This article presents a new approach to collaborative leadership that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. This approach involves appointing citizens with IT knowledge to build online learning systems and establishing connectivity among school leaders to promote collaboration and innovation. The authors used interviews with elected school leaders and analyzed data on learning interactions to validate the effectiveness of this method. The results of this study contribute to existing knowledge on collaborative leadership and provide practical examples of how it can support the continuity of learning services during crises. The findings suggest that a shift from authoritarian to collaborative leadership is necessary to foster innovation and improve student achievement and well-being. This approach emphasizes collaboration and innovation as essential for effective learning outcomes. By enabling school leaders to work collaboratively and innovatively, this method offers practical insights into how schools can adapt to crises and foster an academic culture of continuous improvement. The novelty of this approach lies in its emphasis on collaboration and innovation, which are essential for producing effective learning outcomes, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The practical application of this approach makes it relevant to the current education landscape and can inform educational policy and practice. Keywords: academic culture, COVID-19, online learning, innovative leadership, collaborative leadership. https://doi.org/10.55463/issn.1674-2974.50.4.7