ACE Academy: Coaching to Change a School System

By Steve Baughman, Senior Manager, SDAI

I have spent my life inside schools. First as a student, then teacher, and finally a principal. As a result, I know that a well-built building and well-funded program don’t guarantee a thriving school community. Real, lasting change begins with leaders. That’s why the Bainum Family Foundation’s ACE Academy (ACE) focuses philanthropic energy on executive coaching to shift how leaders think, lead, and ultimately shape student experiences.

ACE trains experienced educators to adopt and use a coaching mindset, then pairs those coaches with active Seventh-day Adventist school leaders across North America. That two-step model — 1) equip coaches, 2) deploy them into schools — is a deliberate strategy for systems change. Coaching does more than fix one-off problems; it helps leaders build habits (e.g., listening, questioning, challenging norms) that ripple across staff, classrooms, and families.

So, what role does philanthropy play?

Grants for scholarships or facilities are essential, but they often stop at inputs. Philanthropy that invests in leadership development changes a system’s operating logic. It creates durable capacity inside the network of schools, so improvements continue long after a grant ends or a program concludes. ACE’s approach amplifies the gift of philanthropic resources by making leaders themselves better practitioners, who in turn pass those skills on to other leaders throughout the system.

This all sounds good on paper, right?

But you may ask: Is ACE actually making a difference?

Let’s look at what our ACE coaches and leaders are saying:

• One current coach, when anonymously surveyed, shared “…the ACE Academy program has restored my faith in the Adventist educational system’s ability to have high standards, hold individuals accountable, and provide professional development at a high level.”
• Another coach, when whether they have changed their approach to leadership — particularly in leading with equity — reflected, ​“[The ACE Academy program] has brought more of an awareness to my mind and it has given me the vocabulary to identify uneasy feelings or mindsets that become known through interactions with others. This awareness brings an opportunity to ask powerful questions and navigate with empathy.”
• On the school leader side, the anonymous feedback mirrors these sentiments. One participant shared, “I think that the real data gave me confidence that I am improving and being strategic regarding my growth. At times, anecdotal data can skew one’s perception of truth growth. I appreciate the systematic and concrete approach that I experienced this year in coaching. It helps to take the emotion out and focus on key skills needed for good leadership. I know leadership requires heart, yet this approach is showing that it is effective.”

Those are the kinds of shifts that can change how a system operates: building leaders’ self-awareness, deepening their instructional and relational practices, and creating new patterns of decision-making. These are the shifts that can topple an outdated, inequitable status quo and have lasting impact.

Coaching alone won’t solve every challenge, but when philanthropy targets leadership, the return on investment is systemic.

ACE Academy and the Bainum Family Foundation are committed to using their influence to engage, equip, and empower leaders — because changing how leaders lead changes schools, transforms student experiences, and strengthens communities.

To learn more about ACE Academy, visit aceacademy.org.