One glaring problem was a disproportionate suspension rate for students in certain ethnic groups. “It was heart-wrenching to hear that in a district that I love and consider my home—I’ve been here for 25 years—that in many ways [students] felt invisible,” Dent laments.

Compounding the challenge was that the district began its equity work at a time of heightened political divisiveness and resistance from some corners of the community to promoting inclusivity in all school operations. “We were making sure every student felt valued… by celebrating culture, by having different languages present, so students can walk down hallways and see themselves,” says Dent, Washington’s Superintendent of the Year for 2024.

More from DA: Districts charge into 2024 with a diverse group of new leaders

The results of these efforts were a drop in those problematic suspensions and a significant increase in graduation rates for Hispanic students.

Along the way, a new administrator was hired to ensure equal access for all learners and students formed the district’s first Black student union. The district’s school board, which was also recognized as tops in the state this year, has passed the first policy to explicitly prohibit racist behavior.

“It’s been exciting to see these students feel more empowered in their buildings, feel like they have a voice,” notes Dent, who has been Sumner-Bonney Lake’s leader since 2016. “It makes my heart so happy that students are coming together to share their experiences, and they feel safe doing it.

“We finally made it safe to talk about race in this district,” she adds.

Feeling safe, seeking help

Still, student mental health is one thing that keeps Dent up at night. She hopes Sumner-Bonney Lake is easing the challenge with its DEI work and by hiring more diverse staff members. Dent has placed five counselors at each high school and provided them with intensive training in trauma-informed practices.

She has also expanded teletherapy, hosted a mental health night specifically for student-athletes and their families, and hired a coordinator to oversee Sumner-Boney Lake’s whole-child initiatives. “When kids feel safe at school, they’re going to be more willing to reach out for help,” she attests.

Sumner-Bonney Lake’s students have been academically resilient, as evidenced by rising test scores. But from the pandemic to the constant thrum of social media to various external pressures, there appear to be many causes for the increased levels of anxiety and depression students are experiencing, Dent suspects.

“It’s kids feeling connected and forging that sense of connection again, even with relationships—like ‘It’s OK to look at somebody and talk to them, you don’t have to just text them,'” she concludes. “I don’t know what toll technology is taking on them.”

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Research from The Superintendent Lab, a website dedicated to providing insights and research about school district leadership, offers some perspective on some of the most pressing challenges surrounding the superintendency, including leadership turnover.

To give you a better idea of the state of superintendent attrition across the U.S., we’ve compiled some key findings based on The Superintendent Lab’s research.

A five-year snapshot

Between 2019-20 and 2023-24, more than 40% of districts witnessed one superintendent departure, according to data visualizations created by Rachel White, founder/PI of The Superintendent Lab. Some 7.9% of districts had two superintendents leave and 1.5% saw three or more depart.

Overall, more than half of districts across 37 states had at least one superintendent departure since 2019-20.

Attrition rates are higher in certain states

Headlines over the past year have highlighted this issue in their respective states. Nearly one-third of superintendents in Oregon, for instance, are in their first or second year, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports. In Georgio, too, the number of superintendent departures nearly doubled over the past two years, according to 11Alive.

More from DA: NSPRA names its 25 superintendents to watch for 2023

Similarly, The Superintendent Lab found that between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, attrition rates in district leadership were greater than 20% in 14 states. States like Montana, Hawaii, New Mexico, Louisiana, North Carolina and Delaware saw attrition rates of 24% or higher in 2023-24. West Virginia, however, had the highest level of attrition at 36.4%.

Some states are losing female leaders

There has been extensive research about the ongoing gender gap in the superintendency. A recent report from ILO Group suggests that of the nation’s 500 largest school districts, just 152 of them (30.4%) are led by women.

The Superintendent Lab’s data paints a similar picture, although its state-by-state analysis shows signs of regression in some areas.

