Olympians train for it. Education leaders live it.

In elite sports, pressure is an expectation, not an exception. You prepare for it with intention, through conditioning, mental training and countless repetitions. In education leadership, the pressure is constant too: political shifts, community expectations and the unrelenting pace of change. Yet, unlike athletes, most leaders are never trained to manage that pressure as part of their craft. 

That gap has consequences. The found that fewer than half of women education leaders rate their physical or mental health as good, and more than a quarter report poor or very poor health. Fully 93% reported burnout is a major problem and, nearly nine in 10 say they are expected to prioritize work over their own wellbeing. It鈥檚 not just women leaders facing these challenges. A recent study by RAND found that fully report high levels of work stress, compared to just 33% of other working adults.

The results are predictable: exhaustion, attrition and a diminished bench of current and future leaders.

Society asks superintendents and system leaders to perform at an elite level when it comes to inspiring, deciding, communicating and advancing progress for students and schools. But those expectations are shouldered without the recovery cycles or coaching structures that make consistent performance possible. Enduring as a leader is not a question of talent. It鈥檚 a question of training and sustaining infrastructure.

For a competitive sailor on the water, every decision counts. Each maneuver, each adjustment of the sail and decision made on the course requires clarity and composure. There are no shortcuts, no quick wins and no timeouts from the conditions. Olympic sailing demands resilience, precision and presence. These are the same skills required to lead a school district through uncertainty.

As a two-time Olympian, Lara learned that the hardest work happens long before race day. You learn to trust your preparation, to focus on what鈥檚 in your control and to reframe setbacks as data rather than defeat. Leadership is the same. The stakes may be different, but the mental framework is identical: the ability to perform consistently under pressure.

Education leaders, too, face shifting winds and unpredictable currents. They need the tools to help them strengthen their own resilience, manage their energy and refine their decision-making 鈥� not in isolation but within a supportive system of peers and coaches.

To perform at the highest levels with consistency and resilience, leaders must tap into their 鈥�.鈥� That means building the discipline, structure, and recovery needed to sustain high performance.

This notion crystallized for Julia through a that reframes health as a system of six interconnected domains: strength, cardio, metabolic health, nutrition, mental resilience and emotional well-being.

Getting 鈥渇it鈥� as a leader means developing the daily discipline to perform under pressure, manage energy, stay clear-minded and recover quickly. The next evolution of education leadership, then, isn鈥檛 about adding more disconnected professional development modules. It鈥檚 about creating the space and structure for leaders to train like athletes: with clear routines, feedback and recovery.

For too long, education has treated leadership development as episodic. A conference here, a coaching session there. But sustained performance requires repetition, accountability, and reflection.

That鈥檚 why we鈥檝e brought these principles to life through the (SEEN). A new model of leadership development, SEEN brings the same proven principles that drive Olympic training to executive leadership: focused preparation, continuous feedback and a community that holds leaders accountable to growth. It鈥檚 not about longer hours or grinding harder; it鈥檚 about building the capacity to lead with greater clarity, calm and stamina. 

One of the most powerful lessons from Olympic competition is that pressure itself isn鈥檛 the enemy. Indeed, it鈥檚 the . When leaders shift from avoiding pressure to embracing it, it can become a catalyst for growth.

That mindset is especially critical now. Education leaders are navigating unprecedented complexity: integrating artificial intelligence, addressing the mental health of students and staff, and rebuilding public trust. These are high-stakes, high-pressure challenges. And like any competition, success depends on preparation for both the challenges we can see and those we know we鈥檒l never be able to anticipate. 

The goal isn鈥檛 to make pressure disappear. It鈥檚 to teach leaders how to operate within it, to see it as a contextual reality, and not an emergency.

This work is especially vital for women leaders, who often face additional scrutiny and higher expectations in public leadership roles. For them, pressure can feel isolating. But training in community transforms it into strength.

As in Olympic sailing, success isn鈥檛 determined by avoiding the wind. It鈥檚 about knowing how to read it, adapt to it and use it to move forward. The same is true for education leaders.

Leadership at this level is a discipline. And like any craft, it demands practice.

Because leadership, like sailing, will encounter rough conditions. Success lies in navigating them with focus, courage and a team you can count.

The , which publishes a national district leader survey every five years, found in a that finance and budget problems are consuming the most time and inhibiting job effectiveness. It also details small gains in superintendent gender and race diversity, but researchers say wide gaps still remain. 

The nonprofit collected responses in September 2024 from nearly 1,100 superintendents from 49 states. About 56% worked in rural districts, while 13% were in a small city and 31% in a suburban or urban area.

About 62% of superintendents said inadequate financing of schools was the largest issue that hindered their job effectiveness, but only 18% chose fiscal management as a top strength. More than half (54%) of respondents said financial issues consumed most of their time, an increase from 45% in 2020.

Underfunding from state governments, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, enrollment declines and funding cuts under the Trump administration have contributed to budget shortfalls for many U.S. districts. The federal education budget for fiscal year 2026 is still under negotiation and .

In a Dec. 4 virtual briefing about the results, Ann LoBue, a Columbia University policy analyst and one of the study鈥檚 contributors, said decreased school funding hasn鈥檛 kept up with the rising costs of student and family needs.

鈥淎s the survey showed, it’s money that matters,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen asked about the most important problem facing the districts they lead, funding was the most common answer.鈥�

More than one-third of superintendents surveyed said finance and budget planning is a needed area of improvement. Other top answers included stress management, school reform, district politics and community relations. Nearly half of respondents said their district鈥檚 financial condition was the most important factor in decisionmaking. 

David Law, superintendent of Minnetonka Public Schools in Minnesota, said at the briefing that the state education budget is declining as the . While lobbying in the legislature this year, he reminded lawmakers that schools aren鈥檛 asking for more money, but instead for a smaller reduction of state aid. 

鈥淥ur portion of the state budget and the federal budget is shrinking at a time [when] utilities and health care and transportation are growing at three and four times the rate of investment,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s a superintendent, we’re having all these conversations about finances, because we’re in this unprecedented time where we’re getting less and things are costing more at an accelerated rate.鈥�

The survey also explored demographics among superintendents nationwide. About 10% of respondents were people of color, an increase from nearly 9% in 2020. The percentage of female superintendents increased from 27% in 2020 to 30% in 2025. 

Despite the upward trend, survey authors said in the briefing that there鈥檚 still a lot of work to do to improve gender and race equity among U.S. superintendents. 

The study found that superintendents who were female and identified as Black or Hispanic were more likely to lead districts with higher diversity and more student needs. About 18% of males reached superintendency with just two to four years of teaching experience, versus 9% of females. About 25% of female superintendents had more than 13 years as a classroom teacher, compared with 15% of men.

While 48% of white superintendents said they felt very supported by their communities, only 37% of Black district leaders said the same. 

The survey also projected the percentage of superintendents of color would increase to 12% by 2030. Shawn Joseph, a contributor to the study and superintendent of Prince George鈥檚 County Public Schools in Maryland, said during the briefing that he鈥檚 not optimistic the nation will reach that goal. 

鈥淲e’ve got a problem in America with how we prepare leaders of color. In many institutions around the country, you’ll go through a master’s program, a doctoral program and you’ll never experience frameworks that center Black thought or Latinx thought,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 went to some decent universities to get my doctorate [and] master’s and I was ill equipped to come out and be a Black superintendent.鈥� 

Joseph recommended that professional learning, conferences and workshops focused on superintendent diversity should become more accessible to local leaders to improve the numbers.

In other survey findings: Three-quarters of superintendents said they are spending less time with their family, and 56% reported having fewer or no children because of the job. 

About 89% said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their job, compared with 92% in 2020. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said they planned on being a superintendent in the next five years, which is the same finding as in the 2020 survey. In 2010, the response was 51%.

Their preparation and evaluation focuses disproportionately on compliance and core academics, not on whether students graduate ready for what comes next. The result is a system that sidelines the very leaders who could drive change. School-level leaders should be the chief architects of high school redesign and high-quality pathways, connecting what students learn in classrooms with the real skills, experiences and credentials they鈥檒l need after graduation. 

Decades of research confirm what common sense suggests: Effective principals and assistant principals drive student success. The has shown that principals are second only to teachers on their impact on student learning. More recent from the UChicago Consortium on School Research finds strong school leaders affect not only high school achievement but also students鈥� college enrollment and persistence.   

These findings are especially relevant now as educators and policymakers across the country rethink the purpose and structure of high school.  New efforts from the, the , and aim to align education with the demands of today鈥檚 economy 鈥� emphasizing skills, credentials, and experiences that prepare students for college, career and adult life. But these initiatives will falter if the people responsible for running high schools aren鈥檛 prepared.

Despite the key role they play,  principals rarely receive the training or guidance needed to lead this kind of redesign and must simultaneously manage competing district priorities.  of district leaders consistently rank math and reading scores, chronic absenteeism and teacher recruitment as top concerns, while expanding access to career and technical education or dual enrollment programs ranks near the bottom. 

The message seems to be that academic recovery matters, but preparing students for life after graduation is optional. As a result, high school redesign efforts often sit on the margins, disconnected from the day-to-day work of teaching and learning. Principals, pressed by urgent academic demands, lack the time, resources, or cover  to connect those priorities with students鈥� long-term goals.

If states and districts want high school redesign to succeed, they need to put principals and assistant principals at the center of those efforts. This means aligning preparation, expectations, and accountability around the idea that postsecondary readiness is not a separate responsibility but a core part of the work of principals and assistant principals. 

First, it鈥檚 important to break down the silos separating high school redesign from broader school improvement priorities.  Postsecondary readiness is school improvement. Focusing on instructional achievement isn鈥檛 mutually exclusive with improving career-connected learning or access to accelerated coursework.  

Matt Gandal, President of Education Strategy Group recently , 鈥淚f we want to change the trajectory of student performance in high school, we have to do more to inspire them 鈥� including showing them the connection between what they鈥檙e learning in school and their future goals.鈥� Vermont has developed a framework that shows how this is possible by including mechanisms to help principals and assistant principals plan for increasing access to advanced coursework. 

Second, pathway planning, counselor supervision and high-quality advising need to be part of state school leader standards.  Across states, school leadership standards rarely reference or outline the specific knowledge and skills that secondary principals should develop in order to effectively lead students to postsecondary and workforce success. When these outcomes become part of what schools are held accountable for, principals can lead them with purpose.  Illinois鈥� offers a strong model by explicitly including college and career readiness as a leadership competency.  

Third, and most critical, the initial preparation, ongoing coaching and peer networks for school leaders should all emphasize high school redesign and pathways.  Skim most state certification for principals and you鈥檒l see mandatory classes on finance, instruction, child psychology and special education law. Licensure and preparation programs should treat college and career readiness as fundamental, not elective. Principals need to learn how to align schedules, curricula and partnerships to help every student graduate with a plan and the experiences to pursue it. They deserve ongoing coaching and peer networks that reinforce this vision.

Promising models exist and show a way forward. For example, since 2021-2022, the has partnered with over 300 school and district leaders through a multi-year coaching and professional learning partnership focused on the conditions that enable postsecondary readiness. This partnership is guided by an overarching research-based for leadership development oriented toward long-term student success. 

Reframing the principal鈥檚 job around students鈥� long-term readiness offers high returns. When principals connect academic learning with meaningful experiences such as dual enrollment, apprenticeships or credential programs, students are more likely to graduate with confidence and purpose. They see school as relevant to their future, not as a disconnected series of requirements. The cost of these changes is modest compared with their potential benefits. The estimates that comprehensive leadership development  can be implemented for about $42 per student. This cost is far less than the price of failed reforms. 

What鈥檚 missing is not evidence or funding but alignment: Policymakers and system leaders must decide that empowering principals to lead this work is worth the investment. High school redesign will not succeed through frameworks or pilot programs alone. It will succeed when principals have the preparation, authority and support to make postsecondary readiness central to their mission 鈥� and when states and districts create the conditions for them to do so.

Disclosure: 社区黑料 receive financial support from the Wallace Foundation.

In , Whorton, president of the Texas nonprofit , argues that the traditional framework of principal, assistant principal and teacher no longer works, as educators are forced to handle increasing demands and responsibilities. Instead, she proposes a four-level leadership model: a school leader who sets the school鈥檚 vision, long-term priorities and strategies for continuous improvement instead of “coaching teachers and constantly fighting fires”; bridge leaders 鈥� 鈥渢he glue of the school鈥� 鈥� who coach and mentor team leaders, communicate with the school leader and manage building initiatives; team leaders, who are directly responsible for developing and supporting team members, and the team members themselves, who include teachers, librarians, custodians and paraprofessionals. 

Many districts, Whorton says, run into problems when school leaders take on tasks that should be performed by people lower down on the organizational chart. Her proposed structure creates a clear hierarchy and, she says, cuts down on inefficiency and mismanagement. The book explains how districts can implement the four leadership levels effectively and provides examples of schools that have successfully done so, including Lockhart Independent School District near Austin, Texas. She spoke recently with 社区黑料鈥檚 Lauren Wagner.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

When did you begin working on this book, and what inspired you to write it?

I have been working on this book for over three years. I had this realization that, in many ways, we’ve just added more and more to a lot of the jobs that exist in school. That’s true for the principal, it’s true for teachers, and [we鈥檙e] sending this message that if you just work harder and are more skilled, that alone will be enough to meet the challenge that exists in this role. In addition to helping people build the skills that they need, we need to make sure that these jobs are designed in a way that sets them up to succeed. 

