What Halloween, middle school behavior, and school turnaround have in common.

In a turnaround school, observation season feels less like paperwork and more like walking a tightrope. One step too soft and you ignore what needs to change. One step too heavy and you crush the very people doing the work. And the work is hard. In a turnaround school, teachers are not just delivering lessons. They are rebuilding systems, reestablishing expectations, reteaching behaviors, and restoring belief. So how do you hold teachers accountable while building their confi