For instance, states like New Hampshire, Idaho and Delaware have made tremendous progress in this regard. In the last five years, they’ve seen increases in female superintendent hires ranging from nine to 12%. On the other hand, states like New Mexico, Arizona, South Dakota and others have seen declines in female district leaders since 2019.

For a more in-depth look at this data, which includes interactive data visualizations and additional media briefs, visit The Superintendent Lab here.

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That’s according to the NSPRA, which recently released its 2023 award recipients just ahead of Christmas break for most districts. In 2023, the organization recorded a record number of nominations (more than 70), making it a very competitive year for the selection process, the NSPRA notes in a news release.

2023’s list of Superintendents to Watch celebrate on behalf of a wide array of states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

“This year’s honorees understand the critical role that effective, two-way communication plays in building trust with students, families employees and community members,” NSPRA Executive Director Barbara M. Hunter said in a statement. “Each of these leaders have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to championing innovative communication strategies to advance their district’s success.”

The award recipients will also be recognized at the NSPRA 2024 National Seminar in July. Here’s a look at 2023’s list of honorees:

• Fal Asrani, Marysville Joint Unified School District, Marysville, California
• Philip Brown, Jackson County School System, Jefferson, Georgia
• Jessica Dain, Piper Unified School District 203, Kansas City, Kansas
• Monique Darrisaw-Akil, Uniondale Union Free School District, Uniondale, New York
• Trey Duke III, Murfreesboro City Schools, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
• Mary Gorr, Mount Prospect School District 57, Mount Prospect, Illinois
• Raquel Greer, Maize Unified School District 266, Maize, Kansas
• Trenton Hansen, Jurupa Unified School District, Jurupa Valley, California
• Melanie Kay-Wyatt, Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria, Virginia
• Marcus Lewton, Dickinson Public Schools, Dickinson, North Dakota
• Bradford Lusk, Hamilton Community Schools, Hamilton, Michigan
• Jay Mann, Creighton School District, Phoenix, Arizona
• Jeff Mayo, Arlington Community Schools, Arlington, Tennessee
• Eric Melbye, Bloomington Public Schools, Bloomington, Minnesota
• Rachel Monárrez, Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, Massachusetts
• Whitney Oakley, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Herbert O’Neil, Hempstead Independent School District, Hempstead, Texas
• Sheila Quinn, Clover School District, Clover, South Carolina
• Lori Rapp, Lewisville Independent School District, Lewisville, Texas
• Frank Rodriguez, Beaufort County School District, Beaufort, South Carolina
• Nate Rudolph, Cambridge-Isanti Schools, Cambridge, Minnesota
• Kirk Shrum, Visalia Unified School District, Visalia, California
• Kelly Tess, The Winnetka Public Schools, Winnetka, Illinois
• Maria Vazquez, Orange County Public Schools, Orlando, Florida
• Iranetta Rayborn Wright, Cincinnati Public Schools, Cincinnati, Ohio

More from DA: As teacher shortages persist, districts look for creative solutions

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“It feels like we are united as a community more so than we ever have been,” says Rodrequez, who has led the district for eight years and was named Missouri’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year. “It’s bringing us all together around a common purpose and a common understanding … in a way that maybe we didn’t have before.”

The school rebranding process began with “a lot of conversations with a lot of people,” he points out. From staff to families and beyond, stakeholders were asked about what distinguished Grandview C-4 schools and where the district was excelling.

More from DA: School-within-a-school uses PBL to help students make a big move

“There wasn’t a unified answer—everybody had different looks at it so it was hard for us to truly determine what our identity was,” he notes. “So we started talking to a lot of community members about how do we unite around a common purpose.”

One of the pillars that emerged, and became part of the district’s mission statement, was developing future-ready students. Previously, that focus did not extend beyond high school as other educators saw their role as moving students up to the next grade rather than preparing them for college and careers.

“This was something our community and teachers rallied around,” Rodrequez points out. “Preparing students for their future may just be kindergarten or first grade.”