Your book presents four levels of leadership. Why is it important to have all four?

The basic idea of the four-level model is that you need enough leadership capacity to do two basic tasks: How do you build the capacity of people, and then how do you deliver results? If you look just at building capacity, the challenge is, you’ve got a principal who thinks that they’re responsible for the development of 40 teachers, and that is a really big task. 

You need a lot more leadership capacity to give teachers the support they need. That is what we call the team leader level, and those are people whose job is primarily to build the capacity of classroom teachers and the staff who work with students. But in a really big school, you [might] have 10 or 12 or 14 team leaders and the principal still has a lot of responsibilities leading the school. And so that argues that you need another layer, which is what we call a bridge leader level, who’s responsible for developing those team leaders. One of the bridge leaders鈥� key responsibilities is coaching and developing those team leaders and making sure that you’ve got a consistent instructional vision. You’re checking to say, “Do we hold a similarly high bar for the students in all of our grades and all of our subjects?” When you don’t have team leaders and bridge leaders, what you have are principals and assistant principals who are stretched way too thin trying to get to every teacher and are not able to do the work of being future-focused and leading the school. And you have a bunch of teachers who are not getting the coaching, the support, the development that they need. And I think we see that showing up in teacher turnover across the country.

Have school districts always lacked an efficient leadership structure like the one you describe in your book?

The structure of school leadership overall has changed very little in the last 50 years. But the expectations and the demands on leadership have changed dramatically. Prior to No Child Left Behind in 2001, the role of the principal was building manager. It was less focused on being in teachers’ classrooms and driving instructional practice. There was a big shift post-2001 to make principals more responsible for the work of instructional leadership. To be clear, the idea that a principal should be an expert in instruction and should be responsible for the outcomes of a school is a great thing, but as we made that shift, we’ve added a lot more expectations to what school leaders and administrators should be doing, without creating more leadership capacity or taking anything off their plate. 

You could tell the same story at the teacher level. The shift that we’re seeing with the teaching profession has been playing out since COVID, but if you go back to the recession in 2009, that鈥檚 when you started seeing a change in young people’s interest in getting education degrees. I think [it鈥檚] the new wave of pressure that’s going to hit school leadership structures, because we need to get back to a place where people want to be teachers. But in the meantime, we have a teaching profession that’s pretty inexperienced and didn’t get the kind of training and support before they entered the classroom that we might have wanted. And we have to make sure school leadership structures are built to give those folks the support that they need to become great and to stay in the profession.

Much of your book is centered around how to help districts implement the four-level leadership framework. How would a district dealing with a severe staff shortage move forward?

I’ve been feeling kind of anxious about how challenging financial conditions are for many schools and districts, and whether that would feel like a big barrier to trying to do work like this. When we talk about staffing shortages, we sometimes mean one of two different things. One is a lot of districts that may not have the funds to sustain all the positions that they’ve had in the past. And that’s where a lot of districts and schools are already trying to think creatively about, “How do we better utilize the positions that we have?” I do think this framework, this book, can be a resource for them. The other form of staffing shortages are folks who are struggling to find enough teachers to fill all the classrooms that they have. And I would argue this is where class sizes do come into play. Slightly bigger class sizes do reduce the number of teachers you need in order to have the strongest teachers that you can have, because you reduce that demand and are able to invest in things like time for those teachers to develop coaching and support.

How long might it take the average district to transform its leadership structure?

The answer will depend a little bit on the size of the district. But to get things right and for them to stick, people need to be a part of the change. So spending time on the front end 鈥� getting clear on what you’re trying to achieve, allowing a broad group of people to be a part of shaping that vision 鈥� we think that is really important. I continue to admire the tenacity, the creativity, the courage and the resilience of our educators. My greatest hope is that this book will be an encouragement to them and there will be something in it that they can use to improve their practice, feel more effective, find more sustainability in their roles, and that these ideas may unlock new visions for them of how they could utilize the people in their system. 

With roughly 160 students 鈥� nearly two-thirds of them low-income 鈥� the rural Charleston County school recorded well below district and state averages. One-third of students were chronically absent, and school climate was ranked low by teachers.

鈥淭he school was a failing school, and it had been a failing school for a few years,鈥� Smalls said.

Smalls鈥檚 first year coincided with the school鈥檚 acceptance into the University of Virginia Partnership for Leaders in Education, a program that helps improve low-performing schools through administrator training and professional development. 

Frierson Elementary is one of three schools that transformed from struggling to succeeding because of the turnaround program. After one year, the school went from an unsatisfactory to excellent rating, the in the state鈥檚 report card system. 

Since 2004, the partnership has worked with more than 900 schools from 33 states. Roughly half achieve double-digit gains in reading, math or both, within three years of starting the program.

For two to three years, administrators receive professional development at the university and coaches visit their schools to help brainstorm ways to improve academic achievement, attendance and culture. Districts must apply and, if selected, pay roughly $90,000 for program costs.

Leighann Lenti, the program鈥檚 chief of partnership, said the key to transforming a low-performing is to work with district and building administrators to make systemic changes that will lead to improved student outcomes.

鈥淭hey’re given a chance to think about the design and the decisions they’re making in their buildings and in their school district,鈥� Lenti said. 鈥淸They] think about their highest priorities and the root cause of what hasn’t worked, so they can solve those problems differently 鈥� not just keep doing the same things over and over 鈥� and see tangible results for kids.鈥�

A 2016 found that 20 Ohio schools that participated in the program saw statistically significant academic improvement that persisted even two years after completion. 

The program focuses on four areas of school improvement: system leadership, support and accountability, talent management and instructional infrastructure. 

During the first year, University of Virginia staff work with district and school leaders to develop a plan for their school. They try to find root causes for low performance and create goals that are revised every 90 days.

Administrators at Schoolfield Elementary in Danville, Virginia, started the program before the 2023-24 school year and finished in January. Principal Kelsie Hubbard and her colleagues created a 90-day plan with three main areas of focus: professional learning, classroom instruction and teaching strategies.

Educators began professional development twice a week to make sure instruction and activities matched existing rigorous academic standards. They also worked to ensure students were being taught the same way in every classroom, so they didn鈥檛 have to relearn strategies if they changed grades or teachers.

鈥淐oming out of COVID, we were seeing a lot of our students performing below grade level, and so a trend we started to notice is that our instruction was not meeting the rigor of the standards,鈥� Hubbard said.鈥漌e were teaching lower level because we were assuming that students needed that intensive intervention. 鈥� But we were holding and keeping them further and further behind.鈥�

At the end of the program, Schoolfield 鈥� a building of 500 students, with 85% low-income 鈥� improved its from 68% in 2023 to 78% in 2024. Math proficiency went from 68% to 73%.

Similar gains were observed in Alabama鈥檚 Florence City Schools, a district of 4,500 students that recently finished the program. Three of its lowest-performing elementary schools that participated all reported improvements in reading, math and chronic absenteeism.

Superintendent Jimmy Shaw said principals met with reading and math teachers to brainstorm why academic scores were lacking. 

For example, they found in Weeden Elementary that third graders had a hard time with geometry and other math topics while taking state assessments. Teachers began to give 10-minute mini-lessons daily to help students master specific skills.

鈥淚t’s been beautiful work to be able to build the capacity of our leaders and our research teams. To us, that’s what it’s about,鈥� Shaw said. 鈥淚t’s not about having some dynamic leader, but it’s about building the capacity of a group of adults who can understand system structures and processes to be able to attack a problem.鈥�

Smalls鈥� 90-day plan for Frierson Elementary began with a list of goals such as improving school climate by training educators and ensuring they got enough classroom time to teach the? curriculum. She also delivered a 鈥渟tate of the school鈥� address for families to explain Frierson鈥檚 unsatisfactory rating and what steps were being taken to fix it. Teachers hosted literacy and math nights to get parents more involved in their child鈥檚 learning.

鈥淚 felt like I created an environment, a climate or a culture where everybody was valued and everybody was seen as a leader,鈥� Smalls said. 鈥淸The program] is very effective. It is very self-provoking, very reflective, very action-based and action-oriented. I really believe in it.鈥�

Meanwhile, officials in New York City, home to America’s largest school district, are getting acclimated to their fifth leader in 10 years after the most recent superintendent abruptly resigned amid multiple investigations. In Atlanta, where I live, we鈥檙e on our fifth superintendent in the last decade as well.

Cincinnati; San Diego; Yonkers, New York, and other urban districts have also experienced turnover this year. According to , roughly 20% of the superintendents in the largest 500 school districts change each year, an increase from the 14% to 16% range by the School Superintendents Association.

Amid all these changes in leadership, the education nonprofit I lead has learned to partner with superintendents while they are in place, as well as make sure that when turnover does happen, the churn doesn鈥檛 become a distraction and impede student progress. The key to success is making sure leadership is not held by a single person within a single organization 鈥� especially since most superintendents end up being short-term presences 鈥� but by many people who are stalwarts and have deep roots in the community. 

Here are three primary lessons we’ve learned: 

First, invest in community members. If the superintendent is the be-all and end-all for education leadership, a community will be decimated whenever a transition occurs. But if there is a deep bench of leaders, a change becomes more of a ripple and less of a tsunami. That鈥檚 one reason we prioritize creating and maintaining relationships with board of education members and school leaders, who are often at their posts long before and after any particular superintendent. They can stay focused on students’ day-to-day concerns and successes while leadership is being sorted out.

To understand the issues within neighborhood schools, we hold regular community dialogues and invest in a to help parents and guardians get involved. Over the course of nine months, participants learn about the history of Atlanta Public Schools, explore student achievement trends and identify opportunities to partner with communities to award grant funds. This year, for example, to community-driven aimed at improving college and career readiness for marginalized youth. Over time, participants in the fellowship realize their power and use it to take on parent leadership roles at their children鈥檚 school and when meeting with officials to explore the levers that drive systemic change for all of Atlanta鈥檚 children.

These grassroots supporters helped our advocacy efforts during a superintendent search by building awareness about how critical it is for the Atlanta Board of Education to hire the right candidate. The fellows attended board meetings and other sessions to inform the community about why the district needs a superintendent with an appetite for change. 

This distributed model of leadership creates a broad base and reduces the chance that any single disruption will cause undue volatility for students, families and educators.

Second, engage families by decentralizing decision-making authority beyond the traditional school district. In Atlanta, public charter schools enable thousands of families to choose the school that is best for their children and insulate them from any tumult at the district level. Most of these schools are part of 鈥� yet have some distance from 鈥� the school district; charter schools can be authorized locally and approved by the school board.

Yet charters are not a panacea. Launching a new one takes years, and getting in can involve lotteries and waitlists. That鈥檚 why we developed a resource, the , to give Metro Atlanta parents a user-friendly way to access publicly available data about student progress and relevant priorities at their children鈥檚 schools. Parents can use this data to advocate for improvements at the school and district levels, or to find an alternative, such as through an intra-district transfer.This democratizes data in a way that helps parents understand whether and which public school is the best fit for their child, regardless of fit. 

By having more options and more information, families take back power. 

Third, establish goals and guardrails. New superintendents tend to conduct listening tours before unveiling their own strategic plan; months and sometimes years pass between the announcement of one superintendent’s departure and clarity about what the next one will prioritize. When this process goes quickly, it can lead to whiplash for a school district鈥檚 stakeholders; when it lags, it can lead to paralysis in schools and among community partners whose work with students or teachers relies on its alignment with district priorities.

In Atlanta and in cities such as , Ohio, and , school boards have voted to establish accountability policies 鈥� 鈥� that focus on student outcomes.  In Atlanta, this policy grew out of a series of community conversations about transparency and a focus on students, not adults. Board members devote significant time each month to monitoring progress, and schools that do not meet academic growth goals are required to take significant action to drive improvement. As these parameters are data-driven, they are more objective than decisions that are influenced by the personal opinions or whims of a single leader.

Leaders come and go, and there is only so much that can be done to mitigate the resulting transitions. Taking these three steps can help minimize the impact a superintendent transition has on a community.

This year at SXSW EDU, I teamed up with The Leadership Academy to facilitate a conversation on the role of AI in education, specifically in relation to the principalship. discussed the potential benefits and challenges of embedding AI in schools and how it might impact the role of the principal. We also explored the implications of AI for equity and access in education. As education leaders come to terms with integrating AI into our schools, they need to consider these issues:

AI can help principals avoid burnout and focus on the 鈥渉uman鈥� work.  

The role of the principal is currently unsustainable. In 2022, 85% of principals reported experiencing high levels of job-related stress, compared with 35% of the general working adult population. The risk of principal burnout has sweeping  implications for the field. has a negative impact on teacher retention and is associated with decreased student achievement. AI can help make principals鈥�  jobs more manageable and sustainable by helping them save time and even automate administrative and analytic tasks. 

The time and technical assets afford principals with more bandwidth, so they can focus on more sophisticated,  human-centered activities such as building relationships with their faculty and the community, and fostering a positive climate, which is . AI offers an answer to a vital question that was posed by Kentwood, Michigan, Superintendent Kevin Polston during the panel: 鈥淚f time is our most precious commodity, and humans are the most important value that we have in our organizations, how do you then create more time for your people to do those innately human things that change outcomes for kids?鈥� 

Education leaders must consider the risk of bias in design.

