CHALLENGE: Too Busy to Lead Effectively

By the end of the 2024-25 school year, Amy Archer and her team at Garden Elementary School in the Sarasota County School District knew they were facing a critical moment. Student achievement had declined over two consecutive years, ultimately resulting in the school’s grade falling from an A to a B. The most alarming area was math among the lowest quartile of students, where only 49% were demonstrating a learning gain. Several accountability categories had slipped, and staff morale was being tested.

The challenges extended far beyond academics. During an eight-week period, multiple hurricanes and tropical storms struck the region, causing school closures, widespread community damage, and emotional strain for students, families, and staff. Many employees experienced property loss and personal hardship. The unexpected death of a beloved staff member further impacted the school community, while staffing shortages and resignations created additional pressure.

At the same time, Amy realized that she was not leading in a way that would reverse the trend.

“I routinely clocked 70+ hour workweeks. I arrived before school started and stayed until 6:00 or 7:00 pm every night. I completed projects and tasks on weekends, and yet I only spent about 6 hours a week in classrooms coaching teachers and supporting instruction,” recalls Amy. “My days were consumed by meetings, emails, and interruptions. It was a constant game of ‘whack-a-mole.’ I was working hard. I was always busy. But I was spending very little time on the high-impact work of observing teaching and learning.” 

Recognizing that something had to change, Amy enrolled in The Breakthrough Coach Program.

MINDSET SHIFT: The Coach is Not the Starting Pitcher

Amy’s Breakthrough Coach experience challenged many of her assumptions about leadership.

One of her most significant realizations was that she, as the principal, was supposed to coach her team, not act as one of its “starting players.” She recognized that she had been spending way too much time trying to single-handedly solve many of her school’s unending challenges, rather than equipping her very capable staff members to take ownership of, and responsibility for handling issues themselves. 

“I made it a point to hire highly qualified professionals who were more than capable of getting their jobs done, yet I was still trying to control too much of the work. I kept overstepping and getting in their way, rather than making sure they had the resources, support, and trust they needed to excel. That insight transformed my leadership practice,” says Amy. 

She also realized that being highly organized was not the same as being highly effective. While she maintained a detailed calendar and carefully attended to tasks, her competent time and task management were not helping her focus on the core work of instructional leadership.

The program also forced her to examine her paradoxical relationship with email. Her willingness to be constantly accessible via email was actually tethering her to her office and preventing her from being visible throughout the school. She recognized that every hour spent responding to email meant hours not spent relating face to face with teachers and students. 

“I came to the conclusion that I could be more effective and efficient with my time if I got out of my office and had real conversations with real people. Leadership happens through relationships, not inboxes, and in order to cultivate my relationships, I needed to position myself out where the work was actually happening,” says Amy.  

Most importantly, Amy discovered that micromanaging employees and over-controlling school operations was limiting both her effectiveness and the growth of her team. To become the leader her school needed, she would have to learn to let go, trust others, and protect her time for instructional leadership.

SOLUTIONS: Systems, Structures, and a Willing Secretary

After completing Phase 1 of the program, Amy immediately began implementing The Breakthrough Coach’s Fundamental Practices(™).

First, she addressed her calendar and time allocation. Working with her secretary, Amanda, she blocked two full days each week dedicated exclusively to classroom observations, teacher coaching, and instructional support. The two then had a standing Friday planning session in which they protected Amy’s coaching time for the following weeks before competing demands could fill her schedule.

Amy also transformed her office environment. She cleared surfaces, filed accumulated paperwork, removed all distractions, and ensured that only materials related to the task before her remained visible. The office became a place for focused work rather than a storage locker filled with unfinished business. 

Amanda became Amy’s “Guardian at the Gate.” Every meeting request for Amy was preliminarily screened by Amanda, who made a habit of asking Amy the simple question: “Who else can handle this besides you?” Non-essential meetings were then delegated to her assistant principal, literacy coach, or other staff members where appropriate.

Amy’s biggest shift involved transferring ownership of her calendar to Amanda, who took on establishing Amy’s weekly routine. Amanda scheduled Amy’s appointments, managed her start and end times, and maintained Amy’s boundaries throughout the day. With Amanda’s support, Amy learned to stay on track and honor the commitments that Amanda had carefully planned.

At the center of everything was their Daily Meeting. Each morning they had dedicated time to review priorities, anticipate challenges, and align on the day’s schedule. This daily discipline ensured that Amy spent ample time where her presence would make the biggest difference – in classrooms, observing and coaching instruction. 

OUTCOMES: Record-Breaking Results

Amy’s shift in perspective, combined with her newly instituted management practices, produced an extraordinary breakthrough in her school’s 2026 student outcomes:

• Garden Elementary increased its school grade by 75 points in one year, returning to a solid A rating and achieving the highest performance scores in the school’s history.
• Learning gains in Reading increased by 17 percentage points. 
• Overall Math learning gains rose by 14 percentage points. 
• Math learning gains among the lowest quartile increased by 18% – from 46-64%!
• Six of the school’s eight accountability categories met or exceeded 70%, and Garden’s 4th grade achieved 78% proficiency in Reading, setting a new school record. 
• Garden Elementary was recognized by the Sarasota County School District as a top-performing school for mathematics and reading learning gains, outstanding improvement, and inspiring growth, as measured by Florida’s state school grade accountability system. 

CONCLUSION: Renewed Job Satisfaction

Today, Amy spends a minimum of 14 hours each week coaching teachers in classrooms–more than double the time she spent before The Breakthrough Coach Program. She has reduced her overall workweek from 70+ hours to approximately 55 hours, and she no longer works evenings or weekends.

Most importantly, Amy has rediscovered the joy of educational leadership. Instead of managing from behind a desk, she is helping teachers improve instruction, supporting student learning in real time, and focused on the work she loves.

By reclaiming her time and committing to The Breakthrough Coach Fundamental Practices(™), Amy transformed her leadership mindset and her school’s results, proving that when principals spend more time coaching teachers, student achievement follows.