<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[My Site]]></title><description><![CDATA[My Site]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:43:27 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Masks We Wear]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Halloween, middle school behavior, and school turnaround have in common.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-masks-we-wear</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae790a1507640ea5ee983b9</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:28:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fa55f919f4d046988ada6ae4a17be77d~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Weight of Turnaround: When the System Adds More Than It Takes Away]]></title><description><![CDATA[We are one of only eight Arizona schools to move from an F to a C or higher in 2025–26. What happens when a school accomplishes something extraordinary while losing the very resources that made its success possible? Behind the celebration is a less visible reality of turnaround: mounting compliance demands, staffing shortages, exhausted educators, and the fear that hard-earned progress may be impossible to sustain without meaningful support.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-weight-of-turnaround-when-the-system-adds-more-than-it-takes-away</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ae2b50971a5938361b41a1c</guid><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 03:20:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_60b1d4deebca4fafb76799bdaac56671~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Welcome to Sucktober]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes life and school leadership collide in ways that leave even the most dedicated educators questioning how much more they can carry. Between staffing shortages, rising student behaviors, personal challenges, and the fear of losing hard-earned progress, October has lived up to its nickname: “Sucktober.” Yet amid the exhaustion and uncertainty, unexpected moments of kindness, student success, and community support remind us why we do this work. Turnaround isn't a straight line, and resilien]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/welcome-to-sucktober</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ade81a1914bf05b1b6ac2a7</guid><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 22:50:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_f58c2852e92e4a9e92c2a50a915052ca~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Driving Into the Storm]]></title><description><![CDATA[The sky opened up on my way to work, and I could barely see the road ahead. It was one of those unusually dark Arizona mornings when the desert looks unfamiliar. Rain hammered the windshield. The wipers struggled to keep up. I slowed down, tightened my grip on the steering wheel, and focused on what I could see. And somewhere in that downpour, it hit me: this drive felt a lot like leading a turnaround school. Limited visibility. Uncertainty around the next corner. The responsibility of moving...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/driving-into-the-storm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6ac69a6a473117e3ea80464d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 19:23:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_7bd7c24ef56f4dcfb34d13eae5e7868c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Connection Before Compliance: But What Happens When the Teacher Goes Missing?]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a part of the conversation about student engagement that we don't talk about nearly enough. What happens when the adult who built the connection isn't there anymore? Not because the relationship wasn't important. Not because the teacher didn't care. Sometimes the teacher simply disappears.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/connection-before-compliance-but-what-happens-when-the-teacher-goes-missing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa6acd0d587b0fb46ac8b55</guid><pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 14:56:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_d9182e34ce6c4a95a66f1d48e646f1d4~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Fresh Box of Kleenex Is Not a Mental Health Plan]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today Was Hard Today was hard. Not because my calendar was full, discipline issues needed attention, or emails were piling up. Today was hard because our youth are hurting. And some of them are hurting themselves. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, 2026) reminds us that connection, community, and access to support are critical parts of prevention. Thankfully, my conversations today did not involve...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/a-fresh-box-of-kleenex-is-not-a-mental-health-plan</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a9a236c950c73fdcf78ad80</guid><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 02:56:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6619_903ab46b18e24da482dd09ee59ea451a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Work is Hard. Celebrate Anyway.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Turnaround work is hard, and some weeks feel heavier than others. But celebration matters—especially during those weeks. Our first schoolwide assembly reminded us that building a school isn’t only about academics, data, and improvement goals; it’s about creating a community where students and staff feel connected, supported, and excited to come back on Monday.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-work-is-hard-celebrate-anyway</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a94be956625a4454922b585</guid><pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:06:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6619_d2924c3fc961435c8d551836d66275fd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Guest Blog: What does Lexus, the car company, have to do with school improvement?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Years ago, the car company, Lexus, came up with the slogan The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection. When I first heard it, I was captivated and immediately thought of my decades of work involved in the school improvement process. To me, the slogan perfectly captured what great schools are trying to do. As a slogan, I would imagine each word was carefully selected. Take the word pursuit. This implies more than just a movement towards. Pursuit implies a level of “focus” and “intensity” towards a...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/guest-blog-what-does-lexus-the-car-company-have-to-do-with-school-improvement</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a809d0440f3daf10ba2b4fb</guid><pubDate>Sat, 15 Aug 2026 17:16:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_bbec2bd546c842a4ad5ee83e3b52a9e7~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Paul Amoroso</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Will We Be the School They Look for During a Storm?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why, when confronted with pictures of my hometown devastated by a tornado, did I instinctively search for my schools? Connection? Safety? Belonging? Positive memories? Maybe all of them. And because I am an educator, eventually the personal reflection became a professional one.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/will-we-be-the-school-they-look-for-during-a-storm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a774ad22dc76a37da414ac0</guid><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 16:13:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_bd6823e2b61240789cdc128521964e37~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Heart of the Work]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is something special about the first few days back on campus. Before students fill the hallways and the bells begin to dictate our days, there is an energy that is hard to describe. Classrooms are being organized, bulletin boards are coming to life, lesson plans are taking shape, and conversations echo through the halls. It feels like possibility. This year, though, that energy feels different. It isn't just the excitement that comes with a new school year. It's the confidence that...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-heart-of-the-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6f8231bca6fdcb434d9b2b</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 17:54:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_7c7a4c5ee01e4d95a5dd5059a1882253~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Moments That Show Culture Has Taken Root]]></title><description><![CDATA[Eventually, something remarkable happens. You stop having to convince people to help. You stop reminding people to support one another. You stop managing every act of teamwork. People simply begin living the values of the organization because those values have become part of who they are.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-moments-that-show-culture-has-taken-root</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a667a3935380d3132b61333</guid><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 21:43:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_d140f0fb363943e0ad49d7ffd1817d30~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Work Between the Conferences]]></title><description><![CDATA[People often ask what it's like to attend education conferences. The answer is usually the same. You come home with pages of notes, a suitcase full of ideas, and enough inspiration to carry you into the next school year. This year was different. I came home with something even more valuable. Validation. Over the past two weeks, Dr. Stephanie Nardi and I have traveled thousands of miles, beginning at the Innovative Schools Summit in Las Vegas, where we had the privilege of presenting "From...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-work-between-the-conferences</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a540fdd0eb6d92caeeca39d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 22:31:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6619_939e58af23a74bda9bf070138dd14cf7~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cost of Circumstance]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is already a nationwide shortage of qualified science teachers. Finding someone in July is difficult enough. Finding someone who wants to join a turnaround school, believes in its mission, and can immediately replace the trust this teacher built over an entire year is something else entirely. That isn't filling a vacancy. That is trying to replace a relationship.