During our discussion, Nancy Gutierrez, executive director of The Leadership Academy, emphasized the importance of who is at the table in the design process. To illustrate the risks, she referred to sobering examples, such as the initial designs of self-driving cars being more likely to . In terms of education, she noted that teachers might use AI to design work that inadvertently reflects their biases about a student鈥檚 capabilities, based on that child’s identity. Bias in AI is simply a reflection of existing human biases, so district leaders and principals should redouble efforts against bias that might undermine students. Eva Mejia, an expert in design and innovation at IDEO, underscored how involving educators in the design process and increasing transparency could mitigate some of these risks and enhance innovation in schools.

The role of the principal must evolve in line with technological advancements, with a focus on leading change.

Schools must actively learn about and adopt AI, rather than being passive recipients, and principals must be prepared to lead this change effectively. Principals are drivers of school success, and AI is yet another means for them to foster innovation in their schools by modeling a exploratory mindset for students and adults. For example, principals can cultivate spaces where teachers and students feel free to work with AI out in the open, sharing best practices and pitfalls for the benefit of other educators. What might principals and teachers accomplish by testing and leveraging computing power to elevate academic rigor, rather than banning tools that are already integrating in the professional world?

Unfortunately, many school leaders are doing this work at a disadvantage. When I ask principals in urban districts why they have not done more to leverage AI in their schools, the most common answer is, 鈥淚 just don’t have the time.鈥� Too often, the folks who lead the schools with the greatest needs have the least time to be proactive. They fall behind because they do not have the bandwidth to capitalize on new opportunities or innovative solutions. District leaders must commit to investing in the resources 鈥� time and material 鈥� that principals need to create the conditions required for schools to remain current and competitive.  

Integrating AI into schools is not just about bringing in new technology. It is about rethinking what leadership looks like. Education leaders have the opportunity to use their expertise in school systems, learning and development to think about how AI can be used to close equity gaps, instead of widening them, and position principals to focus on what matters most 鈥� children.

Hundreds of Connecticut special education students who have attended  have been subjected to restraints and seclusion, teachers without certification and improper services, according to a scathing report released Tuesday by the Office of the Child Advocate and Disability Rights Connecticut.

In one academic year, there were more than 1,200 reports of students being restrained or secluded in High Road schools, the report states.

Connecticut Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said a two-year investigation of six schools in Hartford, New London, Wallingford and other towns found 鈥渁n alarming lack of oversight, systemic failings and often flagrant disregard for statutory requirements and state standards that protect the educational rights and safety of children.鈥�

鈥淧ractices routinely fall short of state laws, education regulations, best practices, or all three. Changes need to be put in place without delay,鈥� Eagan said.

High Road is one of the Connecticut鈥檚 largest state-approved private special education providers, and it primarily serves children from low-income school districts and receives millions in public funds annually, according to the report. 

The 57-page report said the state Department of Education, along with the school districts that sent students to High Road schools, failed to visit the campuses regularly and did not ensure compliance with the federal . 

鈥淢any of the students at High Road Schools were grossly underserved both in terms of educational planning and service delivery,鈥� the report said. 鈥淭he investigation revealed widespread student disengagement and chronic absenteeism across High Road locations, failure to adequately assess and support students鈥� educational needs through individualized service delivery and perhaps most alarmingly, gross deficiencies in the number of certified special education teachers and other credentialed educational staff working with children and systemic failure to ensure and/or document that staff had undergone employment checks and criminal and child welfare background checks.鈥�

About 316 students were enrolled at six of eight High Road schools in Connecticut during the 2021-22 academic year, with the student body being made up of about 80% boys and 70% students of color from across 38 Connecticut school districts.

Eighty High Road students, or about 25%, were outsourced from Hartford Public Schools, making the capital city鈥檚 public school district the 鈥渓argest district consumer of High Road services,鈥� according to the report.

The state Department of Education said it 鈥渧igorously disagree[d] with the conclusions鈥� of the report, adding that the department has been, and is, 鈥渁ttentive to concerns that are brought forth to the State鈥檚 attention and engages in off cycle monitoring reviews.鈥�

鈥淒uring the period of investigation, from 2022 through February 2024, the CSDE received no complaints from parents, from guardians, from students, from attorneys, from parent advocates, or from local or regional school districts regarding High Road schools,鈥� a spokesperson from the department said. 鈥淥f note, the CSDE鈥檚 Special Education Division annually receives approximately 1,000 filings in the form of hearing requests, mediation requests, or compliance complaints, yet during the period of time covered in the OCA/DRCT Report, not one of those thousands of filings pertained to High Road schools.鈥�

A spokesperson from High Road told The Connecticut Mirror in an emailed statement that the report did 鈥渘ot accurately reflect the academic and behavioral supports at our schools鈥� and that 鈥渙ver the course of two years, High Road Schools provided comprehensive responses that outlined these inaccuracies, as well as highlighted the specific improvements we implemented as part of this process.鈥�

OCA, , and DRCT, , investigated the following campuses: High Road School of Hartford Primary/Middle, High Road School of Hartford High School, High Road B.E.S.T. Academy of Wallingford, High Road School of Fairfield County in Norwalk, High Road School of New London and High Road School of Windham County in Killingly from March 2022 to March 2024 through a series of reviews of educational files, classroom observations and interviews. 

DRCT also visited High Road School of Wallingford Primary School and High Road School of Wallingford High School but did not collect data or records, the report states.

Restraint and seclusion 

Connecticut leads the country in its placement of students with disabilities in 鈥渟eparate schools,鈥� according to the report. 

Most are students of color.

In 2021-22, there were more than 1,200 reported incidents of students being restrained or secluded in High Road schools. Nearly 550 of those incidents were reported from High Road School of Hartford Primary/Middle School, the report states.

鈥淚t is concerning that students would be isolated in such a manner and with such frequency. Isolation without adequate and required efforts to address students鈥� needs also raise serious legal questions under the ADA,鈥� the report said, adding that students were often taken out of classrooms into 鈥渢ime-out rooms鈥� where they weren鈥檛 allowed to leave.

Jennifer Hoffman, assistant superintendent for special education and pupil services in Hartford, said  responding to the report that the district has worked OCA and DRCT to continue working toward becoming a 鈥渢rauma-responsive system鈥� and is in 鈥渃ollective acknowledgment that more works needs to be done, between external systems, to reduce the stressors for families that are sending students to school.鈥�

Hoffman鈥檚 letter highlighted efforts to expand special education services and monitoring and oversight of students.

The district declined to provide further comment when contacted by the CT Mirror.

Staffing problems

The investigation found that almost half of the teachers employed at High Road did not have adequate teacher certification from the state of Connecticut or did not undergo proper background checks.

The report found that:

• 鈥淚n the Windham County Program, 6 out of 8 educational staff had not had DCF background checks;
• In the New London Program, High Road failed to demonstrate that it had verified employment histories, including any concerns of prior student maltreatment, as required by state law;
• In the Fairfield County Program, High Road had not conducted a DCF or employee background check for approximately half of the staff;
• At Hartford-Primary, High Road had not conducted a DCF background check for approximately half of the staff;
• At Wallingford-BEST program, High Road conducted background checks for the majority, but not all of staff working with children.鈥�

The report also said that the Department of Education had previously found that High Road 鈥渉ad not been consistent in conducting background checks鈥� but never followed up.

鈥淪tate records do not indicate further follow up by CSDE to ensure that corrective actions were implemented and sustained. OCA/DRCT鈥檚 investigation found that despite previous complaints, warnings, and directives and despite clear state law obligations and even contractual requirements 鈥� High Road failed to demonstrate that it consistently conducts background checks for employees working with children,鈥� the report said.

The report added that school administrators 鈥渄id not communicate staffing gaps to [local educational agencies]鈥� and that data from both High Road and the state Department of Education 鈥渞eflect a high vacancy rate for certified special education teachers and lack of adequate documentation for substitute teachers and individuals with 鈥榙urational permits,’鈥� including a 鈥渉eavy reliance on long-term substitute teachers鈥� who may not be 鈥渁ppropriately credentialed and approved鈥� by the state.

There was also no documentation of physical education, art or music teachers at these schools. Nurses were not employed at all buildings, according to the report. 

Lack of individualized programming in the classroom

The report highlighted several deficiencies with student individualized education plans, or IEPs, and a lack of , which are used to determine the cause of certain behaviors and how to address them.

An analysis of 30 student records showed 鈥渓ittle evidence 鈥� of individualized instruction, and general program descriptions refer only to a curriculum comprised of 鈥榝our instructional rotations during which students are assessed academically, gain self-regulation skills, learn with district-aligned academic curriculums and utilize integrated technology,’鈥� the report said.

鈥淩ecords examined included inconsistent information, lacked evidence of comprehensive evaluations, individualized or personalized instructional or behavioral strategies, and did not indicate that progress or failure to progress were regularly reviewed within programs. Across sites there was an apparent lack of access to related services such as clinical/psychological consultation or service,鈥� the report continued, adding that several campuses did not have occupational and speech language therapy 鈥渃onsistent with descriptions of students鈥� previous developmental, social/emotional, or educational histories.鈥�

The investigation also found that 鈥渁lmost none of the students鈥� received functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) or behavior intervention plans (BIPs) at several campuses. 

Nor did the schools have a board-certified behavior analyst on staff.

鈥淗igh Road locations all employ school social workers and offer individual and/or group counseling. However, out of 30 student records reviewed by investigators, there were only two BIPs,鈥� the report said. 鈥淪tudent data and individual student records also indicate frequent use of restraint and seclusion without adequate evaluation and response.鈥�

The report illustrated several instances where students required behavioral help, but there was 鈥渓ittle to no individualization.鈥� It also illustrated when student behavioral needs were ignored and played out in the child鈥檚 academics later.

鈥淪tudent A was placed at the Hartford Primary-Middle School program in Grade 3, at age 10, with a BIP created at his previous public school. Yet a program review later that year indicated he was performing below grade level due to a lack of access to education based on extended timeouts, raising questions about the degree to which his BIP was reflective of his current needs,鈥� the report said. 鈥淚n additional, Student A had multiple absences, slept for the whole day on multiple days waking only to eat lunch, and had significant academic delays. 鈥� Complex academic/behavioral/disengagement issues persisted from enrollment at High Road for 7 years without his needs being properly addressed.鈥�

Other examples included a student who had 70 timeouts and seven restraints in her first year at High Road and a student with 69 restraints over a 15-month period and no BIP in his record. 

Disengaged students, unclear path forward

Almost 40% of students enrolled at High Road schools had 18 or more absences from school. Over 25% missed over 25 days of instruction, and 10% of all students missed over 50 days, according to the report.

But for students in the classroom, there were several instances where investigators 鈥渟aw multiple students who were sleeping for prolonged periods during class and students who were completely disengaged from classroom activities.鈥�

鈥淚nvestigators consistently saw students who were left entirely to themselves during a 30-minute or even 45-minute class period, alone in a cubicle or at a computer, without any or only the briefest of interactions with a teacher or an aide,鈥� the report said.

鈥淒uring one observation, investigators observed a student sitting in a cubicle starting at the wall. The teacher approached him and spoke to him once during a 45-minute observation. He did not respond and no one else attempted to engage him during class,鈥� the report added. 鈥淒uring an observation at the Fairfield High Road School, several students were observed sleeping, with investigators told that one of the students sleeps all the way up until the last period of the day to participate in science class.鈥�

There were also several issues with progress monitoring and assessments, and inappropriate academic goals, the report said.

鈥淚nvestigators were told [at the Windham County campus] that students鈥� progress is monitored daily, but the covering administrator (who was not certified as an administrator) told OCA that 鈥榮tudents don鈥檛 have academic goals; they are here because of behavior,’鈥� the report said.

Beyond academic trouble, the report said, the school did not provide transitional services for older students.

鈥淔or older students whose records were reviewed, access to special education until age 22 was terminated without clear transition plans or individualized programs that would provide options for post-secondary education or realistic development of vocational options and experiences, with appropriate social and mental health supports that could lead to successful transitions to adult life.鈥�

Leadership failure and policy recommendations

OCA and DRCT criticized both the state Department of Education and local districts鈥� efforts to protect the students with disabilities enrolled in High Road schools.

The report said one district鈥檚 director of public services 鈥渉ad positive things to say about High Road schools and expressed no concerns鈥� with High Road and that 鈥渙ther programs are worse.鈥� He said there were no red flags around service hours.

However, investigators said that district had 13 students enrolled in High Road programs, and five students missed a combined 306 days of instruction without a BIP in place. 

鈥淎lthough certain districts indicated they conducted site visits and records review following the letter, the incongruity between the districts鈥� stated satisfaction with the provision of services and OCA/DRCT investigative findings regarding staffing irregularities, lack of background checking, inadequate records, lack of related service delivery and individualized behavioral intervention plans, and chronic absenteeism is difficult to reconcile,鈥� the report said.

The investigation found that many districts across the state did not conduct site visits and did not ask substantial questions about services or staffing.

鈥淚n response to questions about whether the districts conducted any observations of its students enrolled at the schools, only 3/18 districts responded affirmatively,鈥� the report said. 鈥淢ost districts were unable to provide the 鈥榥ames, positions, qualifications and/or any certification of all personnel providing instruction, including special education and related services, to the students while attending High Road.鈥� One district maintained that CSDE is responsible for ensuring that High Road schools have qualified staff employed.鈥�

At a state level, the report said, the Department of Education had concerns about background checking and inadequate student records, but there were no findings of follow-ups or corrective action.

The report said the state Department of Education did not properly monitor and ensure compliance with federal and state law.

