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While it continues to be my firm belief that the changes and improvement we’re all working towards in public education will take a collaborative effort of parents, educators, community members, policymakers and students themselves, I was reminded last week that collaborative efforts never get off the ground without inspired leadership when the NASSP announced the 2012 National High School Principal and 2012 National Middle School Principal of the Year.  Both Michael Foran, Principal of New Britain High School in New Britain, CT, and Linda Archambault, Principal of R.O. Gibson Middle School in Las Vegas, NV, the 2012 winners, assumed leadership of two troubled schools five years ago and both have succeeded in changing the culture of the school in ways that have resulted in improved working conditions for the professionals and impressive achievement gains for the students they serve.

Michael Foran began his leadership of the largest high school in the state of Connecticut by making swift and necessary changes to improve the urban school’s climate.  He established a working environment based on collaboration and open communication, teacher engagement and stakeholder involvement.  With a high minority population, Foran wanted to ensure that each student was provided a rigorous and personalized education.  He developed data teams to design more tailored instruction and established a highly successful ninth grade academy.  He has involved local businesses to align the school’s curriculum with relevant, 21^st century workplace standards. As a result, the school has raised student test scores, reduced its dropout rate, increased its graduation rate and seen a 25% increase in AP course participation.

When Linda Archambault assumed leadership at R.O. Gibson Middle School, it was considered among the top twenty most violent schools in the country.  The building was dilapidated and unsafe and teachers and parents were emotionally checked out.  To make the school a place where educators were proud to work and students proud to attend, she enlisted the help of teachers and community members to bring the building up to code.  Volunteers painted the walls and improved the landscaping, and she put in hundreds of work orders to address such issues as open wiring.  Once the building was restored and safety was made a priority, Archambault devised programs to get parents more involved.  To meet the needs of the large Hispanic community, she provided an interpreter at every parent meeting, which has resulted in increased parental participation in school activities.  She rearranged classrooms so teachers of the same subject are in close proximity to each other and better able to hold meaningful conversations about curriculum and instruction.  Gibson made AYP in 2009 for the first time; discipline referrals have dropped; attendance has improved.

None of this impressive work was motivated by education policies or resulted from widespread teacher firings or punitive actions.  Rather, two talented education leaders brought their vision and beliefs to bear in providing leadership for the professionals in the schools they lead.  Context, structure and the belief that the teachers and students in the building wanted to succeed resulted in schools that support the growth and development of our nation’s human capital that we all aspire to.  The examples of Michael Foran and Linda Archambault should humble all of us and provide the roadmap for what true school reform looks like.