Comal Independent School District

Jillian Pratt

Culture Renewal Champion

There is a unique vulnerability in waking up to find that your former peers are now your staff. When I took the role as the director of digital learning & library services in 2024, I was acutely aware that how I navigated this shift would define our team's future. The stakes were incredibly high: after five years of being dissolved into other departments, our team was finally making a comeback and we had a mountain of work ahead of us. But I realized that rebuilding a department requires more than just restructuring workflows; it requires a cultural rebirth. To guide us through this transition, we anchored ourselves in three essential practices: a driving mission, a habit of reflection and an intentional offering of grace to our teachers, our staff and ourselves.

The first priority for our resurrected team was to define our mission and core values. I knew these couldn't just be words on a poster meant for show. They had to be the fuel for our daily work. Together, we established a simple but powerful mission: “Engage. Create. Innovate.” In the rapidly evolving landscape of educational technology, it is easy to get distracted by the latest flashy tool. Our mission keeps us anchored, ensuring we focus exclusively on seamlessly integrating technology that empowers teachers and inspires students. As a leader, my job is to protect that focus, constantly translating our high-level mission into daily actions so that every project we take on directly impacts the classroom.

But a mission is only as strong as the practices that support it. To build a sustainable, forward-thinking department, we had to pair our drive with a rigorous habit of reflection. After five years of fragmentation, we couldn't afford to default to "the way things have always been done," nor could we rush blindly into new edtech initiatives just to prove our worth. Instead, we committed to examining our strategies, workflows and training models with critical eyes. As their leader, modeling this reflection means creating a safe environment where we can dissect our setbacks without fear of blame. When a software rollout is rocky or a professional development session falls flat, we don’t look for scapegoats; we look for lessons. This continuous cycle of feedback keeps us agile, transforming our daily experiences into the collective wisdom we need to better serve our classrooms.

While mission and reflection drive our progress, grace is what preserves our humanity. Because our department had been absent for five years, we returned as a blank slate to much of our district. Many teachers and administrators didn't yet know who we were, what we did, or how we could support them. Navigating those early days required us to extend immense patience and grace to our educators as they adjusted to our new workflows and presence. Yet, I quickly realized that the most critical and often the hardest place to offer grace is to ourselves. Rebuilding a department from the ground up is messy, imperfect work. Offering ourselves grace does not mean lowering our standards. It means recognizing that growth takes time, mistakes are part of the learning curve and we cannot effectively support others if we are holding ourselves to an impossible standard of instant perfection.

Looking back at our journey, I realize that leadership is not about having all the answers; it is about having the right framework to find them. Our mission gives us our why, reflection refines our how and grace sustains our who. By centering these three practices, we did not just bring the Digital Learning & Library Services department back to life. We built a culture where both our team and the educators we serve can truly thrive. As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of education, I am reminded that the best way to lead my former peers is not from a pedestal, but right alongside them. Together, anchored by our shared purpose, committed to continuous growth and supported by grace, we are ready for whatever comes next.