Matt Owsley knows a thing or two about how students behave. That’s because this Scottsdale, Arizona, principal has seen a thing or two as he pushes his rolling desk around the Black Mountain Elementary School campus.

“I kept hearing about these ideas—to be present—and what it does culturally for your campus and how it helps behavior,” Owsley said. But a desk (and stool) on wheels, complete with his nameplate? Claiming temporary office space in the cafeteria, on the playground or in a dance class? Why not, thought Owsley. Why not try something new, fun and unexpected to be visible.

It’s tough being the victim of your own success. Just when you’ve mastered the Fundamental Practices™ and your school is on track to produce real breakthroughs in student achievement, you find yourself promoted to a different school, partnered with a different secretary, and with no immediate opportunity to attend the 2-Day Course.

Just a few months into her first year as principal of Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, Calif., Kristen Gracia was on a fast track to burnout.

She'd been assistant principal for four years and felt in command of that job.

But as principal, there was so much more to do, and things were falling by the wayside. She wasn't making enough classroom observations, getting enough sleep, working out, or eating well. When she finally got home, it was a mad dash to feed, bathe, and tuck her children in before powering up her computer to return to work.

Congratulations to one of our long time graduates, Aisha Thomas, on having her school, Zach Elementary recognized as one of the Blue Ribbon Schools for 2018. We applaud Aisha and her dedicated staff not only for their ongoing commitment to excellence and learning but also for continuing to grow in their partnership with The Breakthrough Coach. We look forward to seeing continued success and are so proud of Aisha for this well deserved achievement.

One of the most detrimental habits I confront when coaching executives is the “Open Door Policy”. When an executive is available to all people, for all things, at all times, the net result is always ridiculously lengthy work weeks for the executive, and less than stellar performance for their staff and students.

In our Breakthrough Coach 2-Day School Leadership Course, the conversation often turns to what members of the current and up-and-coming workforce expect from their careers. Regardless of the field, there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence that millennials have a view of their jobs that’s very different from that of previous generations.

Breakthrough Coach Graduate. Christopher Dodge, Principal of the Dexter Park Innovation School in Orange, MA, has built a successful model for inclusive practice around distributed leadership. Every decision at the school is made by a leadership team comprised of teachers, and Dodge ensures that every voice is heard. Dodge emphasizes that he does his job differently than most principals.

The Breakthrough Coach honors our client, Lindsay Unified School District, for being recognized by Forbes magazine as a leader in American public education. Led for the last 15 years by Superintendent, Tom Rooney and his mission-driven team, Lindsay has pioneered a unique approach to personalized learning that has attracted both federal and Gates Foundation support. 

Make 2018 a year of breakthroughs in your time, results and satisfaction by attending our FREE, live coaching session entitled, How To Use The Breakthrough Coach Model to Support Your Millennial Employee Recruitment & Retention Strategy.

Come to this interactive session ready to engage with our coaches and you will:

In a recent Community Coaching Call—one of our free, live coaching sessions offered to graduates of our transformational 2-Day School Leadership Course—we discussed the challenges of finding and hiring a great school secretary. Here are the highlights from the session, including tips you can use to find the right candidate for this critical role.