As public education secretary of New Mexico, Hanna Skandera dug in fast, set an ambitious agenda, and broke a lot of china. Her ability to inspire and subsequently ignore controversy is clear: from the outset, she was deemed so contentious that the state senate refused to confirm her for four years, during which she performed her duties as "secretary-designate." When those same legislators failed to vote on a new teacher-evaluation system, she implemented it via regulation. In June 2017, Skandera stepped down after seven years on the job, prompting a series of questions about her legacy. Was the Sturm und Drang of the Skandera years worthwhile? Did her later efforts to collaborate with teachers set the stage for sustained progress? And as the next generation takes on leadership roles, what can we learn from Skandera's challenges and successes? To explore this question, the author's objective is to get a more thorough understanding of the New Mexico story--the context surrounding the reforms, the reforms themselves, and what we know so far about their results.