Do you love them enough? Building Great Schools

GAEL UnscriptED

What actually changes a school—policies on paper or people in the building? We sit down with Jay Floyd to map the moments that matter, from his first days as a biology teacher and coach to leading large high schools and a district. Jay is candid about the hard parts of leadership, the joy of seeing students thrive, and the simple rule that guides his decisions: love students enough to set clear standards and follow through.
We explore the high-velocity world of the assistant principal, where relationships are everything and consistency earns trust. Jay shares how the principal’s chair shifts the view: every decision, big or small, rolls uphill. He lays out a practical playbook—hire 100 percent better each cycle, treat discipline as caring structure, and build teams that outlast any one leader. His approach to instructional growth is hands-on and respectful: classroom cameras owned by teachers, district-level academic coaches with real authority, and a culture where colleagues swap videos and feedback because teaching is a craft.
When Jay returns home as superintendent, strategy becomes system. With a unified board and a clear plan, he anchors a College and Career Academy on the high school campus and ties attendance and graduation to purpose. Students plug into pathways and organizations that give them a reason to show up, from game design to industry certifications, and results follow—higher engagement, stronger scores, and a community that feels the impact. Threading through every chapter is a question printed on a t-shirt and embedded in the culture: Do you love them enough?
If you lead a classroom, a school, or a district, this conversation offers a grounded, repeatable blueprint. Subscribe, share with a colleague who’s stepping into a new role, and leave a review to help more educators find these tools and stories.

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1. Welcome And Jay’s Origin Story (00:00:00)

2. From Coaching To Administration (00:01:13)

3. Assistant Principal Lessons And People Skills (00:03:36)

4. Becoming Principal At Cartersville (00:06:10)

5. Leading Leaders And Growing Talent (00:08:15)

6. Moving To Lowndes And Setting Culture (00:09:57)

7. Discipline, Consistency, And Trust (00:12:18)

8. Hiring 100 Percent Better Every Year (00:15:08)

9. Cameras, Coaching, And Teacher Growth (00:17:28)

10. District Coaches With Authority (00:20:00)

11. Collaboration And Rising Test Results (00:22:10)

12. Path To The Superintendency (00:24:05)

13. Strategic Planning And Board Alignment (00:26:15)

14. College And Career Academy Impact (00:28:05)

15. Engagement, Attendance, And Graduation (00:30:15)

16. Hard Conversations And Real Improvement (00:32:05)

17. Biggest Jumps: AP To Principal To Superintendent (00:34:00)

18. Mentors, Networks, And GAEL Community (00:36:10)

19. Closing Thanks (00:39:00)