rhetoric around the diversity of culture or sexual orientation is not just unkind but cruel.

Do you celebrate diversity or did you cancel diversity, equity, and inclusion for your school? If your immediate reaction is to say that your school is mostly white, then that is part of the problem. Too many white Americans are afraid of diversity and believe the negative rhetoric because they haven’t been exposed to diversity in authentic ways that can help educate them.

Highlight the voices of others. Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, a small version of Bad Bunny receiving a Grammy from Bad Bunny, a couple actually getting married, and so many others. The performance was not about shutting down voices but raising them up. How often as a leader do you celebrate the voices around the table and raise up those that often feel silenced?

Honor students. That moment, when Bad Bunny took time to hand one of his Grammys to a younger version of himself was one filled with great hope. So many students within our schools need a Bad Bunny moment from you as a leader.

Choose unity over divisiveness. We need not spend more than 10 seconds on social media or watching television without being exposed to countless messages of hate. Whether it was being supported by numerous people holding flags high and proud, spiking a football that says, “Together, we are America,” or the Jumbotron that said, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” he delivered a message that is contrary to the one others want us to believe. Some want us to believe that we are divided and should continue to be so, because it means we buy what they are selling. Bad Bunny said otherwise.

Call out the inequities. Climbing up on the utility pole to highlight the inequities when it comes to building a stable infrastructure in Puerto Rico. As a leader, are you aware of the inequities within your school community? Do you call them out?

In a world of conflict, as leaders, we should be more like Bad Bunny.

The opinions expressed in Finding Common Ground With Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Teaching Webinar
Closing the Practice Gap: Essential Insights for Leaders
Three instructional experts will share strategies for making students’ reading and math practice more engaging and impactful this year.
Content provided by Renaissance
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Absenteeism Webinar
Attendance Isn't an Attendance Problem
Boost attendance by strengthening relationships, belonging, and support with practical strategies from Doug Fisher & Nancy Frey.
Content provided by Corwin
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
The Principal's Role in Collective Efficacy and Student Outcomes
Learn practical strategies that help principals translate their confidence into stronger collective teacher efficacy and student outcomes.
Content provided by Otus

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management What Excites and Scares Principals Walking Into New Jobs
Four principals talk about how they’re approaching their new jobs
7 min read
Image of a silhouette of a person facing a red door and around the door are symbols of work relationships, organizational charts, collaboration, communication, teamwork, and coordination.
iStock + DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management Spotlight Spotlight on Driving Successful School Changes During Times of Constraint
Discover proven strategies to lead successful school change despite budget constraints, political pressures, and leadership challenges.
School & District Management Immigration Enforcement Takes Heavy Emotional Toll on K-12 Educators
A new report documents how keeping students safe and focused became difficult amid ICE presence.
3 min read
School PatrolsLos Angeles, CA - August 14: Ron Gochez, a history teacher at Maya Angelou and member of Union del Barrio, looks for ICE activity during a patrol on the first day of school around Maya Angelou High School on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
Ron Gochez, a history teacher and member of Union del Barrio, looks for ICE activity during a patrol on the first day of school around Maya Angelou High School on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, Calif. A new report found K-12 educators took on more work this past school year to care for immigrant students.
Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion Principals, Don't Start the School Year Without This Commitment
Are you spending your time on what matters most for students? Here’s how to take stock.
Rebecca A. Huggins
3 min read
Collage-style illustration of a teacher figure high-fiving a student at a table where she is working with multiple students. The background shows another teacher helping a student, a whiteboard with lessons and a view of desks in a classroom.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Canva