The Ruckus Report
Quick take: When transforming struggling schools, following the traditional playbook isn't enough. Learn how effective turnaround leaders strategically break rules, build relationships, and create rapid improvement while working within traditional systems.
Meet Your Fellow Ruckus Maker
Amy Galloway serves as Executive Director of PIVOT School Improvement Leaders, providing intensive coaching and development for principals leading significant school improvement efforts in Tennessee and Mississippi. With experience as a successful turnaround principal herself, Amy now helps school leaders master the delicate art of driving rapid change while building sustainable systems.
Breaking Down the Old Rules 🔨
In this episode, Amy challenges traditional education paradigms:
Key Insight #1: The Power of Listening First
What's broken: Traditional top-down leadership where principals arrive with pre-made plans
The shift: Starting with door-to-door listening campaigns to understand community needs and dreams
Impact: Building deep trust and authentic buy-in from families and staff
Key Insight #2: Strategic Rule-Breaking
What's broken: Rigid adherence to system norms that maintain status quo results
The shift: Identifying which rules to break, preparing for consequences, and focusing on student impact
Impact: Creating rapid improvement by removing bureaucratic barriers while maintaining accountability
Key Insight #3: High-Performance Planning
What's broken: Reactive leadership consumed by daily fires
The shift: Protected time for quarterly/monthly/weekly planning aligned to priorities
Impact: Leaders who can drive strategic improvement even amid frequent crises
Quotable Ruckus
"If you're going to center your kids' experience and you're going to center student learning, that often means you have to make a choice that doesn't necessarily fit within the expectations or the system. And that is more than okay. In fact, it should be expected." - Amy Galloway
Your Do School Different Challenge
Ready to implement these ideas? Start here:
Tomorrow: Block off 30 minutes for weekly planning - make it your most important meeting
This Month: Schedule listening sessions with 5 key stakeholders about their hopes for your school
This Semester: Identify one system norm that needs to change and create an implementation plan
Connect & Continue
🎯 Get the full episode transcript: LInk
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Today's RUCKUScast in Partnership with:
IXL: Meet your students where they are and take them where they need to go. Join over 1 million teachers who trust IXL to drive data-informed excellence in their classrooms. 🔍 Learn more: IXL.com/leaders
Expressability K12: Your inbox isn't a task manager. Your mind isn't for storing mundane processes. It’s time to break free. With Expressability K12 Ruckus Makers can prioritize student success by offloading time sucking tasks.
Visit Expressability K12 to learn how. (expressability.com/ruckus)
ODP Business Solutions® STEAM programs failing before they start? Most schools botch STEAM implementation because they're missing 3 critical elements. Here's the wild part: it's not about fancy tech or massive budgets. ODP Business Solutions® has researched many successful programs to identify what actually works (and what's just burning cash).Learn the blueprint here.
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