Hawaii: Nearly Two Decades of Partnership
Between 2006 and 2017, The Rensselaerville Institute (TRI) partnered with the Hawaii Department of Education at 44 schools with 47 principals to implement School Turnaround. Each school initiative lasted two years. We started with five principals that first year and grew from there.
By 2016, TRI started to strengthen the mentoring skills of Hawaii principals by collaborating with our Turnaround Specialists. We trained 16 principals, who then implemented our six core strategies and mentored fellow leaders to achieve success.
Naomi Matsuzaki reminisces about her time as a principal and specialist:
"I was an experienced principal, but at my last principalship I felt inadequate and was under pressure to remove my school from the 'Restructuring' status. Fortunately, a colleague gave me a handbook from School Turnaround, which was the roadmap I needed to get my school out of restructuring. With the support of the specialists, we achieved a 40% increase in reading and a 20% increase in math within one year. It was a turning point for our school, and we showcased our students' achievements in district science fairs, math competitions, and even robotics.
I continued to follow this path for the next five years and later became a School Turnaround Principal Specialist. It was an honor to see other Hawaii principals implement School Turnaround strategies and achieve success in raising their students' achievement levels."
Several Hawaii principals in the School Turnaround program have been recognized, including Sheena Alaiasa, who was named National Middle School Principal of the Year in 2014. Sheena has since turned around at least four more schools. In 2021 and 2022, two more School Turnaround principals were named Principal of the Year in Hawaii. Additionally, eight principals have advanced their careers by becoming Complex Area Superintendents (CAS), with one eventually becoming Superintendent of Schools for the Hawaii Department of Education in 2022.
TRI's School Turnaround also partnered with Chaminade University, a top university in Hawaii, to design a course of study for potential principals. Candidates were paired with a local Turnaround Specialist who used parts of our leadership model to train existing principals. The program aimed to produce highly qualified principal candidates who could achieve results in Hawaii's most struggling schools.
The work continues; for the 2025-2026 school year, we are supporting leadership transformation, results and innovation in 9 schools.
Florida: Driving Sustainable School Turnaround
Escambia County, Pensacola
From 2018–2022, our organization partnered with Escambia County Schools as an External Operator to
lead comprehensive school turnaround efforts across multiple elementary campuses. Working in close
collaboration with district leadership and school-based teams, we implemented our six core
instructional strategies to address persistent achievement gaps, strengthen instructional coherence, and
build leadership capacity for long-term sustainability.
Within the first year of implementation, seven schools improved their state accountability rating from a
“D” to a “C,” and one school advanced from a “C” to a “B.” These early gains signaled not only improved
instructional practice but renewed momentum and belief among educators and school leaders.
Our impact deepened over time, with measurable and sustained gains in student achievement. At
Rinehart Holm Elementary, Grade 5 reading proficiency increased from 28% prior to turnaround to 52%
following implementation. The school subsequently moved from a “D” to a passing grade of “C” and
maintained that rating in 2022, demonstrating durable improvement beyond the initial intervention
period. Similarly, Warrington Elementary improved its school grade from a “D” to a “C” in 2022,
reflecting steady progress supported by strengthened instructional systems.
Other partner schools saw comparable growth. At Navy Point Elementary, Grade 5 reading proficiency
rose from 23% to 40%, while West Pensacola Elementary increased Grade 5 ELA proficiency from 39% to
53% during the turnaround year. These gains represent hundreds of students moving closer to grade-
level literacy and future academic success.
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Equally important, our work invested in leadership development as a lever for scale and sustainability.
Multiple principals from partner schools were promoted into district-level roles, including Director of
School Transformation and Elementary and Secondary Directors—positions that now influence
improvement efforts across the entire system. This leadership pipeline ensured that successful
turnaround practices extended beyond individual schools and became embedded in district strategy.