Your scores go up. Your money goes further. Your people stay.
Doug Rawlins coaches principals and superintendents of public, charter, and career and technical schools. In seven districts, every campus he coached improved, with the same staff and the same students. Doug will coach you through it. Nobody should have to lead in the dark.
M.Ed. in Education Administration, West Texas A&M University, with superintendent and principal certifications in Texas and Oklahoma.
What goes up after Coach has been in your building
Most of the time nothing new has to be bought and nobody has to be replaced. Your district just has to look at its own numbers a little differently. Coach looks at three things first, because those are the three that keep a principal or superintendent up at night.
Academic achievement
Reading, writing, math, and science. Coach starts with your data and finds the two or three columns nobody has been looking at, then shows your teachers and leaders what to do about them. At Claude Elementary the campus went from a projected D to a B on the Texas A-through-F ratings in one year, with the same staff and the same teachers.
Your funding
He reviews where your budget is heavy and where it is light, so every dollar lands where it changes something. In Texas that includes making the most of career and technical education certifications, which can bring more money to the school.
Your people
The goal is never to replace your staff. It is to give the teachers and leaders you already have a clearer picture and a narrower focus. At Midland Christian School, letting each math teacher teach the course they were strongest in, instead of four different preps, made the instruction deeper and the teachers more excited to teach it.
One more thing that sets him apart. Most outside reviews begin with what is wrong. Coach's formative assessments and academic reviews begin with your strengths, what is already working on your campus, so you build on it instead of starting over.
Education and certifications
He has the formal training to lead a district, and more than 35 years of experience doing it.
- M.Ed., Education AdministrationWest Texas A&M University
- B.S., Physical EducationNorthwestern Oklahoma State University
- Superintendent and principal certificationsTexas and Oklahoma
- Fully Certified TrainerCenter for Teacher Effectiveness
- NWEA MAP Certified TrainerAlso trained in Crucial Conversations, DISC, and John Maxwell Leadership
- Region 16 TEPSAN of the Year2016-17
Every campus he was handed was facing real challenges.
When Doug Rawlins moved into school administration in 2001, he felt like he had been put on an island in the dark. His administrative teams were brought in to lift campuses that were struggling academically, and that is exactly why he was hired. There was no one to counsel with, so he learned to find the next step himself, take it, and see what happened.
Six turnarounds later, he knows what that first step looks like, and he knows nobody should have to find it alone. Doug will coach you through it: somebody who has already walked out ahead of you, shining a light on the next step so you never have to take it in the dark.
It starts with your data, and ends in every classroom.
Almost every engagement starts the same way: a superintendent or a building principal hears about Coach from a colleague and asks him to take a look. It starts with a review of the data, then three steps.
A preliminary review of your data and needs
A quick Zoom with your leaders to look at your test data, discipline referrals, and where your budget is heavy or light. Think of it as the blood work before the treatment. It tells Coach what your district needs, and it shapes everything that follows: vision, focus, and execution.
How the data review worksThe Walkthrough Evaluation
Coach walks your campus or your whole district with you and your leadership team, reads the building the way a coach reads film, and ends the day with a summative review of your next steps.
What the walkthrough coversLeadership Team Sessions
Work with your administrative team on everyone's strengths and weaknesses, your evaluation instrument, your data, and what to look for so you praise the right things.
See the sessionsStaff In-Service
The high-leverage work that reaches every classroom: high expectations, classroom management, and student engagement, delivered as a full-staff training day.
See the in-serviceSix campuses went from losing to winning.
What superintendents say
"During my 32 years as an educator, I have never worked with anyone who had a bigger passion for kids than Doug does. While at Panhandle, Doug's school received the National Blue Ribbon award for high performance. His elementary school was consistently ranked in the top 10% of all elementary schools in Texas."
Blair BrownSuperintendent of Schools, Panhandle ISD"Mr. Rawlins is by far the most effective instructional leader I have ever met or studied. His passion to grow individually, as a cutting edge instructional leader, allows him to teach those who are in the trenches."
Kelly CarrellSuperintendent, Erick Public Schools"Doug has been an administrator in four different school districts. All four districts were more successful academically with Doug than they were before he arrived. Before his arrival the state predicted that Claude Elementary would be a D campus the following year. In one year Doug had the campus at a B+ rating."
Jeff ByrdSuperintendent of Schools, Vernon ISD
We are in the people building people business.
The same principles that turn a school around build strong teams everywhere: teachers and superintendents, church leadership, corporate teams, sports teams, and small businesses up to large ones. In every case it comes down to communication, so everyone truly understands what everyone else is saying.
There's only one profession that leads to all others: teaching.
Ready to see your buildings the way Coach sees them?
One day on site. Every campus. A clear next step by the end of it. No cost to ask.
Common questions
What is Flashlight Leadership?
Turnaround coaching for school leaders from Coach Doug Rawlins, an educator of more than 35 years who led six challenging campuses to measurable gains as a principal and district leader. The name comes from what he does: walk out ahead of you and shine a light on the next right step so you never have to lead in the dark.
Who is it for?
Superintendents, principals, assistant superintendents, and leadership teams, especially those responsible for a campus or district that is struggling, under accountability pressure, or simply stuck. The same work also serves church staffs, small businesses, and families.
How does an engagement start?
With a Walkthrough Evaluation. Coach spends one day on site walking your campus or your whole district with you and your leadership team, then delivers a summative review of next steps. From there, most districts move into leadership team sessions and a staff in-service. Very few engagements are one and done.
What does the walkthrough cost?
Coach keeps the walkthrough affordable on purpose, since it is the first step. Request one and he will talk through the details with you directly.
Does he still do keynotes?
Yes. He speaks at conferences, convocations, and leadership retreats, most often on The Process of Growing a High Performance School. See the Keynotes page.