Leadership Training for Schools & Afterschool Programs
From the district office to the afterschool site, Juan helps educators lead with intention, build belonging, and keep the good staff they already have.
THE REAL PROBLEM
Good staff don’t leave because the work is hard.
They leave because they stop feeling seen.
New hires walk in unsure, your best people quietly carry everyone else, and PD days come and go while Monday looks exactly like Friday. That is not a motivation problem. It is an alignment problem. Juan fixes it with three shifts:
01
PURSUE
See your people.
Notice who is being overlooked and make connection a daily habit, so staff feel wanted and stay.
02
ALIGN
Close the gap.
Get the mission on the wall and the work in the hallway pointing the same direction again.
03
OWN
Own your one percent.
Build a culture where every person owns their part, from the front office to the front line.
The result: good staff stay, hard conversations happen, and PD shows up in Monday’s hallways.
SCHOOL & DISTRICT LEADERS
Your staff remember why they started. Help them remember it again.
Educators rarely burn out from the work itself. They burn out when they feel unseen, stretched thin, and out of step with the mission on the wall. Juan helps school and district leaders close that gap, so teachers and staff feel wanted, take ownership, and have the conversations that move a campus forward.
Popular formats:
- Back-to-school convocations and opening keynotes
- Administrator and leadership retreats
- Professional development days and leadership academies
- Multi-session series and the 6-month group coaching program for leaders
Most requested for schools: The Power of Pursuit, Aligned, Own Your One Percent, Say What Matters, and Strengths-Based Leadership.
Trusted by Fulton County Schools (102 schools), Tulare, Kings, Stanislaus, and Fresno County Offices of Education, and districts across California, Arizona, and Texas.
AFTERSCHOOL & OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME
Built for the realities of an afterschool day.
A BOOST Conference regular since 2018 and a National AfterSchool Association Top 34 Presenter in 2024, Juan trains site leads and frontline staff like someone who has done the job, because he has. Practical, high-energy, and ready to use the same afternoon.
Classroom Management
Run a room kids want to be in.
Chaos usually is not a kid problem. It is a structure problem. Staff learn how to set up the space, routines, and cues so the program runs itself and they can focus on the kids.
Your staff will leave able to:
- Set no more than three clear expectations, so kids actually remember them
- Build routines and visual and verbal cues for homework, snack, and rec time
- Offer choices instead of ultimatums, and never more than three at once
Behavior Management
Agreements, not rules.
Classroom management runs the room. Behavior management teaches the behavior you want to see. Juan shows staff how to hold the line without losing the kid.
Your staff will leave able to:
- Create agreements with students instead of posting rules
- Use consequences that teach instead of punishments that shame
- Discipline with love, so students listen and follow your lead
Connection Before Correction
You cannot influence without a relationship.
Kids follow people they trust. Staff learn small, daily habits that build connection fast, so correction actually lands, even with persistent misbehavior and Tier 3 students.
Your staff will leave able to:
- Understand where students are coming from before reacting
- Start every session with a question that connects
- Handle repeat misbehavior with confidence instead of frustration
Say What Matters for Site Leads
The conversations you keep putting off.
Site leads are promoted for their heart, not their training. This session gives them a simple structure for the hard talks with staff, parents, and partners.
Your staff will leave able to:
- Recognize the fears that make hard conversations easy to avoid
- Use a clear opening and structure for feedback and expectations
- Listen so staff feel heard, then agree on a next step
Running on Empty
Take care of the people who take care of kids.
Afterschool staff give all day. Built on Gallup’s five essential elements of well-being, this session helps teams spot burnout early and protect their energy.
Your staff will leave able to:
- Check in on the five essentials: career, social, financial, community, and physical
- Recognize early signs of burnout in yourself and your team
- Set healthy boundaries so you can care without carrying everything
Bring Juan to your program
Staff kickoffs, PD days, and conference sessions for site leads and frontline staff. Tell us about your team and we will build the right session.
HEAR IT FROM EDUCATORS
Leaders and staff on what changed after Juan’s sessions.
“I really appreciated how he showed that he truly cared about our improvement as tutors.”
“It really made me think as a lead teacher how to lead my assistants in the right direction!”
“This whole workshop really made me reconsider all the different ways I can improve my classroom management.”
“Every time I had him as a speaker he always does an amazing job.”
“He made me feel not so scared to talk and participate because he continued to ask us questions.”
“Mr. Alvarado gave a lot of valuable information about classroom management, to where I feel confident to start next year off right.”
“Excellent presenter. Engaging and offered multiple takeaways and strategies.”
“Great speaker! Very inspiring! Would love to see him again in the future!”
“I really appreciated how he showed that he truly cared about our improvement as tutors.”
“It really made me think as a lead teacher how to lead my assistants in the right direction!”
“This whole workshop really made me reconsider all the different ways I can improve my classroom management.”
“Every time I had him as a speaker he always does an amazing job.”
“He made me feel not so scared to talk and participate because he continued to ask us questions.”
“Mr. Alvarado gave a lot of valuable information about classroom management, to where I feel confident to start next year off right.”
“Excellent presenter. Engaging and offered multiple takeaways and strategies.”
“Great speaker! Very inspiring! Would love to see him again in the future!”
THE ROAD AHEAD
Give your staff a reason to stay.
Education is the family business. Juan’s father was the first Mexican and Latino teacher at Foshay Middle School in Los Angeles, so when Juan walks into your building, it is personal. A Gallup-Certified CliftonStrengths Coach and U.S. Army veteran, he has trained more than 20,000 leaders and staff.
The next step is simple. Check availability for your date, tell us who will be in the room and what you want to change, and we will recommend the keynote, workshop, or series that fits your staff.