Our school needs him. Our community needs him. Our students need him. 

]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-cost-of-circumstance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a464ef5258f25aaabadb2b1</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:14:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_e3a1ebc2909c4fd1970706247124934e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Twenty-Four Hours]]></title><description><![CDATA[Accountability scores matter, but they are never the whole story. Long before the state recognized our growth, students were beginning to feel like they belonged. Teachers were believing in one another again. Hallways felt different. Classrooms felt different. Hope had returned before our score appeared on a spreadsheet.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/twenty-four-hours</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a3de86afaba6cee57da1395</guid><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 03:35:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_60b1d4deebca4fafb76799bdaac56671~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Waiting on the Ice]]></title><description><![CDATA[Waiting for state assessment scores feels a lot like walking across a frozen lake.

Which is a ridiculous metaphor because I live in Arizona, it's June, and it's 108 degrees outside.

The signs are encouraging, but we still wait for the full picture.

A reflection on leadership, culture, and anticipation in turnaround work.

#TurnaroundUnscripted]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/waiting-on-the-ice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a2a212bb34d9652f5558a98</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2026 03:17:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_be8fc300650340a1afd08357653f1881~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fish Sales, State Tests, and the Messy Middle of Turnaround]]></title><description><![CDATA[I cannot imagine not showing up every morning for these students, even when the challenges feel endless and the time always feels too short. Underneath the attendance reports, staffing frustrations, discipline conversations, testing pressure, and state labels there are more than 500 kids who deserve adults willing to stay in the fight long enough to see them succeed. Even if, occasionally, that fight includes shutting down an underground fish market.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/fish-sales-state-tests-and-the-messy-middle-of-turnaround</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fc03c6666cfccd941519ab</guid><pubDate>Thu, 07 May 2026 03:51:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_2af0118d63aa43dd9c8d88746aadb610~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Quiet After the Storm]]></title><description><![CDATA[The storm has passed. The answers are submitted. Somewhere, the scores already exist. Here we are walking hallways that feel different, carrying a weight we can’t act on, replaying moments we can’t change. This is the part no one talks about. Not the push, not the pressure, not the performance. The wait. The space where effort turns into uncertainty, where “almost” lingers, and where the only question left is the one you can’t answer yet: Was it enough?]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/the-quiet-after-the-storm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e56cfb5e3a88e8e09e34da</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 00:28:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_7bd7c24ef56f4dcfb34d13eae5e7868c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Holding Space for Anxiety and Still Moving Forward]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today was not a planned moment. It was not on the agenda. It was not part of a polished staff meeting slide deck. But it was exactly what we needed. In the middle of everything that comes with this time of year, state testing, fatigue, behavior consistency, and the quiet pressure to show growth, we paused and pulled the team into an impromptu circle. Just a check-in. Nothing formal. Just space. And what unfolded in that circle said more about our school than any data point ever could. There...]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/holding-space-for-anxiety-and-still-moving-forward</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cf3df140e74dbec4ffcb81</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2026 04:23:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6619_5d7be5d802f740678e917e2aeee58ed2~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Is Our Super Bowl]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a moment every spring when the building feels different.

You can hear it in the quieter laughter, see it in the way teachers hold eye contact just a second longer, feel it in the unspoken question sitting in every room. State testing is coming, and in a turnaround school, that does not feel like a date on a calendar. It feels like a verdict.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/this-is-our-super-bowl</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c8863c495b6130435279fc</guid><pubDate>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 02:15:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a2c01f_d431bd99380941c5ac6a068f1a641a3a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Stephanie Nardi EdD</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spring Break Is Not a Pause. It Is a Reset.]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a moment every spring break when the noise finally quiets. The bells stop. The emails slow down. The constant urgency softens just enough to hear your own thinking again.]]></description><link>https://turnaroundunscripted.wixsite.com/my-site/post/spring-break-is-not-a-pause-it-is-a-reset</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69bc39764cb69c631847d7b8</guid><pubDate>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 18:15:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/cc6619_e9a67e339eeb4d239868108dbfe1660d~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Melissa France</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>