“I’m definitely a more effective leader now. I’ve learned to let go of the things that don’t matter as much and focus my time and energy on what really moves the needle–coaching and supporting my team so that our students benefit.”

CHALLENGE: Post-Pandemic Special Ed Complications

Mollie Bolton is the Chief Officer of Teaching, Learning and Accountability for the Special School District (SSD) of St Louis County, Missouri. A unique district of 23,000 students, SSD is the largest specialized education provider in the state. 

Unfortunately, the virtual learning construct imposed on SSD’s students during and coming out of the pandemic proved ineffective for the majority of them. Families reported feeling exhausted from seven months of supporting their children in the virtual setting, and expressed frustration at their students’ lack of progress. The impact of pandemic learning loss was particularly severe.

This sense of dissatisfaction among SSD’s key stakeholders led to a tremendous attendance drop. From March 2020 to January 2021, SSD students averaged fifteen days of absences or missed one day of school a week.  “Our students just stopped showing up for online classes,” Mollie commented. “From October 2020 to October 2021 we lost 448 students – we didn’t even know where they were.” 

Mollie found herself working 80+ hours a week in an attempt to remedy the situation, but her extra effort did little to improve it. “Historically, I had thrived in ‘high-control, do-it-all mode,’ but that habitual way of doing and being was no longer helping me, my team, or our students climb out of the hole in which we found ourselves,” said Mollie. “It was at this point that I enrolled in The Breakthrough Coach School Leadership Training Program.”

MINDSET SHIFT: Solve With the Team. Not For It.

During Phase 1 of the program, Mollie realized she was unnecessarily running herself into the ground in a vain attempt to single-handedly solve the district’s complex and systemic issues. “Truth be told, I had an extremely capable team around me whose members were more than willing to help me address our challenges,” Mollie confessed. “But I had to let go of my Type-A tendencies, build their capacity, and allow them to do their work.”

SOLUTION: Say Goodbye to the “One Woman Show”

Mollie and her secretary, Melanie, returned from Phase 1 and immediately put several Breakthrough Coach Fundamental Practices™ into place that enabled her to let go of her “one-woman-show” mindset, and empower her team to become an integral part of getting SSD back on track. 

She cleaned out the endless paper trails running through her office and turned over critical projects and their associated files to her very capable staff. She then began meeting daily with Melanie to preview upcoming events, discuss tasks and program updates, and delegate office work. Additionally, she started to build Melanie’s awareness of her most important priorities and coached her in how to support her to stay on-task.

“I allowed my secretary to be my ‘gatekeeper’ and in return, she prevented interruptions from landing on my desk,” said Mollie. “Once I handed off my calendar and schedule to Melanie, she carved out time for me to focus on my top priorities, and blocked one day each week for me to spend observing and coaching my staff out in the learning environments.”

OUTCOMES: Leadership Success on All Fronts

Since completing The Breakthrough Coach Program, Mollie and her team have reaped multiple benefits. Mollie has reduced her overall workweek by 30 hours and consistently spends one to two days every week touring classrooms and coaching her team. Her employees know that she is accessible and available to handle issues before they escalate and this, in turn, has improved the district’s culture.

Mollie has a much clearer picture of classroom happenings, which enables her to bring a ground-level perspective to decision-making conversations. “I’m definitely a more effective leader,” says Mollie. “I’ve learned to let go of the things that don’t matter as much and focus my time and energy on what really moves the needle–coaching and supporting my team so that our students benefit.”

Today, Mollie proudly notes that SSD’s average daily attendance hovers around 92%. Enrollment has recovered and is back to pre-pandemic levels. SSD students and their families are reporting satisfaction levels that seemed implausible a few years ago. 

In addition to her district’s successful turnaround, Mollie has managed to have a life outside of work. This past year she read 50 books and engaged as a volunteer for the Maren Fund, a non-profit that supports children with Down’s Syndrome and their families.

CONCLUSION

Mollie credits The Breakthrough Coach School Leadership Training Program for allowing her to take back control of her time. “My work doesn’t consume my whole life anymore. I am more refreshed and grounded, and able to consistently show up as the school leader that my team–and our students–need me to be.”