The final pages of the report recommended that state law be amended to 鈥渞equire strengthened CSDE oversight of state-approved private special education programs鈥� and mandate transparency from the education department鈥檚 monitoring and enforcement of federal law.

This story was originally published on CT Mirror.

The first of these, modeling, is simple but surprisingly difficult to make habitual. School leaders run many meetings a week, but also have many more short, impromptu interactions with staff, and they must model the culture they want with during these brief interactions. When someone on your team comes with a question, model collaboration by first asking for their thoughts. When someone asks you to make a quick decision, respond by seeking their input on the best options. This sends the message over and over that you, as a leader, truly value the perspectives of your teaching team, which begins to build the ethos of collaboration and shared decisionmaking in your building.

After you have started reinforcing the values of this culture through modeling, you need to create structures for more formal and consistent shared decisionmaking. Start by choosing important aspects of your collective work, such as student culture, professional development or community events, and have your staff opt into and form mini-teams that align to their own interests. Once mini-teams are formed, you need a clear process for shared decisionmaking. I recommend using a simple, three-step process that can be repeated until a final decision has been made. First, several people from the mini-team create a proposal based on the group’s initial thoughts. Second, the proposal is presented to the entire group, debated and refined. Third, everyone has the opportunity to approve or disapprove of the proposal. At my school, anyone who gives a thumbs down is also volunteering to craft the next iteration of the proposal, which will then go through the same process. If your organization or team prefers majority rule when decisions are made, this process can be modified. The key is that there is a clear and accepted system for these groups to make decisions that is both efficient and aligns with your organizational and community values.

Now that you have both an ethos of shared decisionmaking and the structures to support it, you need to ensure there is time dedicated to this work. This is a two-part commitment. First, you must set aside regular time for your mini-teams to meet. There are always constraints and competing needs, and you will need to work with a variety of stakeholders, including your staff, your district or charter management organization and any unions. The second part is a philosophical one. Working collaboratively and sharing decisionmaking simply takes longer than top-down decisionmaking. You get the time back in the efficiency of executing plans or decisions that everyone involved feels fully a part of, but the first part of the process is slower and requires patience and commitment from leaders to see it through. 

The final piece of building this culture on your team is to honestly and strategically share decisionmaking authority. Leaders have many decisions to make, ranging from minute to massive. If you believe in and have built a culture of collaboration and shared decisionmaking, you are going to be sharing at least some of that responsibility and privilege. You must do this honestly and strategically. You demonstrate honesty by never pretending to share decisionmaking when you already have a definitive perspective on what that decision needs to be. You will still want to make some decisions yourself. Own that and be transparent with your staff when that is the case. The strategy part comes from carefully choosing which decisions to share and which staff members to pass them on to. For example, I would never bring a decision about choosing a vendor for enrollment software to the teaching team, but I would to the operations team. I would definitely want input from the teaching team when adopting a curriculum for reading intervention, but the staff at a single school cannot make that decision because it would be difficult for a district or charter management organization to support different curricula at different sites. You also need to be mindful of decision fatigue. Being a teacher is extraordinarily demanding. Avoid overwhelming your staff further by ensuring that the decisions you are asking your team to share responsibility for are connected to their day-to-day work.

Creating a culture of collaboration and shared decisionmaking in your school will have incredible impacts in your community. Your team will feel more invested, more respected and more joyful in their work, and that will have a significant impact on the student experience and outcomes.

On this point, we are failing as a nation. Though , only 1 in 5 and share the same racial or ethnic background. At the district level, .

Much has been written about the need to diversify the pipeline of future educators. Less discussed 鈥� and arguably even more important 鈥� is the reality that educators of color are thinking about leaving their jobs, or education altogether. They desperately need help, right here, right now.

Run-of-the-mill support won鈥檛 cut it. Faced with , leaders of color need guidance and tools specific to their experiences navigating the schools as people of color. When leaders of color thrive, so do and .

We are fortunate to have access to this type of support, regularly meeting with more than a dozen other men of color who work as school and district leaders through .

For us, coming together in community with a group of guys who get what we鈥檙e going through has been life-changing. We love our jobs, but sometimes they don鈥檛 love us back. This can be exhausting and demoralizing. Dedicated space just for us affords us the chance to reflect on our experiences and to exhale, regroup and re-energize our leadership. This experience is not the norm. 

These discussions are anchored in the , a flexible roadmap to help educators of color navigate leadership journeys. The research-backed tool articulates 10 essential competencies 鈥� knowledge, skills, mindsets, dispositions and behaviors 鈥� that interviews with more than 300 education leaders of color across the country revealed are most critical to their success. This resource is focused specifically on fostering resilience among educators of color and reinforcing steady, confident leadership in the face of many distinct challenges.

How can districts tailor similar development and support for educators of color?

In Atlanta, I (Dr. Hunter) lead many courses. For each essential competency, I鈥檝e identified and created aligned professional development opportunities that enable our guys to unpack key concepts, pause and reflect on their responses to various scenarios, and get real practice being both proactive and reactive to a range of leadership dilemmas. Eighteen aspiring leaders come together once or twice a month for these sessions, which take place at the district office during the week and at the Georgia State University Principals Center on weekends. Leadership coaches also provide 1:1 virtual support.

As one example, take the Executive Stance competency. Mastering that just-right balance between confidence and humility is crucial when helping families feel secure in the face of a crisis or when asking staff to lean into new ways of working together. Being assertive without coming across as 鈥渁ggressive鈥� looks different for a man of color than it does for, say, a white woman. The goal is to empower team members to lead in ways that are true to their identities and will be received well by their communities. All leaders 鈥� especially those of color 鈥� need opportunities to practice to get their unique Executive Stance just right. The Atlanta Public Schools leadership team wants principals across the district hitting home runs when they鈥檙e on the job, and the best way to make that happen is by giving leaders as many at-bats as possible with all the curveballs we know are coming their way.

In Los Angeles, I (Dr. Nava) offer professional development to educators of color in alignment with the district 鈥檚 focus on cultivating a diverse, well-supported workforce. The district is unusual in that it runs a two-year principal induction program in house 鈥� the Los Angeles Administrative Services Credential program, which is approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Participants serve in administrative roles, complete assignments at their schools and receive 40 hours of leadership coaching each year .Since 2016, 600 educators have participated in the program.

Men of color make up about 20% of the program’s participants, and many are responsible for managing athletics or school discipline. These are important functions for a school, but an educator who doesn鈥檛 have instructional leadership experience will not be prepared for the principalship. Through the program, I help aspiring leaders of color share their professional goals with their principals and advocate for opportunities to observe and practice instructional leadership. For example, a participant might request to assist the principal in executing a data review session with the math department and to shadow the principal before, during and after a subsequent classroom observation to more deeply understand the planning protocols and the coaching and feedback process.

If a principal is unable to provide on-site learning, I ensure that aspiring leaders gain meaningful experience elsewhere, such as by mentoring novice teachers or leading district-run training sessions. I pair this real-world practice with coaching, where I teach, model and dig into the essential competencies in ways that reflect each leader鈥檚 personal and professional goals. 

Overall, we both prioritize pushing leaders of color to engage in purposeful self-reflection around the essential leadership competencies. Having a conversation with oneself 鈥� by writing in a journal or reflecting aloud 鈥� can be really hard, especially when thinking about a mistake or misstep. But doing it surrounded by others who鈥檝e been there and can help illuminate often-overlooked strengths feels safer. 

Most importantly, this work has reaffirmed for each of us a deep commitment to cultivating the next generation of leaders for American schools and society by promoting a more diverse and inclusive vision of extraordinary leadership. Our students deserve nothing less.

In my semi-weekly , I interview the everyday entrepreneurs who are creating affordable, innovative schools and learning spaces all across the U.S. I reached out to 10 entrepreneurs who recently appeared on the show to see what encouragement or advice they would offer to aspiring founders. Each of their programs is distinct, representing an assortment of educational models and methods; but they share a common commitment to building individualized, low-cost learning solutions that provide an increasingly accessible alternative to traditional schooling. 

If you have been feeling the tug toward educational entrepreneurship, the following insights from these 10 founders may be just the nudge you need to take your own enterprising leap this year:

1. Listen to Families: 鈥淣etwork and learn from families within your community. Build your model in a way that meets needs while also staying true to your vision. Lastly, tap into others who have had success in breaking educational barriers. We are out here to support you and watch you thrive!鈥� (Mercedes Grant is a former public school teacher and founder of , a K-8 microschool in Yorktown, Virginia. She launched her program this fall with over 30 learners and a long waiting list)

2. See Beyond the Existing System: 鈥淚f you’ve spent any time working in the traditional school system, you’ve seen it fail students simply for not fitting into the required boxes. Consider your values, be bold, separate yourself from that system, and build a new box for some of those young people.鈥� (Josh Pickel is a former public school teacher and founder of , a full-time self-directed learning center for teens in Canton, Illinois)

3. Don鈥檛 Ignore Your Instincts: 鈥淚f you are hearing a voice inside telling you to open a school, whether it鈥檚 a whisper or a scream, please listen to it! That voice is the sound of little humans begging for something different; that makes more sense; that prepares them for life (and lets them enjoy it)! They need you 鈥� now more than ever. It might not be easy, but it鈥檚 worth it! So get to it. I鈥檒l be cheering you on.鈥� (Heather DiNino is a former public school teacher and founder of , a learner-directed PreK-12 microschool in Braintree, Massachusetts)

4. Break the Mold 鈥� It Might Be Scary But Will Be So Much More Fulfilling: 鈥淭here will be days that feel as though this is an experiment and the temptation to return to the status quo is real. That former place may not have been fulfilling, but at the very least, it was more predictable. On days like that, don鈥檛 give in. The work you will embark on is breaking generational cycles, and you are a trailblazer in your own right. You will guide, mentor, inspire, learn, unlearn, adventure, discover, and transform the way education is experienced. You will connect and move past your fears, inspiring the next generation of world changers to dream big and take action. You won’t settle for standardized ways of being and will never 鈥榝it the mold.鈥� You were never meant to and that is what makes what you’re doing worth it! You have a vision that our kids need. You have a vision that our world needs. Run with it! I鈥檓 cheering you on and so are the many other founders who wake up each day knowing that this community belongs to all who are daring enough to dive in!鈥� (Lizette Valles is a former teacher and school librarian who founded in Los Angeles, California in 2021. It is an experiential, learner-centered microschool embracing holistic, trauma-informed educational practices)

5. Be Part of the Change You Want to See: 鈥淭raditional education may be the mainstream but our children deserve innovative options. Listen to the calling for education reform! Your unique vision and mission to meet the educational needs of all children will have great rewards.鈥� (Sharon Masinelli is a physician associate and founder of , a K-12 hybrid homeschool program in Kennesaw, Georgia with 120 students who attend full-day classes with hired teachers two to three days a week)

6. Seize This Innovative Moment in Time: 鈥淚 think now is an energizing moment for visionary education entrepreneurs to push forward on a new frontier in education. The seeds for new ideas in education were planted years ago by strong and relentless school choice advocates in states such as Arizona. As a founder of an all-male microschool, I’m grateful for the waves of support from parents and others in Arizona. The future is here.鈥� (Jack Johnson Pannell founded a public charter school in Baltimore, Maryland before launching a private microschool, , this fall in Phoenix, Arizona)

7. Know Your Limits:鈥淜now your strengths, know your passions, but most importantly, know your limits. When I finally realized that by trying to serve everyone I would only end up recreating the system we are all trying to leave鈥攁 system in which the highest priority is efficiency, not quality or the health of the educator鈥攊t freed me to create the school I knew I could sustain based on my unique talents, passions, and limitations.鈥� (Devan Dellenbach is a former public school teacher and founder of , a home-based K-12 microschool in rural Abbyville, Kansas that launched earlier this year and continues to expand to meet local demand)

8. Keep Experimenting:鈥淭he world is ready for new education models. We know things have to change, and our young people deserve change. Keep experimenting, keep moving things forward, and keep listening to the young heroes.鈥� (Danelle Folz-Smith founded in Venice, California in 2013. Her K-12 school is part of the fast-growing, learner-driven Acton Academy microschool network that began with one school in Austin, Texas in 2009 and now includes more than 300 schools serving thousands of learners)

9. Maintain Confidence While Swimming Against the Current: 鈥淎 big part of this is actually just the deschooling process from a lifetime spent in the conventional school system. Then there’s also the uneasy feelings you have when you’re stepping out of line, going against the grain, and bucking the system… which is exactly what you’re doing. I’m mid-way through my second year and while I’m much better about all that now, I still regularly turn to all the great literature on self-directed education for reassurance! You’re NOT alone and it’s good, needed, and purposeful work!鈥� (Troy Salazar is a former public school teacher and founder of , a full-time K-12 learning center for homeschoolers in Des Moines, Iowa)

10. Always Remember You鈥檙e Helping to Change the World: 鈥淎 little progress towards building alternative education ends up changing the world.鈥� (Tara Cassidy is a former public school teacher who launched in the Kansas City area as a full-time K-12 microschool that provides maximum curriculum choice and customization within a project-based, collaborative learning environment. Cassidy launched her program in August 2022 and is now at capacity with over 30 students and a long waiting list)

Next year, another 20 gubernatorial and state board elections will take place that will impact state superintendent selection. Couple that with the fact that in the last two years over half of states had turnover in the state superintendent position, and it becomes clear that the next year in electoral politics could transform education leadership for the country.  

Which is why we at ILO Group to understand whom governors and state boards of education are choosing for these top jobs and understand emergent trends in appointees’ backgrounds.

