Midyear Reflection: Growth, Gratitude, and What Comes Next

"We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience." - John Dewey

Once again, we have reached the midpoint of the school year. As I do with the leaders I serve, this moment offers a powerful opportunity to pause and reflect—on the work we are grateful to do, the successes from the fall, the adjustments that need to be made, and the intentional planning required for summer 2026 and the 2026–2027 school year.

This can be a tempting time to coast. But that has never been our approach. We believe deeply in continuous growth—not only for the leaders and systems we support, but for ourselves as well. I share this reflection intentionally. Transparency matters. Clarity around our work matters. And in a profession built on trust and relationships, sharing our journey helps others understand both our impact and our purpose. Simply put, relationships remain the number one way our work continues to grow across cities and states.

Reflecting on the Work

We began this year serving 26 individuals, the majority of whom are school principals across both elementary and secondary campuses. This year, we also expanded our work to include assistant principals—leaders who show strong promise and are intentionally building the skills needed to step into the principalship. Supporting their development as instructional leaders has been incredibly rewarding.

Despite the constant demands of the role—testing, discipline, compliance, and operations—these leaders carved out time to engage in focused coaching rounds with teachers. By keeping the work manageable and aligned to instructional priorities, they have already begun to see improvements in student outcomes. Their commitment, openness, and willingness to grow have been inspiring, and I am excited to see what their leadership journeys hold.

New this year has been our work with leaders from the New Mexico Priority Schools Bureau. Serving these state-level leaders has been an absolute honor. Each brings deep expertise, proven approaches to school improvement, and—most importantly—a strong commitment to relationships and care for the schools they support. This experience reinforces a core belief of our work: coaching is not only for leaders who are new or struggling. The very best leaders in the world work with coaches. Great leaders seek thought partners to sharpen their practice, sustain their impact, and ensure long-term success.

Transformational Systems Work

Supporting sitting principals continues to be the foundation of our work. This past summer, we partnered with leaders and teacher teams in Fort Worth ISD, Sheldon ISD, and Del Rio CISD. We see this work as transformational because it creates the conditions for leaders to build their own academic and behavioral systems in spaces that are calm, collaborative, and safe.

Schools that commit to this process consistently experience stronger student outcomes—not because they are told what to do, but because they design tightly aligned plans that they collectively own. At the midpoint of the year, these campuses are already showing improvements in academic performance, student behavior, and climate and culture survey data. While we continue to finalize middle-of-year assessment results, it is clear that the impact of this work extends beyond short-term gains.

Systems built with people last. Leadership may change. Staff may come and go. But when systems are co-created and clearly understood, the work continues. This approach is complex and demanding, but our facilitators bring years of experience and remain committed partners in helping schools build structures that endure.

Adjusting When Growth Stalls

While the majority of our partner schools are showing positive momentum, a small number experienced limited growth. Rather than ignore this, we leaned in.

About a month ago, I met with one sponsor to take a hard look at student data that was not trending upward. Through that conversation, the sponsor clearly articulated what needed to change. That clarity allowed us to pivot quickly. Together, we developed a detailed, week-by-week action plan—a true “change now” approach—focused on immediate movement.

The plan engaged the principal and teacher leaders directly, emphasized data-driven decision-making, monitored culture closely, and established mutual accountability: what leaders would do and what teachers would do. Early indicators are promising. This experience reinforced an important lesson for us as a learning organization: effective coaching requires flexibility. We must be willing to stop, reflect, and adjust—even in the middle of ongoing work—when the data demands it. We are grateful for this learning and will carry it forward.

Continuing to Grow as a Learning Organization

Steenport Leadership Coaching remains committed to growing intentionally. Last summer, former colleagues joined me in facilitation and coaching work, and throughout the fall I continued building relationships with others interested in joining this effort. Several will begin supporting schools alongside me this spring and summer as we expand our reach.

I will also be attending the TASA Midwinter Conference in San Antonio, connecting with current partners and meeting new leaders. As always, relationships remain at the heart of our work. Trust, respect, curious listening, and results-driven partnerships are not just values—they are how we operate.

If you are a current client reading this, please know that your trust, referrals, and advocacy are what allow this work to grow. If our services have been helpful and you feel inclined, sharing our work with colleagues makes a meaningful difference.

Looking Ahead

Regardless of growth or expansion, our priority remains the same: to continue investing deeply in the leaders and systems we already serve. We are passionate about sustained improvement—not only in schools, but in leadership development and personal growth.

This philosophy has guided our work and will continue to do so. We will keep learning, adjusting, and evolving in service of others.

So, how can we support you?