Then there was the district’s family of mascots. While the high school and middle school communities knew themselves as the Grandview Bulldogs, the district’s five elementary schools had five different identities. Surprisingly, he adds, there was little pushback to changing everyone over to the Bulldogs, as evidenced by T-shirts, stickers and other enthusiasm students displayed once the shift was finalized.

“They didn’t see themselves as that other identity—’I don’t really see myself as a Meadowlark,'” he explains. “They could rally behind everybody being a Bulldog because that’s what they see themselves as in middle school and high school.”

School rebranding also jibed with the district’s wide-ranging construction projects, which were funded by Grandview’s largest-ever bond approval—$45 million—in 2021. It allowed to planners to use the same logo and color scheme as they built a new gymnasium and redesigned CTE facilities, cafeterias and band rooms. Finally, the reinvigorated spirit of unity has filtered into the classroom via a districtwide focus on literacy, which has driven three years of growth. The number of students reading on grade level has risen to over 60% from just under 30%.

Rodrequez says he is trying to savor the success as the construction projects—and the rebranding—are now largely completed. “You’re constantly looking three to four years down the road and hoping to get there,” he concludes. “I’m excited about the next phases but I’m still living in the moment of this; it’s a really great year to live through.”

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Most recently, and two days after Christmas, Elkhart Community Schools in Indiana chose Larry Huff to succeed Superintendent Mark Mow. Huff, who will become Elkhart’s new leader in July, is currently the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township’s chief academic officer.

Among the largest districts to make a year-end appointment was Austin ISD in Texas, which unanimously picked interim superintendent Matias Segura to keep the top spot full-time. Segura, who joined Austin ISD in 2017, has been the interim superintendent since Jan. 3, 2023. A graduate of Austin ISD and the son of a teacher in the district, Segura had previously served as chief of operations.

More from DA: Experts: 6 things that will strengthen school climate

Several other Texas districts also secured new leaders heading into 2024, including two that hired their first-ever female superintendents. Kristin Craft became superintendent of Boerne ISD on Jan. 2 after having served as Spring Branch ISD’s associate superintendent of academics and chief academic officer since 2018. Keller ISD has promoted Tracy Johnson to superintendent from her previous role as the district’s chief human resources officer.

Fort Bend ISD near Houston named as its next leader Duncanville ISD Superintendent Marc Smith, who is set to sign his new contract next week. Smith, a 30-year educator, also served as the superintendent of Marshall ISD and was previously a principal and assistant superintendent in Fort Bend. Arlington ISD near Dallas has appointed Matt Smith, who is currently the superintendent of Belton ISD and has been a K12 administrator for more than 20 years.

More new leaders

In Wisconsin, Superintendent Monica Kelsey-Brown is moving to the Waunakee Community School District from the Brown Deer School District, which she has led since the 2020-2021 school year. She has also served as a student achievement supervisor with Milwaukee Public Schools.

Another superintendent changing places is Russell Dyer, who was unanimously voted in as the new director of Collierville Schools in Tennessee after having led Cleveland City Schools in the same state for eight years. He also served as Collierville’s chief of staff from 2014-16.

In another hire from within, interim superintendent Lori Wilson was the unanimous choice to become the next leader of the Ozark School District in Missouri. She had been Ozark’s assistant superintendent of business and chief financial officer since 2022, previously serving as superintendent of the West Plains School District, also in Missouri.

And in Mississippi, Ted Poore was selected to become the superintendent of Madison County Schools after having served the district for 26 years. Poore, who will take over for retiring Superintendent Charlotte Seals in July, will immediately become Madison County’s deputy superintendent. He was previously a teacher, coach, counselor and school-level administrator in the district.

These new leaders were also chosen in the following districts:

• Jim DuBois, Goshen Community Schools (Indiana)
• Scott Faul, Minot Public Schools (North Dakota)
• Cleo Perry, St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools (Louisiana)
• Casey Wright, Nordonia Hills City School District (Ohio)

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• Joe Gothard, Saint Paul Public Schools, Minn.
• Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball Independent School District, Texas
• Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, Contoocook Valley School District, N.H.
• Frederick Williams, Dublin City Schools, Ga.

