Skip to content
How We Work with

Education Leaders

Leading a school or district is complex, expectations are high, resources are limited, and student success depends on aligned leadership, strong culture, and effective systems. We partner with school and district leaders to strengthen internal capacity, clarify vision, align priorities, and build teams that can drive sustained progress for students, families, and communities.

24
Lead with breakthrough

We Know What Keeps Education Leaders Up at Night.

Leading a school or district has never been more complex and the pressure to perform has never been greater. You're launching initiatives that don't stick, managing a culture that's hard to measure, and making big decisions without the data you need. Your staff is stretched thin, your leadership pipeline feels uncertain, and full board alignment can seem out of reach.

You don't need another program — you need a partner who understands this work from the inside and knows how to help you build something that actually lasts.

Breakthrough Images (1)-1
Our Services
Why Is Sustaining School Culture So Hard?
Most schools don't struggle with effort — they struggle with sustainability. Culture initiatives stall when they treat change as an event instead of a system, or lose connection to the real experiences of students and families. Learn More
Our Services
What Makes Our Approach Different?
Leaning Into School Culture is built around one belief — lasting change only happens when leaders have the systems to sustain it themselves. We start by understanding your school's unique culture, then build a model that fits — so when our engagement ends, the work keeps going. Hear from Our CEO, Deb Hanmer
With 20 years of experience building resilient systems, we know how to focus on what actually works. By listening first, honoring local expertise, and grounding our work in evidence and proven practice, we help leaders implement strategies that last, strengthening governance, improving culture, and ensuring student-centered practices are embedded and effective.
Culture/Climate Strategy - Leaning Into School Culture (LISC)

A school's culture is the invisible force that shapes everything, how students feel walking through the door, how teachers show up for their work, and whether families trust the institution their children are part of. Our flagship Leaning Into School Culture program gives school leaders a proven, comprehensive framework for building a culture and climate that honors every child and family in the building. Grounded in six critical components and built around your school's unique mission and community, we don't offer a one-size-fits-all curriculum, we build something that actually fits. From comprehensive assessment to implementation support, we walk alongside your team every step of the way to make sure the change sticks.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) + Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Frameworks

Every student brings a different set of needs, strengths, and challenges through the door and the systems your school has in place to meet them make all the difference.

We help school and district leaders build and strengthen Multi-Tiered Systems of Support and Social Emotional Learning frameworks that are practical, culturally responsive, and aligned to your accountability requirements.

Our work connects the dots between student data, instructional practice, and the support structures that keep kids engaged and on track.

The result is a school where every student has a clear pathway to success and every educator knows their role in making it happen.

Leadership Development

The single greatest lever for school improvement is the quality of leadership at every level of the building.

We work directly with principals, assistant principals, superintendents, and leadership teams to strengthen the skills, systems, and relationships that drive school-wide results.

Our approach combines executive coaching, cohort-based learning, and facilitated team development, all grounded in applied research and designed for the real complexity of leading a school today.

Whether you're developing first-year education leaders or strengthening a veteran leadership team, we meet leaders where they are and grow them into where their school needs them to be.

Family/Community Engagement

When families are true partners in a school's mission, everything gets better, including:

  • Student outcomes

  • School culture

  • Community trust

We help school leaders design and implement engagement strategies that go beyond newsletters and parent nights, building genuine two-way relationships with the families and communities their schools serve.

Our approach is culturally responsive, practical, and grounded in the belief that families are essential contributors to student success.

We help you create the structures, communication practices, and community connections that make families feel seen, valued, and invested.

+0
School Leaders Coached and Supported
+0
School Board Members Developed
0
School Districts Engaged Across 12 States
How We Work

Our Approach.

Most organizations don't struggle with vision — they struggle with execution. Our four-phase engagement model is built around that reality, giving your team the clarity, tools, and support needed to move from strategy to sustainable results with confidence.

  • 01. Discover

    We assess current conditions, leadership alignment, stakeholder dynamics, and performance data.

    May include:

    • Leadership interviews
    • Data and document review
    • Organizational health assessment
    • Stakeholder mapping
    • Environmental scan

    Outcome: Clarity on strengths, risks, capacity gaps, and strategic priorities.

    Schedule a Call
  • 02. Design

    We co-create a focused strategy grounded in measurable outcomes and governance clarity.

    May include:

    • Vision and goal alignment
    • Strategic framework development
    • Governance and decision-rights clarification
    • Stakeholder validation
    • KPI definition


    Outcome: A clear, actionable roadmap aligned to mission and accountability structures.

    Schedule a Call
  • 03. Build

    We strengthen leadership capacity and operational systems required for execution.

    May include:

    • Leadership development
    • Workforce training
    • Systems and process design
    • Communication planning
    • Implementation toolkits


    Outcome: Internal capability to execute with discipline and consistency.

