Right now campuses are focused on one thing. STAAR. You can see it in the hallways and feel it in leadership meetings. Everyone is pushing toward those testing days. And they should be. But here’s what I’ve learned after 17 years as a principal. The real work doesn’t start after the scores come in. It starts before summer even gets here. Spring break is coming up in a week. Most principals will use that time to breathe. They need to. This job is heavy, especially in the spring. But once STAAR...

You can feel it right now on campuses. STAAR is around the corner. Teachers are tired. Principals are carrying a lot. Everyone is pushing, but there’s a low hum of stress in the background. Spring break is one week away. For most leaders, that week becomes one of two things. Either you completely shut down because you’re exhausted, or you sit there half-relaxing and half-thinking about everything waiting for you when you get back. What if it became something else? When I was a principal, the...

As we head into state testing and the end-of-year push, people are going to feel it. Spring Break helps, but not enough to offset everything piling up right now.