Cultivating a Culture of Gratitude and Continuous Improvement in the Casa Grande Elementary School District
Casa Grande Elementary School District is on a mission to remove barriers to student success and create a culture of gratitude, excellence, and continuous improvement. Superintendent Adam Leckie and his team are committed to ensuring every student and staff member plays a role in shaping the district’s future. Through intentional leadership, strategic implementation, and a relentless focus on excellence, the district is seeing real results.
Executing for Impact
Casa Grande Elementary School District (CGESD), located between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona, serves 6,500 students from pre-K through eighth grade. With a diverse student population and significant community needs, the district takes seriously its obligation to remove barriers to success.
When Dr. Adam Leckie took on the role of superintendent in 2022, he saw a district filled with dedicated educators working hard—but not achieving the results students deserved. “We really had to move the needle for our kids. We had an obligation to do that,” he recalls. Dr. Leckie initially explored partnerships elsewhere, but after being introduced to Dr. Pat Greco, Studer Education Leader Coach and Senior Director of Thought Leadership, he quickly realized the power of continuous improvement. “As soon as Pat started to describe the work, what it looked like, what it meant for our systems, I just didn’t understand why as a profession, we didn’t do this earlier.”
Fast forward 18 months into their journey with Studer Education, Casa Grande has built a culture centered on gratitude, excellence, and improvement. “We often talk about every single person in our system as an improver. They have something to contribute to the success of our work, and the closer they are to the problems, the better position they are to give us the solutions,” says Superintendent Leckie. The district actively seeks and applies feedback, ensuring that improvement efforts extend from the boardroom to the classroom.
Three Celebrations: Progress to Be Proud of
A Culture of Gratitude and Excellence
In their first 18 months, CGESD prioritized building a culture that values people and recognizes success. “We focused on paying ridiculous attention to people and creating a culture of gratitude with a focus on excellence,” says Dr. Leckie. By refreshing core values and embedding recognition systems, the district has fostered an environment where every team member feels valued and aligned with the mission.
Student Ownership of Learning
One of the most transformative shifts has been empowering students to take ownership of their learning. Through structured pre-and post-assessments, students engage in meaningful conversations with teachers about their progress and instructional needs. “Leading classroom improvement will transform your system,” Superintendent Leckie shares. “I can’t overestimate the power of students truly owning the learning process.”
Systemic Improvement Across Departments
Casa Grande’s continuous improvement approach extends beyond classrooms to every department—including transportation and operations. “The continuous improvement process is spreading organically throughout our system because people see the purpose and the why behind the work,” says Dr. Leckie. Improvement is no longer seen as “just another initiative,” and instead as an integral part of how the district operates.
Two Strategies: What’s Driving Success
Creating an Improver’s Mindset at Every Level
Casa Grande believes that everyone in the district is an improver. “The closer [people] are to the problems, the better positioned they are to give us solutions,” says Superintendent Leckie. By seeking feedback with authenticity and using it to drive action, the district has built a system where improvement is owned by every stakeholder—from the boardroom to the classroom.
Leveraging Small Data for Big Impact
Instead of tackling large-scale challenges with complex solutions, the district has shifted to using small data to inform small actions that build momentum over time. “So we’re starting to really fine tune what are those leading measures of improvement, whatever our goal or focus is, and then making sure that we’re seeking feedback along the way to get the lift we need to get to the outcome,” Dr. Leckie explains. “This focused approach allows the district to scale what works and refine what doesn’t in order to drive real impact.”
One Next Action: Scaling What Works
The district’s next step is to scale and spread its most effective strategies across all schools and departments. Leadership huddles, inspired by successful models from other districts like the Hemet Unified School District, are being implemented to ensure alignment and momentum. “When we think about what’s next for Casa Grande Elementary School District, it’s really thinking through on the classroom level as well as the organizational level, what are the things that are getting us the lift? Being really intentional about identifying those strategies that are getting the outcomes and then allowing the system to spread that across schools and departments,” says Superintendent Leckie.
By continuing to refine systems, empower people, and celebrate wins, Casa Grande Elementary School District is proving that when improvement is embedded in culture, excellence becomes inevitable.