    Schedule a Call
  • 04. Implement & Sustain

    We support disciplined execution and embed performance monitoring structures.

    May include:

    • Implementation planning
    • Coaching and facilitation
    • Progress tracking
    • Mid-course adjustments
    • Dashboard development and feedback loops


    Outcome: Sustained results with embedded accountability and continuous improvement.

    Schedule a Call

Make Culture Management Sustainable with the PULSE App

Great school culture doesn't maintain itself. After the consulting ends, the work has to keep going - and PULSE is the tool that makes that possible.

PULSE is Breakthrough's lightweight culture management app, built specifically for school leadership teams. It gives leaders a simple, consistent way to observe, name, and track culture across classrooms and spaces, turning what used to be anecdotal conversations into real, actionable data.

Lead with Breakthrough

Leadership Training & Support Packages

Sometimes knowing where to start can be the hardest part. Our Leadership & Accountability package is based off of years of experience doing this work. It includes everything you'll need to push forward with excellence.

IMG_5443

Education Leadership & Accountability

Designed for districts, charter schools, or leadership teams seeking strategic coherence and execution clarity.

  • ✔️ Executive Organizational Diagnostic (Superintendent/ED + Leadership Team)
  • ✔️ Review of Accountability Plans and Performance Data
  • ✔️ 1 Full-Day Leadership Retreat (or 2 half-days)
  • ✔️ Board or Charter Governance Alignment Session
  • ✔️ Written Alignment Memo + 90-Day Implementation Plan
  • ✔️ Follow-Up Leadership Coaching Session
Get Started

Design Your Own Package

Need a customized approach? No problem. Explore the options below or reach out to discuss.

  • Pick and choose from elements included in our Education Leadership & Accountability package above or contact us with specific requests
Get Started

FAQs

Working with us is a collaborative process. Here are questions we get often to help guide your decision-making process.

How does your work align with state accountability and school improvement requirements?

We align strategic planning, school accountability planning, MTSS frameworks, culture systems, and leadership development with state accountability requirements and district or charter authorizer expectations.

Our work integrates:

  • Student performance data

  • Improvement plans

  • Compliance mandates

  • Operational realities

This ensures strategy translates into measurable gains in student outcomes and coherent school-level execution.

Do you work with Boards of Education and Charter Boards?

Yes. We provide governance coaching, board retreat facilitation, role clarity training, committee structure alignment, and board–superintendent or board–executive director relationship development. Our focus is on strengthening governance so boards operate strategically rather than operationally.

Do you provide leadership development for school and district leaders?

Yes. We work directly with superintendents, executive directors, principals, assistant principals, and leadership teams to strengthen strategic alignment, decision-making structures, team effectiveness, and accountability systems.

This includes retreat facilitation, executive coaching, and building coherent improvement frameworks across schools.

Do you offer workforce training and coaching for teachers?

Yes. We provide structured professional development aligned to instructional improvement and school culture.

This includes Tier 1 classroom management systems, MTSS-aligned practices, and implementation-focused coaching cycles designed to build consistency and classroom-level impact.

  • “Thank you for facilitating such a meaningful retreat today. Your thoughtful approach to creating an environment that balanced information sharing, hands-on application, and group discussion really enhanced our learning experience.The activities you designed gave us valuable opportunities to reflect on organizational growth and learn from each other in a supportive, non-judgmental space.Thank you again for your time, expertise, and the care you put into making this such a worthwhile experience for all of us. I look forward to staying in touch.”
    Aileen Mokuria
    Director of Youth Programming
  • “Working with Breakthrough Leadership Consulting was a great experience. Deb and Steve provided a welcoming and engaging approach that created space for authentic dialogue and feedback. Through these collaborative conversations, we were able to achieve well-informed analysis, insights, and recommendations for strategic planning. ”
    Erica Hernandez
    Director of Neighborhood Service Centers,

    City of Rochester

  • “Deb has served as a vital partner in the creation and development of a leadership program for faculty, staff, and administrators at our school. Deb’s presence and professionalism combined with her keen insight into people and organizations all explain why she has received rave reviews from our community year after year. She listens carefully and collaborates wholeheartedly in addressing institutional and individual needs and steering teams toward collective impact."
    Eric Roland
    Director of Partnership Tangs Institute,

    Philips Andover Academy

  • “Working with the team at Breakthrough has been instrumental in advancing the Police Accountability Board’s strategic planning efforts. Their ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, meaningful strategies has strengthened the Board’s internal direction and external messaging. Breakthrough’s partnership ensured that the PAB’s work is not only clear and actionable but also aligned with its mission to promote accountability, transparency, and community trust.”
    Dr. Lesli Myers-Small
    Executive Director, Rochester Police Accountability Board

    City of Rochester

IMG_3781