Your goals for student success may be ambitious and innovative, but they will flounder if they’re not shared by your leadership team and wider school community, Superintendent Carmen Balgobin says.

“A vision without alignment lacks coherence,” Balgobin, leader of Florida’s Volusia County Schools, tells host Amy Dujon on the latest episode of District Administration’s “A Good Lesson” podcast. “It’s important to have strong intentionality with your priorities.”

Balgobin, who was named DA’s 2026 Woman of the Year, led Volusia County Schools to its first “A” grade in 16 years and has overseen a major expansion of the district’s CTE programs, among other achievements. She says superintendents must translate their vision into a “living, breathing” strategic plan to measure progress and adjust strategy swiftly if performance is lagging.