Dr. Harriette Thompkins helps schools improve through leadership coaching

Dr. Harriette Thompkins is using decades of K–12 experience to coach principals and school leaders on culture, instruction and equity. Her work through IntentionalLeadersK12 comes as schools continue to navigate learning loss, culture resets and resource gaps.

Why it matters: - School leaders are still working through pandemic-related learning loss, culture disruptions after mergers and uneven access to technology and instructional support. - Dr. Harriette Thompkins’ work focuses on building leadership systems that can improve instruction, strengthen school culture and support equitable learning environments. - Her approach targets the day-to-day decisions that shape student outcomes, teacher support and school turnaround efforts.

What happened: - Influential Women spotlighted Dr. Harriette Thompkins, an educational consultant, leadership coach and school improvement advocate based in Birmingham, Alabama. - Thompkins is the founder of IntentionalLeadersK12, where she works with principals and school leaders on decision-making, communication, instructional observation, feedback systems and student agency. - Her career began in the late 1990s as an English teacher with Birmingham City Schools. - She spent more than 15 years teaching at the secondary level before moving into school leadership. - Thompkins later served as an assistant principal and principal at Wylam Elementary School. - She retired from Birmingham City Schools after years of district service.

The details: - Thompkins has led school turnaround efforts in which struggling schools moved from failing to proficient performance levels through strategic leadership, collaboration and instructional redesign. - She founded Invictus Career Institute, a charter school, expanding her experience in building educational systems and leadership structures. - In 2024, Thompkins earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership. - She also holds an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Talladega College. - Thompkins is a Certified Instructional Leader through CLAS. - Her professional memberships include the National Council of Teachers of English, ASCD, the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools, the Influential Women Network and the Golden Key International Honor Society. - Thompkins says her early work in challenging Title I school environments shaped her resilience and leadership style. - Her mother’s advice — “Don’t give up, don’t quit, stay focused” — remains a guiding principle.

Between the lines: - The profile frames school improvement as a leadership problem as much as an instructional one. - Thompkins’ mix of classroom, administrative and charter-school experience gives her a practical profile that may appeal to districts seeking systems-level change. - Her focus on young women entering education leadership signals an emphasis on pipeline building, not just school operations. - The article also positions perseverance and purpose as central traits for navigating school transformation in a period of ongoing instability.

What's next: - Thompkins plans to keep coaching emerging and established education leaders through IntentionalLeadersK12. - She continues to encourage young women in leadership to stay grounded in purpose, consistency and perseverance when facing difficult conditions. - More information is available through her Influential Women profile and LinkedIn.

The bottom line: - Dr. Harriette Thompkins is pitching a simple message: durable school improvement starts with resilient leadership, clear systems and a steady focus on students and educators.