New Principals
Field-tested wisdom for your first year — when every decision feels high-stakes and the chair still feels new.
The Mentor Principal
You do not have to lead alone.
Practical mentoring, coaching, and field-tested wisdom for principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders.
Our Mission
Practical support for real school leadership
The principalship is meaningful work, but it can also be lonely, complicated, and exhausting. Every day brings decisions that affect students, teachers, parents, and the larger school community. Some decisions are technical. Some are deeply personal. Many are both.
The Mentor Principal exists to support school leaders with practical wisdom, honest conversation, and experienced guidance from educators who have spent decades teaching in, leading, and serving public schools.
This is not leadership theory from a distance.
This is guidance from people who have sat in the chair.
We are four experienced public school educators and leaders with more than 100 years of combined experience in teaching, instructional leadership, campus administration, district leadership, coaching, and school improvement.
Who We Help
Leaders at every stage of the journey
Whether you are in your first year or your fifteenth, the work deserves a trusted voice beside you.
Assistant Principals
Practical support for APs carrying real responsibility while growing toward the principalship.
Aspiring Administrators
Honest conversation about what the work actually requires — before you step into it.
Teacher Leaders
Guidance for educators leading from the classroom and preparing for formal leadership roles.
District Leadership Teams
Coaching support for the campus administrators your district is investing in and depending on.
What We Offer
Support before, during, and after the hard decisions
Weekly Newsletter
The Weekly Walkthrough — short reflections before the next hard decision.
Coaching Sessions
One-on-one and small-group coaching as a trusted sounding board.
Blog Posts
Leadership reflections from people who have sat in the chair.
Leadership Resources
Downloadable guides and tools for the real work of leading schools.
District Support
Coaching packages for districts supporting new and developing campus leaders.
Meet the Mentors
Four leaders. More than 100 years of combined experience.
Dan De Leon, Christopher Wood, Farhan Shah, and Juan Gallardo have taught in, led, and served public schools across Houston and beyond.
Dan De Leon
Founding Mentor
Retired principal and educator with 35+ years in public schools. Reflective, practical, and deeply human leadership voice.
Read full bio →Christopher Wood
The Instructional Coach
Principal at Foster High School. Deep instructional expertise, teacher development, and quiet, steady leadership.
Read full bio →Farhan Shah
The Teacher Developer
Director for the Chief of Schools in Houston ISD. Master teacher developer, observer, and creative thinker.
Read full bio →Juan Gallardo
The Instructional Designer
Principal at Middle College High School at HCC Fraga. UDL expert, published author, and international perspective on access.
Read full bio →Newsletter
The Weekly Walkthrough
A short weekly reflection for school leaders who need practical wisdom, clear language, and a trusted voice before the next hard decision.
Coaching
A trusted sounding board — not remediation
Coaching is confidential reflection and practical leadership guidance from people who understand the weight of the principal's chair.
We support leaders through first-year transitions, difficult conversations, instructional leadership, campus culture, teacher coaching, and the decisions they never covered in principal preparation.
- First-year principal support
- Assistant principal development
- Difficult conversations
- Instructional leadership
- Campus culture
- Teacher coaching
- Decision-making support
From the Blog
Leadership reflections from the field
Stories from the Chair
You Do Not Have to Lead Alone
School leadership was never meant to be a solo act. Here is why trusted guidance matters before the hard decisions arrive.
First-Year Principal
The First 30 Days: Listen Before You Fix
New principals often feel pressure to prove themselves quickly. The mentor move is often slower, quieter, and more effective.
Assistant Principal Life
The Assistant Principal Trap
Many assistant principals carry the weight of the building without the authority to change it. That tension deserves honest conversation.