The modern state superintendent of education plays a powerful role in shaping not just education systems and policies, but how districts operate and how students learn. Superintendents are also among the highest-profile public officials in their state. Their background and qualifications are major considerations for governors and state boards because of the powerful role that they play in shaping the future direction of a large body of public policy.  

Our research found a number of commonalities and several notable differences across the 39 states (plus Washington, D.C.) that currently have governors or state board of education with partisan affiliations who are responsible for state superintendent appointments. For this study, we analyzed the last two superintendents nominated within these states. 

Our research gleaned four key dynamics:

• Over half of the last two state superintendents in each state were school district or state education agency leaders. Of 77 total nominees, 32 were district leaders and 24 had backgrounds at the state agency. While Republicans also show a tendency to appoint individuals with political backgrounds, Democrats are more likely to elevate nominees with backgrounds in higher education. 

However, even with that variation, both Republicans and Democrats have a strong preference for in-state education experience. Almost four of the five of the past two recent superintendents from every state came from a previous position in the education bureaucracy. This indicates that familiarity with a state鈥檚 education system appears to be highly valued by governors and boards, regardless of partisan affiliation.  

•  Democratic-led states choose a district leader for the top education job more than half of the time. Out of 34 selections, states led by a Democratic governor or Democratic-majority board nominated a district leader 20 times. Democratic governors often frame their choices of district leaders for state superintendent by emphasizing their deep experience in schools, experience as educators and close ties to the education establishment in particular as strengths. 

For example, in 2020, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear board鈥檚 choice, saying Jason E. Glass 鈥渉as deep roots in Kentucky education, and his years of public education experience in classrooms, as superintendent and state director of education will help ensure our children come first.鈥� In much the same way, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy touted his nomination of former Asbury Park School District leader Lamont Repollet in 2018 his 鈥渞eal-world experience, both in and out of the classroom.鈥�

In both cases, the governors emphasized the appointees’ teaching backgrounds as important experience in the role of state superintendent.

• Republicans are most likely to choose state education agency administrators but also frequently select district leaders and individuals with political backgrounds. Of the 41 selections studied, 11 were district leaders, 15 were agency administrators and nine appointees had a background that was primarily political 鈥� state legislators, governor鈥檚 policy advisers, etc.
  
• Candidates with political backgrounds are increasingly being selected for top jobs, and Republicans more frequently appoint leaders with political experience who are aligned with their policy priorities. Of the selections studied, Republicans chose appointees with political backgrounds nine times, while Democrats chose one appointee with a political background.  

Here, too, the way that governors and their partners frame the appointments can provide insight into the reasoning behind their selection.  For example, when Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana nominated his former adviser Katie Jenner, the state Chamber of Commerce noted that by nominating someone 鈥渁ligned with his policy priorities in such a key role … that enhanced level of cooperation and collaboration will make the state鈥檚 education direction clear and allow for more impactful efforts on behalf of Indiana students.鈥�

Similarly, when state legislator Manny Diaz was nominated to serve as Florida’s superintendent, Republican Gov. Ron DSantis of to eliminate 鈥淸critical race theory] and woke training in Florida schools and businesses鈥� as a reason for his selection.

Our research, part of our , underscores that the selection of a state chief school officer or superintendent is a major moment in the leadership of the governor or state board making the choice. Whom they pick and how they frame their selection may provide stakeholders and voters with important information about the potential direction of education politics in the state.

Beyond simply political signaling, though, understanding who the appointees are and how their backgrounds will inform the work is essential. These backgrounds and experiences give shape to the direction of education policy as leaders grapple with the pressing matters facing students, schools and states. With all that in the balance, educators, researchers and the public have good and compelling reasons to understand the trends in who is being appointed to state superintendencies.

At the University of Virginia鈥檚 Partnership for Leaders in Education (UVA-PLE) Program, where I was the chief support officer, talent management was one of four core levers to create district conditions for schools to significantly improve. Our approach, which the . identified as having significant evidence of impact on school performance, suggests that our focus on increasing the number of highly effective teachers in schools was critical.

As districts prepare for 2023-24 staffing, here are five strategies that should be explored as a part of reimagining human resources practices and approaches to improving student outcomes 鈥� especially for underserved children.

Implement a strategic staffing approach like Opportunity Culture. , developed by the nonprofit , was launched in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2012 as part of the district鈥檚 turnaround initiative, . This approach includes several innovative models, such as multi-classroom leaders, in which teachers who have had success with improving student performance lead a small team of educators for substantially higher pay. The leader teaches students for a portion of each day; guides lesson planning, data analysis, instructional changes and small-group tutoring assignments; coaches and works directly with team members in the classroom; and models great teaching. Among the :

• Graduation rate increased from 54% to 86%, reducing the gap between the 10 L.I.F.T. schools and the district overall from 20 percentage points to less than 5.

• in L.I.F.T. schools were met or exceeded 80% of the time, a rate equal to the district’s average and higher than the state’s.

• 94% teacher retention. After Opportunity Culture was implemented, the number of teacher vacancies dropped from at the start of the school year to five.

Leverage a housing concierge concept. At UVA, our program was anchored by a partnership between the Curry School of Education and the Darden Business School. We encouraged districts to consider adopting a concierge approach, as the business sector does, to smooth the way for new staff trying to settle into a new district or city 鈥� by helping to arrange housing, register for utilities and cable, and identify options for day care and banking.

Develop lead teachers. When I was chief innovation officer for Cincinnati Public Schools, it earned the distinction as the state’s top-performing urban district, with a “B” report card rating, in part because of its career ladder for educators. The model provides stipends to teachers who go through a credentialing process, which involves earning excellent evaluations and undergoing advanced training. Underperforming schools can select these highly trained educators to work in classrooms and be teacher leaders in their building.

Provide recruitment and retention stipends. As chief turnaround officer (deputy superintendent) for the Georgia State Board of Education, I partnered with the state鈥檚 General Assembly to create a pilot program that would give chronically underperforming schools $5,000 per teacher from the state to recruit and retain highly effective educators. Teachers would receive ongoing training to benefit both their students and the school overall. Each school could receive funds for up to five teachers. To ensure some skin in the game, the legislation required each district to contribute $2,500 per teacher, meaning participating educators could receive an extra $7,500 per year. A slightly amended approach was signed into law.

Recruit talent early, as major college athletic programs do. Major college football and basketball programs identify potential student-athletes as early as possible 鈥� sometimes even in elementary school 鈥� and do recruitment and outreach until these kids accept a scholarship. Using that model, districts can use in-classroom training, student teaching and other opportunities to build early relationships with college students. This could connect to a district鈥檚 that guides graduating seniors into the teaching field in hopes they will come back to teach in a local school.

These strategies alone will not provide marginalized students with the conditions and support they need. And, of course, no two districts or communities are exactly alike. But as leaders determine their own talent strategies, reimagining talent practices should be an important part of any broad transformation effort.

In a school system that has and recently regained local control from a state takeover, educators are piloting a new leadership model hoping to mend teachers鈥�, staff and students鈥� strained relationships to St. Louis schools and lure families back.

Coached by retired superintendents and principals from the area, two elementary schools are replacing  top-down work structures with leadership teams as part of the Transformational Leadership Initiative co-run by Washington University in St. Louis. 

Hoping to stem the tide of families leaving the district, both middle class and lower income families, leadership teams of teachers and staff puts those closest to students at the center of finding solutions. 

From food banks to more place-based lessons, the teams are reshaping everything from schedules to curriculum, adding more St. Louis-specific lessons that make academics relevant to the real world and counter negative perceptions of their hometown. 

鈥淚 think that’s a priority of the district 鈥� how do we recapture some of the families that have moved and understand why they have,鈥� said Jay Hartman, executive director of the Consortium Partnership Network with St. Louis Public Schools. 鈥淗ow do we provide a better system that will serve all families that won’t push them to move out of the city?鈥�

Because current school structures tend to overwhelm both teachers and admin, the leadership shake up and resulting school-specific changes are a welcome change, said St. Louis educators involved in the pilot.  

鈥淥ne principal cannot be the superhero. That is not a model that works,鈥� said Victoria May, executive director of Washington University鈥檚 Institute for School Partnership, which co-leads the Initiative.

Teachers in the partnership are encouraged to design programs to address systemic challenges facing students, like gun violence, which impacts over in the state. At one St. Louis Public School, that looked like adding a non-academic block at the start of the school day. 

鈥淭hey wanted a class meeting for 15 minutes every morning where they just are building community and getting their kids ready for the day and processing something, [like] a shooting that might have happened the day before,鈥� said May. 

Building an environment where staff feel they can bring such new ideas to fruition and help students develop a positive relationship to their hometown is also key to the 鈥溾�� transformation. 

鈥淓ncourage the kids to look at where they are and who they are,鈥� Linda Henke, co-creator of the model and a coach with the Initiative, told 社区黑料. 鈥淵ou still are getting the rich content of science and social studies, but it’s grounded in the place where the kids really are.鈥� 

For instance, as fourth graders learn about vocal cords and sound waves, they now also explore local music, playing kazoos and learning the history of how jugs are used in roots and blues. The unit culminates with a visit to the National Blues Museum downtown.

For educators, the inclusive leadership structure provides a sense of purpose that was overshadowed by pandemic stressors. 

鈥淚t has been empowering as a teacher,鈥� said Erika Ellis, kindergarten teacher at Meramec Elementary, one of the pilot schools. 鈥淏ecause in the profession, in some places you’re just a technician. And you read a curriculum, you comply. And then you go home. I’m not wired that way.鈥�

Eager to replicate the model鈥檚 success, advocates and philanthropists in Missouri backed the approach crafted by Henke, former superintendent of the nearby Maplewood-Richmond Heights district, which was on the verge of losing accreditation and had 30% turnover rates. Through Henke鈥檚 12 year tenure, the district earned a top score on , and saw 15% growth in rates. 

Andrew Eason, fifth and sixth grade teacher at Ashland Elementary, now in its third year of the pilot, has taught about food insecurity and local food deserts. The lessons address health curricula standards while, 鈥渦sing science to be able to change their communities and change their neighborhoods,鈥� he said. 

鈥淚 wanted to open my students up to looking at their community and seeing what resources they don’t have,鈥� Eason said. 鈥溾�極kay, well, why do we have so much fast food in our neighborhood? And why is it that there’s a lot of unhealthy things, you know, down to the fact that there are far less trees in our parks, things that promote healthy breathing and those types of things.鈥�

Washington University鈥檚 Institute for School Partnership hopes to scale up the initiative at additional听district听schools in coming years.

I have written before in these pages about the importance of accurate and balanced methods of measuring school quality. In the same spirit, I recommend a new book by Steve Rees and Jill Wynns, . 

Wynns spent 24 years on the San Francisco school board, while Rees spent just as long running a company that helped school districts measure and report on the quality of their schools. Both have seen their share of mistakes, many of which lead to real pain: teachers reassigned and principals removed based on faulty data; English learners held back from entering the mainstream academic program even after they have become fluent; charter schools closed due to inadequate measurement of growth; even students denied graduation based on flawed interpretation of test results.

Rees and Wynns have now authored a highly readable guide that superintendents, principals, school board members, education reporters, teachers, and advocates can use to avoid these kinds of errors. They underline four flaws that are most common:

Growth v. Proficiency

The first is using children鈥檚 current test scores 鈥� rather than a measure of their academic growth 鈥� to judge the quality of schools and teachers. In high poverty schools, students often arrive several years behind grade level. Few of them are 鈥減roficient鈥� in math or reading. But too often states and districts give greatest weight to students’ current test scores, not their rate of improvement. 

Consider a middle school whose sixth grade students arrived three years behind grade level. If they are only one year behind grade level at the end of sixth grade, that would be spectacular progress. But in California, to use but one example, the school鈥檚 academic score would be in one of the two lowest categories.

Apples v. Oranges 

The second major flaw Rees and Wynns point out is related: when trying to measure academic growth, some states and districts fail to measure the same students over time. Instead, they measure a school or grade level鈥檚 average over time. But in a middle school, a third of the students each year are new arrivals, and another third from last year have departed. In four-year high schools, a quarter leave each year, another quarter arrive.  So annual school or grade level averages are measuring different kids.

The solution is obvious: Measure the same cohort of students over time, following them from one grade level to the next. Even better, remove from your measure students who have departed or recently arrived at the school.

Ignoring the Imprecision of Test Results

The third common flaw is failure to acknowledge the imprecision of test scores. 鈥淲hen we test kids, we鈥檙e trying to gather evidence of something that exists out of sight, somewhere between their ears,鈥� Rees and Wynns write. 鈥淲hatever their test scores reveal, it can only be an estimate of what they know.鈥�

Standardized tests are often used to rate children鈥攖ypically into four categories, which might be summarized as advanced, proficient, needing improvement, and far behind grade level. But imprecision means some of these classifications are dubious. 鈥淭he major test publishers include what they call classification error rates in their technical manuals,鈥� the authors explain. 鈥淚t is common to find a 25鈥�30 percent classification error rate in the middle bands of a range of test scores鈥攁nd that鈥檚 for a standardized assessment with 45鈥�65 questions.鈥�

鈥淚n Texas, Illinois, Maryland, California, Ohio, Indiana, Florida and many other states,鈥� they add, 鈥渢he parent reports make no mention of imprecision.鈥� Yet these reports tell parents whether a child is on grade level. Some states use a standardized test called the Smarter Balance Assessment. Its 鈥渢echnical manual reveals that the classification accuracy rate in these middle two bands (Levels 2 and 3) is about 70 percent. In other words, just seven out of every 10 kids whose scores land in the middle two bands will be classified correctly as having either met the standard or scored below the standard.鈥�  

Lack of Context

The fourth major flaw Rees and Wynns discuss is 鈥溾�檇isregarding context when analyzing gaps in achievement.鈥� Often, a school is compared to the statewide average, when its students are anything but average. They might be affluent, or poor, or recent immigrants. If so, do we learn anything about the quality of their school by comparing them to a state average? 

