top of page
The Weight of Turnaround: When the System Adds More Than It Takes Away
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.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
4 days ago5 min read
A Fresh Box of Kleenex Is Not a Mental Health Plan
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 no
Melissa France
Sep 36 min read
The Quiet After the Storm
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?
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Apr 194 min read
This Is Our Super Bowl
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.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Mar 283 min read
When Safety Becomes Surveillance: Arizona’s Dangerous Trade-Off Between Policing and Counseling
School safety is not just about officers and locked doors. It is also about counselors who help students through grief, fear, and crisis. In Arizona, those positions are quietly disappearing. As school leaders, we are left asking who will support our students when tragedy strikes. Safe schools are built on support, not just surveillance.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Mar 115 min read
bottom of page