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Holding Space for Anxiety and Still Moving Forward
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 ev
Melissa France
Apr 22 min read
When Turnaround Holds Its Breath
Tonight, my chest feels tight. My emotions are swirling. Not because it is the night before another week of school. Not because I do not know what to do tomorrow on Day 1 of testing. But because I know exactly what is at stake. As a TOSA and the leader of our AZELLA testing team, my mind keeps circling the same questions again and again. Did I do enough to prepare them? Are the teachers ready? Are the students ready? Are they all prepared to do their best?Could I have done mo
Melissa France
Feb 223 min read
The Tightrope Line of Observations in a Turnaround School
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
Melissa France
Feb 123 min read
Weathering the Storms
Turnaround work is full of storms that test even the strongest leaders. One moment with an eighth grade student reminded me that sometimes the most powerful leadership begins with a simple question: “Are you okay?”
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Jan 24 min read
Tier 2 Cannot Save a Broken Tier 1: The Hard Truth About Turnaround Work
When most students are minimally proficient, intervention systems are not the solution. That reality is hard to say out loud in turnaround work, but it matters. Tier 2 cannot carry what Tier 1 has not yet stabilized. Until core instruction is consistently aligned, rigorous, and coherent across classrooms, intervention will continue to do work it was never designed to do.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Dec 29, 20254 min read
Why We Changed the Schedule and Why the Hard Part Is Still Ahead
We changed our master schedule because what we were doing was not working. Daily intervention time created the appearance of support, but without focus, content expertise, or instructional alignment, it rarely delivered meaningful impact. Moving to longer, content specific Tier 2 blocks was not about efficiency. It was about honesty. In turnaround work, schedules are not logistical tools. They are instructional systems.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Dec 29, 20255 min read
Flex Time That Actually Matters: Rethinking Recess and Reclaiming Purpose
There is a certain clarity that arrives when someone names out loud what you have quietly known.
Stephanie Nardi EdD
Dec 26, 20254 min read
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