Alonso's adopted son, Joel, was interviewed for this story on the condition that his last name not be used because of his disabilities and challenging life circumstances.
• Sunday: An unusual path brings Baltimore's head of schools from a childhood in Cuba to Maryland via Harvard and New York.
• Monday: The new schools chief shakes up the bureaucracy with flair, making both believers and enemies.
• Tuesday: Andrés Alonso mobilizes help for the challenges he can't take on alone.