“Our honorees took their respective school districts and their entire school communities to higher heights of excellence,” said David R. Schuler, executive director, AASA, the School Superintendents Association. “They are prime examples of what it means to be a superintendent in today’s post-COVID world.”

The Superintendent of the Year finalists were chosen based on achievements in the following categories: leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement. Here is a snapshot of each of the finalists:

Joe Gothard, Saint Paul Public Schools: Gothard has served since 2017 as superintendent of Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS), Minnesota’s second-largest and most diverse district with 33,000 students and over 6,000 employees. He launched the SPPS Achieves strategic plan in December 2018 to set goals for student achievement, guide decision-making and focus on long-term student outcomes.

Throughout the pandemic, he has prioritized community well-being, equity, and fiscal sustainability. He was previously superintendent of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191, Burnsville, also in Minnesota and an assistant superintendent for secondary schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District in Wisconsin.

Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball Independent School District: Salazar-Zamora has been an educator in Texas for over 36 years and Tomball ISD’s leader since 2017. She is the Houston-area district’s first female and first Hispanic superintendent. “My leadership philosophy is centered around decision-making that puts students first,” Salazar-Zamora told District Administration in July.

“As the world continues to rapidly change around us, it requires us to be progressive and innovative,” she said. “I continually push my team to create strategies and initiatives that progress us into the future so that our students are ready.”

Read more from DA: How to help families overcome social media health problems

She was previously the chief academic officer of the rapidly growing district, which is among the highest-achieving school systems in Texas. She has led the implementation of Tomball Star Academy, the District’s early college high school, Tomball ISD’s Two-Way Dual Language Academy, the District’s first P-TECH focused on healthcare, and a Pre-K Center for young learners.

Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, Contoocook Valley School District: Saunders has been Contoocook Valley’s superintendent since 2015 and has worked as a New Hampshire educator for 28 years. As a teacher and adjunct professor, she taught students from sixth grade to graduate school, in classrooms from North Carolina to New Hampshire.

She has also served as an administrator in New Hampshire’s Londonderry, Hollis-Brookline, Winnisquam and school districts. At national and regional conferences, she has presented on on curriculum and instructional improvement, student retention and drop-out prevention, equity, high-school redesign and adequate funding of education. She has also been a strong supporter of women in the superintendency.

Frederick Williams, Dublin City Schools: Williams has been Dublin City Schools’ superintendent since 2015, using his strategic plan as a guidepost to prepare “all students to be effective communicators, problem solvers, and lifelong learners.” Under his leadership, the high school graduation rate has increased by 27.4 points, with the rate reaching a record high, 97.7%, for the class of 2023.

He began his career in 1993 as a health and physical education teacher in one of Dublin City’s elementary schools and also coached for the Dublin High School Football Team. He has since served the district as assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. Dublin City Schools has consistently earned the Exemplary Board Status Award through the Georgia School Boards Association from 2015 to the present. He and his team have also been recognized for their work in advancing literacy and community engagement.

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District Administration had the pleasure of sitting down with Camhi to learn more about her leadership philosophy, the innovative initiatives she’s spearheading and, of course, to celebrate this exciting appointment.

Although she’ll be responsible for one of the most comprehensive evaluations of student assessments in the country, Camhi’s definition of student achievement isn’t solely centered around academics. However, she respects the history and the work of the governing board.

“When we look at student achievement, we try and fit this huge, vast, diverse variety of thinkers into this tiny little opening,” she says.

She speaks of her own experience as a student and says she’s willing to bet that if you put a standardized test in front of her, she could convince you that there’s more than one correct answer.

“By definition, there might be one correct answer, but you’re not looking at my critical thinking,” she argues. Sure, if you ask, “What’s 2 + 2,” there’s obviously one correct answer. But by Camhi’s definition of student achievement, there’s tremendous value in the diversity of thinking and one’s approach to a solution.

