When Rick Romain became principal of PS 268 in New York City, the school was the lowest performing in the district and expectations were equally low. In just a few years, he led one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the city, culminating in the school becoming #1 in the district by 2025. His leadership is a powerful example of what focused, consistent coaching on culture and data can achieve.
Jasmine Woodward led Montgomery Elementary from turnaround status to one of the highest-performing schools in the UK. The school has sustained over 80% proficiency for seven consecutive years. By shifting professional development from talk to practice and modeling, she dramatically improved teaching quality and student achievement.
Candace Young transformed Northeast Elementary from an F-rated school into a National Blue Ribbon School that consistently outperforms the state. By focusing her team on whether students actually learned—and responding immediately when they didn’t—she created a system where gaps are closed in real time.
Jessica Mullins’s leadership reflects the impact of consistent instructional focus and team alignment. By ensuring that teaching practices remained tightly connected to student outcomes, she helped drive meaningful and sustained gains in achievement.
Amanda McDonald’s leadership highlights the power of staff culture as a driver of student achievement. By aligning and strengthening her team, she created the conditions for rapid and sustained improvement. Her work shows that when adults operate as a unified, high-performing team, student results follow.
LeVar Jenkins transformed Burroughs Elementary by building a strong, consistent student culture that set the foundation for academic success. As expectations became clear and practiced daily, student achievement surged. His work demonstrates that culture is not an add-on—it is a core driver of results.
Tiffany Johnson led Whittier Elementary to some of the fastest post-pandemic gains in Washington, DC, earning recognition for bold, sustained improvement. By focusing leadership team time on instruction and teacher development, she built a system that continuously strengthens teaching and accelerates student learning.
Stephanie Amaya led WH Adamson High School to an A rating—the only comprehensive high school in Dallas to achieve that distinction. Her leadership transformed a culture of low expectations into one of excellence, proving that strong community and clarity of purpose can drive extraordinary results.
Under Taro Shigenobu’s leadership, Henderson Collegiate High School rose to become one of the highest-performing schools in North Carolina, outperforming the state by 33%. The school earned recognition as a National Title I Distinguished School, proving that rigorous planning and aligned instruction can drive exceptional outcomes for all students.
Yanela Cruz demonstrated how strong student culture and data-driven instruction can drive transformation in even the most challenging contexts. By building consistent expectations and a sense of belonging, she helped create an environment where students could fully engage and succeed academically.
When Katie Harshman arrived at Minnequa Elementary, fewer than 10% of students were proficient. Through consistent observation and feedback, the school achieved 40-point gains across subjects, becoming one of the top-performing schools in the district. Her work shows how rapidly student outcomes can improve when teacher development is prioritized.
Marie Culihan led the Albany School of the Humanities to dramatic gains of over 30 points in ELA and 40 points in Math, earning national recognition as a Distinguished School. Her disciplined approach to time and preparation ensured consistent execution of high-impact leadership practices, translating directly into student success.