Rees and Wynns urge school and district leaders to compare their students to schools or districts with demographically similar children. 鈥淚f you can identify other schools with kids very much like your own who are enjoying success where your students are lagging, you can call the site or district leaders and see how their approach to teaching reading differs from your own,鈥� they suggest. 鈥淭hat last step, compare-and-contrast with colleagues who are teaching students very similar to your own, is where your analytic investment will pay off.鈥�

The authors point a finger of blame at schools of education, which rarely teach future teachers or administrators about data, assessment, or statistics. 鈥淪chools of education simply must stop sending data- and assessment-illiterate educators into the field,鈥� they declare.

They also urge state departments of education to disclose the imprecision of test scores whenever they report results, to do more to communicate the meaning of those results, and to create help desks that district and school leaders can turn to with data and assessment questions.

Perhaps their most novel recommendation is that we begin measuring 鈥渙pportunities to learn,鈥� to draw attention to yawning gaps. Some districts assign students to the school closest to their home, for instance, while others offer significant choices 鈥� hence greater opportunity. Most districts give teachers with seniority more ability to choose their schools, leaving the schools in low-income neighborhoods to settle for rookie teachers or those no one else wants 鈥� creating a huge opportunity gap for low-income students. Some schools offer the opportunity to take more advanced courses or more career-oriented courses.

A few districts work hard to match their supply of courses and schools to what students and their families want, but most don鈥檛. The result: yet another opportunity gap. 鈥淚f 90 percent of your sections are dedicated to college-level course work, and 50 percent of your graduating seniors have chosen a path to the workforce or the military, then your master schedule constrains the opportunities to learn that your students care most about,鈥� the book explains. 鈥淲ork force prep courses and multiple pathways toward work-related professions would be a needed addition for that school. The question for those leading or governing districts is how actively you listen to students when they tell you what future they鈥檙e aiming for, and the extent to which you direct your budget and staff to meet their desires.鈥�

A brief article cannot begin to suggest the depth and detail the authors plumb in this volume. In addition, every chapter of Mismeasuring Schools鈥� Vital Signs includes questions people can ask to uncover data and measurement problems 鈥� and methods to solve them 鈥� in their own districts and schools. There is even , which includes interactive data visualizations and resources such as a glossary of statistical terms and a 鈥渧isual glossary鈥� showing the types of charts and graphs you can use to communicate meaningful data.There鈥檚 an old saying in the management world: What gets measured gets done. As Rees and Wynns demonstrate, in public education we too often measure the wrong things, in the wrong ways. If we鈥檙e going to improve the lives of children, we have to learn how to measure what matters, accurately, and then understand what it means. Mismeasuring Schools鈥� Vital Signs is a good place to start.

A finds that despite increasing student diversity in U.S. public schools overall, de facto segregation is on the rise. Government Accountability Office researchers found that nearly one-third of students attend a predominantly same-race/ethnicity school, and some 14% of students go to school with a student body that is a single race/ethnicity.

Perhaps most troubling, the report found, is the rapid expansion of the number of secessions, where communities within an existing school district break away, forming their own new district. Dozens of communities in states around the country have done this, with a occurring in the last several years. While the instigators of these secessions claim they simply want more local control, the data is telling of their true motivation.  

The GAO report found that these new districts are overwhelmingly whiter and much less Black and brown. Of the 36 district successions, the student populations were 28% white and 57 percent Black before breaking away. The new districts were 73% white and 13% Black. What鈥檚 more, the report found that the newer districts cut their number of low-income students, as measured by eligibility for free and reduced-price school lunch, in half. As a result, the original districts were left with fewer resources for higher-needs student populations, while the breakaway, whiter districts generally took with them a higher tax base and a more privileged student population. The wealthier breakaway districts get more Advanced Placement courses, dual-enrollment opportunities and other academic advantages, while the poorer districts face budget cuts, staffing reductions and . The result is a deepening of not only racial segregation, but also opportunity and income gaps that perpetuate multigenerational poverty and community struggle. 

One community that has seen more than its share of district secessions is Memphis. In the years following the 2011 merger of Memphis City Schools with Shelby County Schools, the new Memphis-Shelby County School saw the formation of six breakaway districts, all of which are whiter and wealthier than the original consolidated district.  

Because of those political dynamics, the organization I lead, Leaders of Color, has worked to empower Black and brown leaders in Memphis. As a result of our work to train and expand the skills of these leaders, four of our alums currently serve on the Shelby County Commission and another sits on the county school board. In New York City, nearly half of our recent graduates now serve on community boards. These new Black and brown leaders are poised to shape the future of communities across the five boroughs and bend the arc of their history even further toward justice. Our goal is to train more than 400 emerging leaders of color across the country by 2023. 

These seats at the table are vital, as greater Black and brown representation in elected bodies, especially those with oversight of schools, and greater opportunity for students, residents and communities of color. From higher student achievement and graduation rates to more positive self-perceptions and sense of individual agency, the in the classroom, school, district and beyond is real and important. The inverse is also, sadly, true. 

The research makes clear that opportunity hoarding and segregation go hand in hand in the nation’s public schools. When the will of wealthier, whiter communities is placed before the interests of communities of color, it is Black and brown children who suffer the most. 

Empowering more leaders of color, and propelling more of them to elected office and positions of leadership, can ensure the voices, perspectives, needs and aspirations of their communities are not only heard, but truly placed at the center of public policy 鈥� both in its creation and its implementation.

These are some of the incentives and supports aimed at preventing an exodus of principals and school administrators taking on pandemic stressors and the nation鈥檚 divisive climate. 

Focused on problem solving, self-care and leadership skills, a handful of nonprofits run by experienced educators have launched support and training programs to aid principals, particularly leaders of color who are underrepresented in the field and experiencing more than their peers. 

Organizations are also recognizing a window of opportunity: recruiting and retaining principals of color to better match and support an increasingly diverse student population. Roughly of U.S. public school students are Indigenous, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian or multiracial, while about . 

鈥溾�楬ow could this be done differently? How can we support you?鈥� We’re not hearing that conversation. It is 鈥榶es you did this, now do this on top of what you’re doing.鈥� And I think that is driving a lot of people out because you don’t feel like you can be human,鈥� said TaraShaun Cain, executive director of the Black Principals Network. 

The group is one of several support networks that launched during the pandemic, as many leaders 鈥� faced with hostility from parents, death within their family, health concerns and working alongside mental health challenges 鈥� have said they may .

One new training is taking aim at the underlying cause of stress educators witness in tapped-out peers: The current role of principal has become unsustainable. And if reimagining school structures isn鈥檛 a part of training for the next generation of principals, school systems will likely continue to fail and overtax leaders.

Recognizing the emotional toll of leading schools in the current climate, the partnered with BetterHelp, an online mental health service platform, to provide leaders free phone, text or video counseling.听

Several are extending support beyond seated principals. Recruiting the next generation of school leaders is becoming more urgent, as one New York teacher leader noticed. 

鈥淭here’s a lot more hesitancy,鈥� said Margarita Lopez, a teacher and instructional coach for other educators at Urban Assembly Maker, a career and technical school in New York City. 

Lopez, who does not know anyone else currently interested in leadership, is pursuing the shift to leadership out of frustration, eager to change current systems that have left teachers unsupported, without meaningful feedback or professional development. 

鈥淚 saw it as a call to action for myself鈥’ve seen a lot of people that I’ve taught with leave education altogether,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淚’m seeing more of that, than people wanting to stay in education and become a school leader.鈥�

To make the role more attractive, at least one program is baking in opportunities to reshape school design while bearing the cost of training to make the career accessible and enticing to a more diverse pool of applicants.

Launched by Springpoint, a nonprofit dedicated to reimagining high school, and Boston-based philanthropy The Barr Foundation, the Transformative Leaders Massachusetts program is recruiting to better reflect the state鈥檚 diverse student population. 

For example, they may look to recruit multilingual leaders to support the state鈥檚 immigrant families, particularly from Brazil, Cape Verde the Azores and mainland Portugal. Massachusetts has the in the country.

The tuition-free leadership program will include coaching on how to encourage staff and student identity development, competency-based learning, and managing teams 鈥� thinking through the system and volume of direct reports that principals manage daily, for example.

About 10 teachers will begin the pilot two-year development program this summer 鈥� each participant will earn $20,000 stipends on top of their existing school salaries.

鈥淭here has been an addition of work without compensation. And for us, this is really a statement of valuing their time鈥� this should not be something that educators go into debt for. This should be something that is a pathway that feels clear and open,鈥� said Lauren Bassi, director of leadership and school design at Springpoint and former English teacher.

Breaking down the financial barrier for leaders to enter the profession while creating support has also been a priority for the , child of the popular leadership training program New Leaders, Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College. 

New principal fellows can complete a certificate-only program for $10,000, or earn a Master鈥檚 simultaneously for $20,000, and receive support to apply for grant funding. Fellows can pursue licensed positions in 37 states and Washington, D.C., thanks to recent state approvals, and will ultimately join a New Leaders alumni network of over 8,000. 

鈥淲hen we talk about fundamentally changing what is happening in education in our country, this is what we mean: transforming the system so that every school is led by an equity-focused principal with the highest expectations for every child,鈥� J. Fidel Turner, Dean of the Clark Atlanta School of Education, said in a press release.

New Leaders鈥檚 latest fellowship will focus on building the pipeline of principals of color to better reflect and serve student populations. Principals of color create better academic outcomes for students of color 鈥� who make up the nationally 鈥� and are more effective than their peers at recruiting and retaining teachers of color, according to .

The next few years could present an opportunity to better diversify the field and encourage better outcomes for students of color, , said New Leaders CEO Jean Desravines.

鈥淲e are not saying that we should transition out existing white principals. What we’re saying is there’s a recognition that there will be significant turnover in the field, a mass exodus because of mental health issues, because of COVID, because of the political environment,鈥� Desravines told 社区黑料. 鈥淚t will be a missed opportunity if we are not being intentional and strategic about how we build the pipeline in a way that ensures there’s far greater representation than there’s been in the past.鈥� 

Desravines added that principals, particularly those without supportive district leadership, have been feeling 鈥渋ncredibly lonely.鈥� There are about 11 and 9% of Black and Latino principals nationally, respectively. Some may be the only leader of color in their district or county 鈥� experiencing a mix of racist hostility or taking on more emotional labor to support marginalized students than their peers. 

Black Principal Network鈥檚 Executive Director Cain, for instance, built her career in her hometown of Chicago alongside many Black educators and leaders. But she knows that some, in places like Madison, Wisconsin, are the only ones in their district or county fiercely advocating for the 鈥渂abies that look like me.鈥� 

It鈥檚 become necessary to share strategies across state lines, so that leaders who would previously have never crossed paths, can share lessons learned like how to advance an equity initiative or deal with a combative school board. 

鈥淭here’s [professional] development needed, but what I learned is there are some internal obstacles that our guys face, too,鈥� said Keith Brooks, founder of the National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators, the group offering free access to BetterHelp therapy. 鈥淚mposter syndrome 鈥� just understanding their worth or value, or internalized racism, and being able to show up as their authentic self鈥� that was one of the biggest things that was getting in our guys鈥� ways.鈥� 

The Black Principal鈥檚 Network recognized a similar need near the beginning of the pandemic and widespread protests against racism and police violence. What began as a Facebook group has morphed into an online community of over 350; principals participate in self-care, sustainability, and self-discovery programming. 

While the Fellowship and Network specifically advocate for principals of color, the strategies and support offer a roadmap for the broader population of leaders. 

鈥淪ometimes you feel like being vulnerable or taking time means that you are abandoning, or it is a sign of weakness鈥e have to change that narrative,鈥� Cain said. 鈥淲e have to create a space where our leaders can actually get refilled and be recharged beyond what we have right now.鈥�

鈥淭here was a lot of disruption in actually providing quality instruction to students whether it is access to a teacher, a live teacher, or the mode of learning was chaotic and vacillating, and it ,鈥� said Commissioner Peggy Carr of the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the institute. 鈥淭his is an important way to understand the impact of the pandemic on our country.鈥� 

The School Pulse Panel is a series of surveys from January 2022 through May 2022 measuring COVID-19鈥檚 impact on public education. The surveys were sent to 800-850 public schools, with principals, administrators, superintendents, and staff responding. Here are some takeaways from IES鈥檚 School Pulse Panel:

1. COVID-19 negatively affected student鈥檚 development

A May 2022 survey found more than 80% of public schools reported 鈥渟tunted behavioral and socioemotional development鈥� in their students because of the COVID-19 pandemic,鈥� a 56% increase in 鈥渃lassroom disruptions from student misconduct,鈥� and a 49% increase in 鈥渞owdiness outside of the classroom.鈥� All schools surveyed reported a 55% increase in 鈥渟tudent tardiness.鈥� The use of cell phones, computers, or other electronics when not permitted for all schools increased by 42%.

