Meet the Leaders Special Report

2017 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From

Recognizing excellence in school-district leadership
Personalized Learning Leader To Learn From Personalized Learning in Practice: How a Risk-Taker Tailored Learning in Her District
Patricia Deklotz instills a culture of personalized learning in which students choose how and what they learn and teachers create their own microcredentials to advance their careers.
9 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Leader To Learn From Forging a Firm Path to College With High Expectations and No Excuses
Dolores Gonzalez, the chief program officer for IDEA Public Schools, has shaped an academic program that focuses on erasing achievement gaps in the earliest grades and putting first-generation college-goers on a firm path to higher education. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
8 min read
Reading & Literacy Leader To Learn From Superintendent Fosters Love of Reading
Superintendent César Morales leveraged his district’s 1-to-1 tablet initiative to create a massive bilingual-literacy campaign and make tens of thousands of electronic books in English and Spanish accessible to students and their families in Oxnard, Calif. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
5 min read
Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From An Unwavering Advocate for Racial Equity in Schools
In Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools, John D. Marshall uses data to unmask racial inequities and demand policy changes and supports for students of color and those who are poor. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
8 min read
School & District Management Leader To Learn From Amid Flint's Water Crisis, Schools Chief Is a Calm Force
Bilal Tawwab, the superintendent of schools in Flint, Mich., refuses to use the city’s lead-water crisis as an excuse from keeping his team of educators focused on improving student achievement in a long-struggling school district. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
7 min read
Bilal Tawwab
Bilal Tawwab
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Families & the Community Leader To Learn From Superintendent Builds Bridges to New Immigrant Communities
With his “teach them all” ethos, Superintendent Jim Rollins is on the leading edge of helping immigrant students and their families find a foothold in Arkansas’ Springdale Public Schools and the broader community. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
7 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Leader To Learn From Educator's Pre-Veterinary Program Sends Navajo Students to College
Clyde McBride, the director of career and technical education in Kayenta, Ariz., runs a powerhouse pre-veterinary-sciences program that gives Navajo students hands-on experience that propels them to college, prepares them for the workforce, and puts them at the center of supporting their communities. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
8 min read
Recruitment & Retention Leader To Learn From Building Up the Teacher Workforce in Small-Town Iowa
Superintendent Chris Coffelt works tirelessly to recruit, retain, and improve the practice of teachers who might otherwise be drawn to bigger cities and bigger salaries outside his small Iowa school district. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
8 min read
Equity & Diversity Leader To Learn From Casting a Wider Net for Giftedness
Seminole County, Fla., schools Superintendent Walt Griffin, along with school psychologist Jeanette Lukens, are scouting more broadly for talent and bringing more diversity to the district’s gifted student population. They are recognized as 2017 Leaders To Learn From.
8 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Leader To Learn From Superintendent Knocks Down Barriers to Learning for Poor Students
In South Carolina's Greenville County Schools, Superintendent W. Burke Royster enlists a wide array of partners to help keep students—especially those in poor communities—engaged in school and on track to graduate. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
7 min read
School & District Management Leader To Learn From A Passion for Saving Schools on the Brink
Sharon Griffin, the chief of schools in Tennessee’s Shelby County Schools, has led an urgent effort to turn around the academic performance of more than 20 low-performing schools in Memphis. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
7 min read
Sharon Griffin
Sharon Griffin
Yalonda M. James for Education Week
Classroom Technology Leader To Learn From Smart Ed-Tech Strategy That Comes From the Classroom
Joseph Williams, the technology director in California’s Perris Union High School District, demands fast responses to IT problems and insists on keeping close connections to teaching and learning by sitting in on lessons and coaching his colleagues. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
6 min read
Joesph Williams
Joesph Williams
Sandy Huffaker for Education Week
Families & the Community Leader To Learn From Giving Parents a Prominent Voice in Schools
As the head of family engagement in Washington state’s Federal Way Public Schools, Trise Moore helps parents navigate a large bureaucracy and puts them at the center of the district’s decisionmaking. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
7 min read
Trise Moore
Trise Moore
Ian C. Bates for Education Week

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