Turnaround Unscripted: Honest Leadership and Hard Lessons

What happens when school leadership moves to innovative problem-solving, relationship-centered culture building, and systems that truly support students and adults? Some posts will challenge conventional thinking. Others will admit when something didn’t work—and why.

The Masks We Wear

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

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.

Welcome to Sucktober

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 straigh

Driving Into the Storm

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 respons

Connection Before Compliance: But What Happens When the Teacher Goes Missing?

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.

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

Contact

Contact Us

We invite you to reach out. Share your experiences, ask questions, or just make a connection. We understand that educational leadership can be a challenging and often isolating journey. Together, we can make a difference!