2. Chronic teacher and student absenteeism has increased

Student and teacher absenteeism in the 2021-2022 school year increased in comparison to school years before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2021-2022 school year 61% of public schools also reported听it is 鈥渕uch more difficult鈥� to find substitute teachers; and that

• 74% reported having 鈥渁dministrators cover classes.鈥� 
• 71% reported having 鈥渘on-teaching staff cover classes.鈥� 
• 68% reported having 鈥渙ther teachers cover classes during their prep periods.鈥�
• 51% reported 鈥渟eparate sections and classes鈥� combined into one room.鈥�

Carr said she had heard from colleagues in Boston and Florida school districts that because of staffing shortages, superintendents had to return to classrooms to teach 鈥渂ecause it was so bad. I had heard that, but to see it in a nationally representative sample of schools that prevalent, is sobering.鈥�

Carr also said COVID quarantines are a factor in student absenteeism. 鈥淚t is normal to have students out because of quarantine, so when we talk about student absenteeism, it鈥檚 not all just because a student is just out, sometimes it is that they鈥檝e been quarantined because of COVID,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the new normal.鈥�

3. There is a greater need for mental health services among students and staff.

70% of public schools reported that 鈥渢he percentage of students who have sought mental health services increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic;鈥� and that 34% of public school students seeking out mental health services more than others were 鈥渆conomically disadvantaged students.鈥� The second highest percentage (25%) of public schools who sought out mental health services more than others were special needs students (25%).

鈥淭he teachers are having a rough time鈥oo, is what these data are showing,鈥� Carr said. 29% of public schools reported that the 鈥渄egree to which staff have sought mental health services from the school since the start of COVID-19鈥� has increased. 鈥淭hey are overworked, they don’t have the staff there to help them, teachers are quitting. They are having to teach courses they have not taught before. All of these things culminate into an unhealthy work environment for the teachers,鈥� she said.

4. Public schools face barriers to getting students the mental health services they need.

Most public schools (61%) said a limitation was 鈥渋nsufficient mental health professional staff coverage to manage caseload,鈥� 57% of the schools said it was 鈥渋nadequate access to licensed mental health professionals,鈥� and 48% said 鈥渋nadequate funding.鈥�

鈥淎 licensed professional is expensive,鈥� Carr said. 鈥淭oo few professionals are available in these schools to actually provide those services and inadequate access to licensed professionals that can really provide the level of quality of services that they need.鈥�

5. Schools changed their calendars to support students and staff

Nearly one third of the schools 鈥� 28% 鈥� surveyed reported making changes to their 鈥渄aily or yearly academic calendar to mitigate potential mental health issues for students and staff.鈥� In early July, went into effect to make high school and middle classes start no earlier than 8:30am. , New York, and Massachusetts lawmakers have had similar discussions about making school start times later.

6. Most schools are in-person 

By May 2022, most schools 鈥� 99% 鈥� were offering full-time in-person instruction, a slight increase from January when it was 97%, the survey found. In January, 40% of all public schools also offered a full-time remote option, which decreased to 34% in February, 33% in March, April, and May, the survey found.

7. School Breakfast and Meal Programs faced challenges.

Nearly 40% of the schools that operate USDA school and breakfast meal programs, 鈥渞eported challenges obtaining enough food, beverages, and/or meal service supplies.鈥� The top three most reported reasons for these challenges were 鈥渓imited product availability,鈥� 鈥渟hipment delays,鈥� 鈥渙rders arriving with missing items, reduced quantities, or product substitutions.鈥�

鈥淚 think we are continuing to be surprised by the range of experiences that schools are having to deal with as a result of COVID. It hasn鈥檛 subsided,鈥� Carr said. 鈥淚t is not over yet is what I believe these data are saying.鈥�

In one Massachusetts school, a midday 鈥渙ffice hours鈥� block became permanent 鈥� time for students to vent, unwind, and deep focus. In a Colorado school district, school-run food drives doubled as a chance to give vulnerable families tech devices and curricula updates. And in New York City, one assistant principal knocked on doors to engage students who鈥檇 gone silent.

The practices are some of the hundreds of successful pandemic-era strategies shared by 70 schools in , Next Generation Learning Challenges’ recent collaborative research study.  

鈥淚t would have been easy as we were designing distance and hybrid in-person learning for 2020-21, to rotate all students through in-person instruction, giving all of them the same amount of reduced time on campus,鈥� said Sarah Chostner of California鈥檚 Envision Education charter network. 

鈥淚nstead, we are seizing this opportunity to center our most marginalized students, dramatically increase teacher capacity, and advance student well-being and academic achievement.鈥�

Spotlighting the many lessons learned in the last two years, the report identified trends that made it easier for schools to weather the challenges of the pandemic: students and adults shared agency over decisions; built healthy school culture and strong relationships; and were willing to change systems, like academic supports and technology.

Three schools and districts in particular made it their mission to prevent students, families and staff from disengaging:  

Urban Assembly Maker Academy

A public vocational high school of just under 500 in New York City, in Lower Manhattan is a tightnight community. When March 13, 2020 came and went without guidance from the Department of Education, staff took matters into their own hands and drove remote learning devices to families over the weekend.听

The move was the first of many quick pivots and adjustments enabling their highest-ever graduation rate, 94 percent, mid-pandemic.

The school scaled down content to a few key necessities for the close of the 2019-2020 school year to avoid piling on academic stress to the health and financial stressors of the pandemic.

鈥淸It] allowed students to understand what success was going to look like and allowed teachers to narrow their planning and limit the content that they had to do 鈥� slow down and go deeper into fewer things and let students drive at their own pace,鈥� said former principal Luke Bauer.

Students were already familiar with the concept as the Urban Assembly Maker prioritized such 鈥溾�� learning for years. 

And for three Fridays each month, school volunteers and the assistant principal would knock on family鈥檚 doors to connect with those who had stopped logging on or participating. 鈥淭his had a real positive impact on those who had disconnected 鈥� it’s easy to hide so it was great to be seen,鈥� said Bauer.

鈥淲e were always trying to monitor how many kids we were in contact with. Tracking who might have dropped out and who they were in connection with – making sure we had a system to keep us all informed about where kids were,” Bauer added.

Uxbridge High School

For the first six months of pandemic learning at Uxbridge High School in southeast Massachusetts, students were as much a part of restructuring as administrators.

鈥淲e were constantly dipsticking our kids鈥� emotional state of mind 鈥� how busy they thought they were, did they feel like they needed to connect with someone, were there areas they could improve?鈥� said principal Michael Rubin.

The feedback prompted the creation of an 鈥渙ffice hours鈥� block, for connecting with each other and deciding exactly how to use their time.

The school constantly reimagined how schooltime was spent 鈥� because a hybrid schedule limited in-person connection with students, classes focused on more engaging projects and lessons. Reading long texts aloud, for example, stopped 鈥� students would do that on their own time. 

Even in terms of graduation 鈥� Uxbridge made timelines flexible for students. Two continued studies over the summer and three who had started the year as juniors made up coursework throughout the year. 

鈥淲e did not lose any seniors. Every senior who started the year graduated,鈥� Rubin said.

And to support staff tasked with providing two weeks of lesson plans in case of quarantine, 10 days of professional development were provided. Teachers could use the time as they needed 鈥� no mandatory sessions or all-day workshops.

鈥淭he school deliberately constructs an to parallel its student learning culture鈥攁nd extends that adult learning culture to include parents and caregivers as key learning resources,鈥� Rubin said. 

St. Vrain Valley Schools 

A 鈥渉igh-tech鈥� district of over 32,000 just northwest of Denver, St. Vrain Valley Schools immediately ramped up community engagement in March 2020. Food banks, two resource centers, and seven community wifi hotspots were set up, along with 3,000 iPads for elementary school families and individual hotspots for students鈥� homes. 

Their mission became, 鈥渟erving whole families and the whole community, not just the kids.鈥� Distributing half a million meals, 鈥渉elped us communicate with our most vulnerable families. Those getting meals were also getting packets, devices, advice, resources. That鈥檚 how we found the families who needed the supports,鈥� said Jackie Kapushion, deputy superintendent for the district, which just set a new record for graduation: 90 percent. 

The district also set out to redefine what student engagement looked like. While they tracked attendance, a central team, 鈥渢rained principals to work with teachers to gauge student involvement. Were they just logging in, or were they attending with zoom cameras on and participating in class and finishing assignments?鈥� Kapushion added. 

By the end of the year,  between 96 and 98 percent of students were participating.

Their advice to other school leaders: 鈥淕o out to the community. Talk with them about their needs and the state of the district.鈥�

To mark the 24 months since schools shut down because of COVID-19, 社区黑料 spoke with parents, educators, researchers and students across the U.S. We are running some of these interviews in their entirety to give complete accounts of where we鈥檝e been and where some think we鈥檙e going. 

Susan Enfield is finishing her 10th and final year as superintendent of the Highline Public Schools, near Seattle. A for chief in the San Diego Unified School District, Enfield has been a confidant for fellow chiefs and outspoken about the burdens placed on district and school leaders during the pandemic. In a January interview, Enfield described how she鈥檚 relied on her 鈥渟ister supes鈥� for support and said watching students return to learning in the classroom has been 鈥渁 tonic for the soul.鈥� She also spoke about how state and federal leaders have 鈥渁bdicated鈥� their responsibility during the pandemic, how educators from other countries are shocked that U.S. principals conduct contact tracing and spending weekends on her couch.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

社区黑料: Feb. 14 marked 700 days since most schools began closing. That number even took us by surprise. What鈥檚 your initial reaction to it?

Susan Enfield: I didn’t know that 700 days could both seem so long and so short simultaneously. The last couple of years have felt like a lifetime in and of themselves and yet at the same time it feels like it’s gone by in a flash. I think about all that we have accomplished and all that we’ve adapted to, but what I really am sort of fixing my sights on is the next 700 days.  

What was the moment you realized everything changed? What were you doing before and after?

A very good friend of mine who works in the , which was the first in the United States to close, called me, end of February, and said, 鈥淚 think we’re going to close.鈥� And I said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e nuts. What are you talking about?鈥� And he said, 鈥淎nd I think the rest of you won’t be far behind.鈥� I said, 鈥淣o way, there’s no way they’re going to close schools.鈥� I mean I really was incredulous.

In the ensuing days and weeks, it became abundantly clear that indeed, we were going to close, and so I quickly shifted. I think as leaders, you shift from your initial emotional response to putting your strategic hat on and preparing and figuring [it] out. Our last day with students was March 13, and so the week before that, I was watching what was happening, and I knew closure was coming. Our state hadn’t announced it yet, but I knew it was coming. 

I went to my chief operating officer and said, 鈥淕et prepared meals in place.鈥� I went to my chief technology officer and said, 鈥淟et’s figure out what we’re going to do around Internet access. Get as many hotspots as you can.鈥� I went to my teaching and learning team and said, 鈥淪tart getting packets together.鈥�

We all mobilized so that when we eventually did have to close, we were as prepared as you could be. At least we had a bit of a head start. I think that’s the luck of geography. I’m in a region that was so close to the initial districts that closed. Of course, we thought we were planning for a matter of weeks. I don’t think any of us envisioned months-long, a year-and-a-half long of students being out of school.

The last couple of years have meant every day is a fresh challenge, and I don’t think anything surprises us anymore.

What other decisions do you remember having to make in the first weeks after schools closed?

Superintendents have a wonderful sense of camaraderie. We’re kindred spirits. There’s a tremendous sense of collegial support and that predates the pandemic. But boy, did the pandemic really heighten that. I was in constant communication prior to that closure with districts in my region and South King County of Seattle. There is a group of superintendents, and our districts all serve very similar demographics. We Have a lot of transition of students and staff between our districts. So we really try to make decisions in unison because it makes the most sense for our families. It minimizes the chaos. Once we heard that Seattle had made the decision to close, that’s when we knew we had to make the decision. We reached out to the governor and the Department of Health and said, 鈥淪eattle made its decision. We really need the state to make a decision and that would be what’s best, but we’re going to act on our own if you don’t.鈥�

We really had to take matters into our own hands. That’s been a huge theme of this pandemic. School districts have taken on tremendous responsibility. Others have abdicated their leadership, and I use that term very, very deliberately. 

The governor said he would make his decision by the next day. It was a Thursday, and I remember this distinctly. When the decision came out, it was early afternoon and Friday was a non-student day. That meant we were sending students home that Thursday and they weren’t going to come back to school for  鈥� at the time, we thought several weeks, but what ended up being longer. I called my principal supervisors in and said, 鈥淵ou need to get to all of your principals, and you need to tell them to get to teachers and to end instruction early so that they can explain to students to the best of their ability what’s happening.鈥�

We have so many students in our district 鈥� this is not unique to Highline and this is not true for every child, I want to be clear 鈥� who think of  school as a safe place. It’s a haven. It’s where they feel connected and supported with their friends and their teachers. [It was troubled by the] thought of sending them home and them not being able to process with their teachers why they weren’t coming back on Monday. I think that was one of the things I’m really glad we did to minimize some of the trauma. 

The greatest gift we give to children is a sense of predictability, a sense of calm, a sense of what is known. For children to be thrust into chaos and the unknown is one of the most traumatizing things that can happen to them. Our goal was to give them a sense of calm, that it was going to be OK.

What has been the darkest part of the pandemic for you?

We lost two middle school students to suicide early in the pandemic. I’m grateful that did not continue, though that was my greatest concern. We lost staff members [to COVID] as well. The loss of human life has been the darkest part 鈥� knowing how hard this was and how out of my control it was to do more to help.

