The Breakthrough Coach: Mr. Delling, you've been in education for nearly 25 years, and you've been principal at North Hollywood High for nearly a third of that time. You came to your career with a really eclectic background, though. Could you tell us a little about that?

Randall Delling: Well, I came to my career in a roundabout way. I was a biker guy and a surfer dude - born to ride. Eventually, I got into construction and became a general contractor. I was drafted into the Army, and my experience supervising and giving orders to some very tough crews proved invaluable when I ended up as a drill sergeant! I didn't go to college until I was 30.

TBC: What was the impetus that caused you - finally - to become an educator?

RD: I originally majored in accounting, but, by the time I was in college, I was married and had young children. I found myself really enjoying helping them with their homework. I had become fluent in Spanish during my surfer days in Mexico, and started to tutor Spanish children in math. The lure of the classroom became stronger, and I ended up switching my major to education.

TBC: That is a circuitous path: from young rebel, to tough crew boss to drill sergeant, then college - with stops for parenting and tutoring along the way - to principal of this large, diverse urban high school. It's obvious that your life experiences have all come together to help you in this challenging environment, enabling you to relate to your students and gain the respect of the faculty you lead. How did TBC play a role in your success?

RD: A team approach to leadership was not a new experience for me, and I believe that the mission of a school is not to have the best possible principal, but to have the best possible students! My challenge was, given all the demands on my time, to accomplish my goals as a team leader. I saw the problem, but I didn't have the methodology to solve it. I knew, for example that I was spending far too much time on paperwork, and that I could be making better use of my secretary's skills - in short, I knew I wanted to make changes, but I didn't know how. TBC showed me how to get everything done within the normal workweek, and still be a constant presence in the classrooms monitoring student success. I credit TBC with giving me the skills I needed to gain the respect of my faculty and raise our API* score from 554 to 684.