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Mark Plitzuweit​​

The great American scholar, John Dewey, said, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” It is a principle that Mark Plitzuweit has embraced and upheld for the better part of three decades. Comparable to Dewey in both character and purpose, Mark has made an equivalent impact on learning through the assemblage of a school system that can only be described as The Unicorn of Education. His magnum opus is Edkey® Inc., a 501(c)(3) support organization, consisting of 26 schools and programs, each with their own individual missions and visions, operating exclusively in Arizona.

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Edkey schools provide K-12 learning environments to more than 11,000 students, an enrollment number that grows exponentially each year. Their unwavering ambition to provide better academic opportunities that will produce future leaders has resulted in a well-deserved reputation as the most diverse family of charter schools in the world. Complemented by a skillful and dedicated staff, the Edkey Inc. Family of K-12 schools is, quite simply, the paradigm for what education can and should be.

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As Edkey is the archetype for academia, Mark is the paragon of educational leaders. As president and CEO of the flourishing enterprise, he has not only increased student outcomes and fiscal stability, but has empowered his teams to be the best versions of themselves by providing professional autonomy paired with personal accountability across all levels of the organization. In doing so, he has accumulated a throng of formal recognitions and awards and created an environment in which both students and educators can thrive. In his own words: “Our journey through education is not measured by perfection, but by progress.”

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We spoke with Mark to learn more about his journey, what the future holds, and a topic he considers especially vital—his staff.

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Mark, let’s delve into Edkey and how it is different from other charter school organizations.

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The best way to describe our organization is as “the unicorn of education in the world.” There isn’t another charter school organization like ours on earth. Because we are a public school, we accept any prospective student, regardless of their economic status or demographic. Just as there is nobody like us, there is nothing “cookie-cutter” about what we do.

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The primary differentiator for us, when it comes to student growth, is that we’re very mindful of the individual—when schools get too big, students get lost. We don’t have overly populated schools and our class sizes rarely ever exceed 28 students. I think this is what parents are looking for—the smallest class sizes and programs that align with their objectives. In addition, district schools can’t pivot quickly enough to support the community's needs—whereas here, they have a voice and can contribute ideas.

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How are you increasing educational options for all students, and why is this important?

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Learning is specific to the individual—students acquire knowledge at different paces and in varying ways. There are also certain cultural standards that parents value, and by understanding those principles, we can reach more students and ensure they are engaged. For example, we offer a bilingual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum, so students can choose to learn in Spanish and/or English. We have schools with a fine arts focus, schools that are based on Founding Fathers principles, schools where 100% of the students are hearing impaired, and a school that serves those without a fixed residence, where 80% of the students are homeless. In short, we will not allow any student to fall through the ever-widening cracks of the school system.

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One of your responsibilities is supervising and mentoring supporting staff. What are some of the key elements in building a powerhouse leadership team?

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People must be appointed to the most suitable role for their skill set. That’s it—that’s all it takes. When I was hired, that wasn’t the case. Some were stressed out, and others simply weren’t optimally placed to thrive or capitalize on their areas of expertise. I stepped in and changed it all. First, I watched and listened; I gave people a chance to show who they were. I didn’t open a single personnel file because I wanted to form my own unbiased perspective. Once I had a firm grasp of everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, I strategically assigned more appropriate roles. Many executives start off replacing employees with their friends or former colleagues, which can create a very toxic environment. I didn’t brin in my own people. I wanted to give current employees the chance to grow along with me.

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Your goal is to not only empower the students of today, but to build future educational leaders. How are you accomplishing this?

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One way we do this is by encouraging our principals, assistant principals, and teachers to actively participate in their communities and to be involved with critical decisions for what happens in their schools. This creates leaders organically. That leadership becomes a model for our students. We also find that if education is enjoyable, and it has enough rigor and engagement, students will benefit both short- and long-term.

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Since taking the helm as CEO, you’ve reduced voluntary employee turnover. How did you accomplish this?

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Teacher turnover is at epidemic proportions across the country. In my first year, we had 185 open positions—last year, there were just 30 and many of those were new positions to meet the growing student population. I think our retention success is based on our model—smaller classrooms, more administrative support, and an environment conducive to growth. We don’t employ a management structure, but rather a support culture where teachers are given the resources they need to be effective. That’s what it’s all about. Each one of our communities is different, each has their own mission and vision. This really helps the teachers feel an ownership in their work and want to stay with us.

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You also turned around the financial stability of Edkey. Tell us about this.

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Edkey was in the red for two years before I started. When I came on board, the deficit was $3 million. In my first five years, the financial strength of the organization has improved by $7 million and we’re poised to finish $4.3 million positive this year. This is the strongest the organization has been in its history, thanks in great part to our tremendous team, from the custodians to the teachers. The focus is all on what’s best for the students, and this is what sets us apart from some of our peers. We don’t compete for students; we compete for the quality of our programs.

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What do you enjoy most about your work, or what drives you?

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What really motivates me is watching everyone around me succeed. I enjoy providing positive reinforcement and seeing the result of that guidance as staff ascend to higher levels and students go on to graduate and attain their goals. It’s also rewarding to see the progress we’ve made in operations and revenues. It means that we can continue to improve and evolve, provide jobs, educate, and perpetuate success.

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Lastly, Mark, you wanted to designate a significant portion of your feature to the staff. Why is that?

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As I mentioned, our people are the very foundation of our success. I wish I could include each of their stories, but I believe these five individuals exemplify our mission, values, and goals.​