How Fremont RE 2 Cultivates a High-Retention Culture Through K12 Rounding®
By implementing K12 Rounding® to systematize intentional leadership conversations, Fremont RE-2 School District cultivated a high-retention culture that successfully boosted staff engagement and captured actionable data to drive continuous improvement.
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Introduction
At Fremont RE-2 School District, leadership begins with relationships.
District leaders believe every employee deserves regular opportunities to connect with leadership, share ideas, celebrate successes, and contribute to the organization’s continuous improvement. Those conversations strengthen engagement, build trust, and provide valuable insight that helps leaders better support the people who serve students every day.
To bring that vision to life, Fremont RE-2 implemented K12 Rounding®, creating a consistent leadership practice that connects leaders with employees throughout the school year while providing meaningful data to guide district decision-making.
“K12 Rounding has become an essential component of our continuous improvement efforts and aligns closely with our district commitment to growing a destination district with Intent, Purpose, and Pride,” said Michelle Lesser, Executive Director of Educational Services.
Challenges
A Leadership Practice Centered on People
As a growing rural district, Fremont RE-2 places tremendous value on relationships. District leaders wanted every employee to experience meaningful communication, consistent recognition, and authentic opportunities to share ideas that strengthen the organization.
Their goals included:
- Strengthening employee engagement.
- Increasing employee recognition.
- Building trust through intentional leadership conversations.
- Gathering meaningful feedback to support decision-making.
- Creating a culture where every employee feels seen, heard, valued, and connected to the district’s mission.
“Our leadership team implemented K12 Rounding to create a culture where every employee feels seen, heard, valued, and connected to our mission of serving students,” Lesser said.
“The software is outstanding, but its impact depends on leaders who genuinely care about listening, building trust, and following through. When employees see that their ideas lead to meaningful action, trust grows, engagement increases, and culture begins to change.”
Michelle Lesser
Executive Director of Educational Service
Empowered Leaders.
Aligned Teams.
Better Outcomes.
Solutions
Creating Consistency Across the District
K12 Rounding provides Fremont RE-2 with a structured framework for leadership conversations across all schools and departments.
District leaders regularly connect with employees to learn what is working well, recognize outstanding contributions, identify opportunities for improvement, and ensure every conversation receives thoughtful follow-up.
The platform organizes conversations, identifies trends, documents recognition, and provides district leaders with real-time insight into the employee experience.
“The technology makes the process efficient and quantifiable,” Lesser said. “It formalizes the accountability to ensure rounding is a hard-wired practice.”
A Leadership Practice That Stays Connected
Michelle first experienced K12 Rounding during its launch at the 2025 Studer Education Conference in Chicago.
“As I watched the demonstration, I was immediately impressed by its capabilities and the potential it had to transform leadership practices,” she recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘We have to bring this to Fremont RE-2.'”
Today, she believes one of the platform’s greatest strengths is the consistency it creates across leadership teams.
“It helps leaders document trends, recognize excellence, identify barriers, assign follow-up actions, and ensure concerns don’t get lost. It gives district leaders real-time insight into what is happening across schools and departments, allowing decisions to be informed by the voices of the people closest to the work.”
Turning Conversations Into Leadership Insight
For Michelle Lesser, K12 Rounding has become one of the district’s most valuable leadership resources.
“As Executive Director of Educational Services, I use K12 Rounding as one of our most valuable sources of real-time qualitative data,” she said.
Achievement data, employee surveys, and operational metrics each contribute important information. K12 Rounding complements those measures by capturing employee experiences through ongoing conversations that occur throughout the school year.
The information gathered through rounding supports:
- Leadership decision-making
- Professional learning
- Resource allocation
- District-wide theme identification
- Continuous improvement planning
“Information gathered through rounding directly informs district and building leadership decisions, professional learning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement efforts,” Lesser said.
Outcomes
Leadership in Action
During the 2025–2026 school year, Fremont RE-2 leaders made intentional leadership conversations a consistent part of their engagement with employees across the district.
596 Leadership Conversations
District leaders completed 596 rounding conversations, creating regular opportunities for employees to connect with leadership, share ideas, and contribute to the district’s mission.
87% Employee Participation
Eighty-seven percent of employees participated in at least one intentional leadership conversation during the school year, strengthening relationships and providing district leaders with valuable insight across schools and departments.
763 Employee Recognitions
Leaders documented and sent 763 employee recognitions, celebrating the daily contributions of teachers, support staff, administrators, and employees throughout the district.
Together, these conversations and recognitions have become a meaningful source of information that supports district priorities, leadership decisions, and continuous improvement efforts.
Fremont RE-2 at a Glance
- 596 leadership rounding conversations completed
- 87% of employees participated in an intentional leadership conversation
- 763 employee recognitions documented
One consistent leadership practice connecting leaders with employees and providing meaningful data to support continuous improvement
Conclusions
Advice for District Leaders
When asked what she would tell another superintendent or leadership team considering K12 Rounding, Lesser’s advice is simple.
“Commit to the practice.”
“The software is outstanding, but its impact depends on leaders who genuinely care about listening, building trust, and following through. When employees see that their ideas lead to meaningful action, trust grows, engagement increases, and culture begins to change.”
Looking Ahead
Fremont RE-2 plans to expand rounding to include parents and guardians while continuing to strengthen leadership practices throughout the district.
District leaders view K12 Rounding as a foundational component of their culture and continuous improvement efforts for years to come.
For Michelle, the value of rounding is ultimately measured by the relationships it strengthens. “Those conversations remind me that our most important work is supporting the adults who make a difference for students every day. That perspective has made me a better listener, a more informed decision-maker, and a stronger leader.”
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