When we were handing out meals one day, a woman drove up. I would always ask, 鈥淗ow are your children doing?鈥� She started crying and said, 鈥淣ot good.鈥� I had her pull over to the side, and I said, 鈥淭ell me what’s going on.鈥� She is a grandmother and she said her grandson had special needs and he had regressed so quickly within a couple of months that he would walk in circles around the kitchen and not talk to anybody. She was literally begging me to do something and there was nothing really that I could do. At that particular moment, we weren鈥檛 in any way equipped to bring even our students with special needs in. Nobody was coming back yet. It was those moments you realize how hard this was on people in so many ways, and that as a leader, a fellow community member, a fellow human being, there wasn’t more you could do to alleviate their pain and suffering. I think those were the darkest moments.

What have you done to take care of yourself, to get through the rough times?

Early on, a group of female superintendents from around the country 鈥� we refer to ourselves as 鈥渟ister supes鈥� 鈥�  had a standing Sunday afternoon Zoom where we would check in. Sometimes we would do a book study, but a lot of times it was, 鈥淗ow are you doing? What’s going on?鈥� Going for walks with my husband and frankly allowing myself to feel pain and to grieve. I think as leaders we do need to inspire hope and let people know it’s going to be OK and be strong. But we also have to sort of balance that strength and courage with vulnerability. There were weekends where I didn’t get off the couch. I’ve been pretty honest about that in conversations with others. I said to someone once, 鈥淚f one more person says, 鈥榊ou got this,鈥� I’m gonna smack 鈥榚m.鈥� A year and a half ago, I didn’t 鈥済ot this,鈥� and [people] were lying. I’m sorry, they were just lying.

I don’t think we do ourselves, our colleagues or anyone any service by faking it. I think superintendents need to feel and care for themselves and share those feelings. I’ve been pretty honest and vulnerable about my struggle. It’s also in some ways reassuring to staff, like 鈥淥h my gosh, it’s OK that I’m feeling like my life is imploding because the superintendent feels that way.鈥� You say, 鈥淵ou know, I was in a fetal position on my couch this weekend, but I did what I needed to do to take care of myself so I could show up on Monday. We’re going to get through this, and the way we’re going to get through this is one day at a time, moving forward together.鈥� It’s strength, courage and vulnerability 鈥� that mix. It’s not equal parts everyday. Sometimes it’s heavier on one side.

What gives you hope now, 700 days later?

That’s hard, because the last few weeks with the Omicron surge have in some ways been even harder than those initial days. I think back to spring of 2020 and the planning that we had to do. My team and I never worked so hard in our lives. It was 24/7, figuring out how we were going to do a hybrid model. I have an extraordinary team, but it pushed us to our limits. I thought that was as hard as it’s ever gonna be, but there’s been something about the last few weeks coming out of the winter break and coming perilously close to going remote again. It鈥檚 a little harder to find hope right now. I think we thought we’d be in a very different place. That said, I do feel like we’ve turned a corner in this most recent surge.

People struggle hearing this, but we are moving into the endemic phase of this, and that may not be what everyone wants to hear. We are moving into living with, rather than living in fear of the virus. I am hopeful that in the coming weeks and months, we are going to collectively come to that understanding and adapt to a way of life that will be far more familiar 鈥� I don’t use the term normal anymore 鈥� but a way of living, a way of working that will feel more familiar to what we knew prior to the pandemic. I think entering that phase gives me hope.

As hard as it’s been working in schools during this time, I also have the great gift of going into schools and seeing children, educators, nutrition services, transportation workers and custodians who are doing such extraordinary work. Nothing gives you more hope than seeing kindergartners engaged in their learning, so happy to be in their school with their classmates and their teachers. It’s a tonic for the soul. When you’ve committed your life to working in public education, you get up every day believing the impossible is possible. We’ve accomplished things over the last 700 days that if someone had told us three years ago, 鈥淚n about six months, you’re going to be doing these,鈥� we would have said there’s no way we could do that. We did it and we’re stronger for it. I think we could all use a nice vacation, but we’re stronger for it.

What’s one thing about superintendents that you think nobody has understood from the beginning of this crisis?

That we鈥檙e people first. I had school staff that were very upset with me during the period when we were bringing students back to school in hybrid. I had a meeting with them. They wanted to have a healing conversation, and the prompt, as we went around the room was, 鈥淲hat do you need people here to know?鈥� I was part of the circle, so I got to answer, and I said, 鈥淚 need you to know that I’m a person first and a superintendent second. So when you are attacking the superintendent, when you are attacking the district, you are attacking me. I bleed like the rest of them. I feel like you do.鈥� I think this notion that superintendents need to be superhuman and that somehow we make these incredibly difficult decisions that we know have tremendous impact on the lives of children and families in a way that is capricious or uncaring is so far from the truth. 

There isn’t a decision that any superintendent I know has made over the past year that they haven’t agonized over. I mean agonized over. Superintendents are used to making hard decisions and taking the hits, but in so many instances, there was no good decision, so I was choosing the least bad option available. That was tough and I’ve seen it take a toll on my colleagues. Some have truly suffered. I’m very fortunate. I have not had that level of attack. Superintendents are thinking, feeling, human beings who are doing this work because we care deeply about our children and our community. We’re trying to do right by them, and we get it wrong sometimes, absolutely. We’re human, but we acknowledge when we get it wrong, and we come back and try to make it right. I think that’s all we can ask of our leaders 鈥� honesty and a sense of continuing to try to do better.

Describe a moment when you felt you were getting conflicting guidance or conflicting instructions. What did you ultimately do and why?

It’s been commonplace. That’s been our reality, at least here in Washington State, but I know we’re not alone: trying to make sense of [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidance, Department of Health guidance, local public health guidance, state superintendent guidance. It sometimes does conflict, especially with respect to distancing and contact tracing. Sometimes those don’t align. The CDC may come out with something and we’ve been following our Department of Health guidelines that don’t readily adapt. My families want to know why we’re not doing what the CDC is saying. Well, we’re being consistent in following the Department of Health. It puts districts in a very difficult position because our families and staff are looking to us for answers, and we are trying to give them the best answers possible, but because the guidance sometimes conflicts and quite frankly is ever-changing. it’s sometimes hard to give them the clarity and the certainty they’re looking for, and people are desperate for certainty in any way shape or form they can find it.

I want to be clear. I will lay plenty of criticism at the feet of those in leadership who I believe did not do what they needed to do and did not own what they needed to own. That said, I also understand that everybody, regardless of your position, was figuring this out as we went along and there was no road map for this. I get that. I’ve been very clear that we need to give one another grace, and that goes for our elected officials and Department of Health officials. I believe they’re doing the best they can under difficult circumstances because this is a constantly changing and evolving and fluid situation. However, I do believe that school districts have had to take on a tremendous amount of leadership that should have been handled at other levels of the state and federal government.

My father once told me that when you’re backed into a corner you do the best you can and make the best decision you can. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong, and we were all backed into a massive corner in this pandemic, and we got it right and we got it wrong. For example, contact tracing. Why in heaven’s name were school officials ever put in the position to be responsible for contact tracing? That’s a public health responsibility. When I talked to educators in other countries, their jaws were on the ground. That continues to take a huge toll on my principals and it’s so time consuming.

I work with the best team of professionals at every level of my system, anywhere in this country. I’ll put them up against anybody, and on many occasions they’ve come close to the breaking point. As superintendent, I have to make sure that I’m not pushing them past that breaking point. I think at the end of the day, we’ll come back and wonder if there was a better way. 

Did you ever think of quitting and, if so, why didn’t you?

I don’t think I ever thought of quitting. There were moments where I thought I don’t know if I can do this, but that’s different than quitting. I never said, 鈥淚’m out of here,鈥� and my decision to leave Highline was not a response to the pandemic. I’m ready for a fresh challenge and Highline is ready for a fresh leader. I didn’t think of quitting. That doesn’t make me super strong and special and courageous. I think I was blessed to go through the past 700 days in Highline. I’ve said many times, I’d rather not have to live through a global pandemic, but if I did, Highline is the place I鈥檇 want to be. I’ve taken my fair share of hits with the rest of them, but my board has been so supportive, and so has my staff, my families, my community andmy union leadership for the most part. Of course, there have been disagreements, but I think people have really understood that we’re all doing our best and we’re all in this together. I hope they’ll look back and say I did right by them.

Putting a human face to this is really important, especially in the online era, it’s super easy to type into the chat box or the Q&A box. I remember doing one of our webinars on returning to school and bringing staff back in hybrid, because almost half of my families wanted to send their kids back, and I had a responsibility to make that happen. One staff member typing in the chat box wrote, 鈥淧lease tell me how long it will take for my husband to receive my death benefits after I die because you forced me back to school.鈥� 

I finally said in a long speech at one meeting that you can disagree with me, you can even dislike me. That’s fine. But I ask you to sit back and be honest with yourself and your criticism. I’ve lived in this community for almost a decade now. Whether you like me or not, you know me, and I don’t think anyone would honestly say that I don’t genuinely care about the children and families in this community. I may get it wrong and you may not like it, but to say that I don’t care 鈥� that I have to take issue with.

An advocate of school choice, nontraditional schools and known champion of undocumented student rights, Carvalho, 57, has run Miami鈥檚 schools for more than a decade.听

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Carvalho鈥檚 sometimes unusual reform tactics have been credited for Miami-Dade鈥檚 rising high school graduation rate, now about 鈥� about than rates the year prior to his tenure.听

His aggressive approach to school reform may be welcome in Los Angeles, a system struggling with , student and overall . 听

Here are four things to know about the man set to head up the nation鈥檚 second largest district:听

1. Carvalho has spent his entire career in the Miami-Dade school system, starting as a high school science teacher in the 1980s.

Originally on track to become a doctor, he accepted a teaching job in his early 20s and 鈥渢he bug infected me,鈥� he told the 74.

In his 13 year tenure as superintendent, he鈥檚 pushed for the expansion of charter and magnet schools throughout Miami and encouraged families to use publicly funded vouchers to attend private schools.听

The 鈥減rivatization鈥� of the district, and its hefty payouts to expand school security, have garnered over concerns that they鈥檝e siphoned funds from existing, traditional schools.

鈥淲e are now working in an educational environment that is driven by choice. I believe that is a good thing. We need to actually be engaged in that choice movement. So if you do not ride that wave, you will succumb to it. I choose not to,鈥� he once said of his stance.

The academic success of his districts鈥� nontraditional schools is a reminder of how, as he summed up in a 2015 conversation with 社区黑料, 鈥�one size fits none.鈥�

From 2017 to 2019, no schools in his district were marked as failing by Florida鈥檚 Department of Education. Carvalho called the rankings, a first for the district, 鈥�.鈥澨�

2. He鈥檚 not a stranger to public confrontations, this year taking on Florida Gov. DeSantis over mask mandates.

This summer, while Florida COVID-19 hospitalizations rose, Gov. Ron DeSantis who defied his executive order banning mask mandates.听

Carvalho balked. 鈥�At no point shall I allow my decision to be influenced by a threat to my paycheck, a small price to pay considering the gravity of this issue and the potential impact to the health and well-being of our students and dedicated employees,鈥� he said in a .听

It wasn鈥檛 the first time he鈥檇 publicly challenged state or federal leaders in efforts to protect students in Miami-Dade. In 2012, he threatened to resign if Daniela Pelaez, a North Miami valedictorian, was deported per a judge鈥檚 order.听

鈥淚 took a position then, I stood with the students,鈥� he told 社区黑料.听

Pelaez was , and President Obama鈥檚 executive order protecting undocumented DREAMers from deportation was enacted .

3. For Carvalho, student immigrant rights are personal. He grew up in Portugal and came to NYC as an undocumented immigrant in his teens.

鈥淚 remember landing in New York City, JFK International Airport, and the rest is history,鈥� Carvalho told 社区黑料 in 2018.听

Carvalho left his home in Portugal as a teen, just after becoming the first in his family to finish high school, in pursuit of higher education and financial freedom.听

He arrived without knowing English as an undocumented immigrant, at times experiencing homelessness, working as a busboy and construction worker in NYC and South Florida.听

In 2017, as President Trump鈥檚 administration firmly stood against undocumented immigration, Carvalho banned ICE from Miami-Dade鈥檚 鈥渟anctuary schools鈥� 鈥� a stark contrast to the county鈥檚 policy to detain undocumented immigrants.听

Many of the district’s students emigrated as children from Haiti, Brazil, Guatemala, Cuba and Mexico.听

鈥� will any federal entity enter our schools to take immigration actions against our kids,鈥� he declared on television at the time.听

4. In 2018, he was slated to run NYC schools and turned the offer down 鈥� on live TV.

After weeks of courtship by NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who called him 鈥渁 world-class educator with an unmatched track record of success,鈥� Carvalho stunned the nation after he rejected the offer during a televised Miami school board meeting.听

In a familiar flair for the dramatic, he took an extended pause from the live broadcast, returning to tearfully declare that he鈥檇 stay with Miami-Dade.听

鈥�I am breaking an agreement between adults to honor an agreement and a pact I have with the children of Miami,鈥� , admitting he鈥檇 received a supportive wave of texts and voicemails from Florida families the night before the announcement.听

The decision to NYC media and politicians, given the lengthy search process and previous indications he鈥檇 accept the coveted role to lead schools in the nation鈥檚 largest district.听