What happens when a high school dropout becomes the principal of one of the top-performing schools in the state?
In this powerful episode of Transformational Educators, Dr. Matthew Flippen sits down with Dr. Al Johnson, former principal of Two Rivers High School and current academic dean at Uplift Education. Dr. Johnson’s story is one of radical transformation, servant leadership, and deep healing.
From walking into a grieving school community to building one of Minnesota’s top-ranked campuses, Dr. Johnson shares how vulnerability, prayer, and authentic relationship-building changed everything. You’ll hear how a school coffee shop run by students with special needs became a campus hub, how empathy reshaped staff culture, and why faith led him every step of the way.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• How Dr. Johnson transformed a school ranked 4500+ nationally into a top 30 state leader
• The power of servant leadership in rebuilding school culture
• How to gain teacher trust and raise retention to 98%
• Creating space for vulnerable conversations in leadership
• Why reaching out to special populations changed the entire school dynamic
• How a student-run coffee shop generated $20K and changed lives
• What it means to lead with both empathy and accountability
• How trauma-informed leadership strategies foster healing
• Insights on balancing faith in public education settings
• The impact of affinity groups and student leadership teams
BEST MOMENTS
00:03:03. “There were some videos you could see that there was some hurt. Maybe there's an opportunity for me to do something there.”
00:04:20. “I come in now as the first African-American administrator in the school's history, which was founded in 1954.”
00:05:27. “The West Saint Paul reader said, This roller skating principal is coming into your school.”
00:08:53. “Teacher retention over those four years was about 98%.”
00:12:00. “I really want to know individually who you are, what's important to you, what are your hopes and dreams.”
00:15:01. “It talked about me being a minister. It talked about my faith. So that was known.”
00:22:02. “Students are learning real skills. Jobs. Real world customer service.”
00:27:00. “It's shifted from me staying on. I stand where I stand as fearful inside as I am, but I still have to stand when I stand.”

🔗 Explore Gracelyn University’s online programs and leadership resources: https://www.gracelyn.edu

Transformational Educators | School Leadership Stories

Thank you for listening to Transformational Educators, where we share real stories of servant leadership, trust-building, and purpose-driven change in schools.

🔗 Explore Gracelyn University’s online programs and leadership resources:
https://www.gracelyn.edu

📖 Read Dr. Matthew Flippen’s new book, Win With Your Talent Pipeline:
https://zurl.co/EDveZ

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