Yet, she agrees that superintendents shouldn’t ignore the data and the insight offered by national assessments like the Nation’s Report Card. On a greater level, the metrics assist in the curation of statewide policies.

“I think that’s a good thing,” she says. “If we’re actually determining policy based on data, I don’t think we should be using one point of data. But if we look at that data and determine that our curriculum needs to shift or our standards need to shift, then those decisions based on information is better than making the decisions without information.”

Setting priorities in Baldwin Union

As for her work in the Baldwin Union Free School District, she operates with a future-focused mentality with the goal of ensuring each student is prepared for life beyond high school.

For instance, her kindergarteners aren’t going to become workers in 2023, 2024 or 2025 unlike some of her high school students. As a result, she says superintendents have to be “futurists” because the future of the youngest students is just as important.

“The approach that we take is not only looking into the future, but it’s identifying those skills and dispositions,” she says.

She also believes strongly in the impact of news literacy, a topic that’s grown in popularity among education leaders in recent years and because much of her initiatives are tied to a civic component.

In grades six through 12, Baldwin Union’s educators have embedded news and media literacy in their ELA and social studies classes. Her high schoolers also have the opportunity to take a college-level course through Stony Brook University on the subject.

“I am of the firm belief that if there is one skill our kids need to graduate with, it’s that,” she declares. “I can’t stress the importance of that. I think every single school district in the country needs to be doing something similar.”

As for the rest of the school year, she sets her sights on two major initiatives (among many). The first is what they call “Baldwin 2035,” which challenges everyone to work to create a school system that is prepared for what K12 education is like in the next decade.

“It engages parents, community teachers, administrators and students in this idea that asks the question, ‘If we’re creating a school system for the year 2035, what should it look like when we get there?’ And then how do we break that down into the things that we do now to make that implementation successful?”

Secondly, the district is in the process of opening two wellness centers, one that’s focused on emotional and academic wellness while the other prioritizes physical and emotional wellness.

“It’s all about basically fostering a huge ‘hug’ around our kids and our community to make sure that it is an emotionally safe, physically safe, academically safe, warm and caring place where everybody has a home,” she says. “Those, I would say, are among the many things happening here in Baldwin Union, are our two points of focus for this year.”

More from DA: Before his arrival, there were budget cuts and hardships. Now, he’s Maryland’s Superintendent of the Year

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He’s one of several students who have been selected to be interviewed by WVCSD Superintendent David Leach and his communications team to be featured in the “Superintendent’s Spotlight,” a series of articles that showcase individual students’ academic and personal achievements.

At the start of each school year, they conduct faculty meetings where administrators remind staff members about Superintendent’s Spotlight and its purpose, which is to recognize students who may often go unnoticed.

“Students come with many talents and gifts,” says Leach. “So we put that in the hands of our staff. We emphasize that we don’t want to recognize the same student repeatedly. We really want to make sure that we recognize students equitably.”

Leach says this idea has had a positive impact on their school culture at a time when K12 education can be really divisive.

“There’s a skepticism regarding public education in general at times,” he says. “It’s helped us to place a unifying focus on our students.”

The articles aren’t only published on the district’s website but in the local newspapers as well. In addition to showcasing outstanding students who deserve recognition for their accomplishments, Leach says it gives them an opportunity to strategically promote certain school programs, curriculum and even the mission of the district.

“For example, we’ll often reference in our Superintendent’s Spotlight our portrait of a graduate,” he says. “Maybe it’s through a student who’s demonstrating being an ethical or global citizen. Or, another student who is a great communicator or one who’s a problem-solver. We use it as an opportunity to educate the public about our mission but through the eyes of our students.”

But most importantly, it supports their efforts to motivate and inspire students through peer recognition beyond the traditional measurement of academic success—mainly intelligence—because “true giftedness really is as unique as your fingerprint,” says Leach.

“So what does that look like? If a student is an artist, for example, then let’s do a Superintendent’s Spotlight on that student! What are the dispositions and competent skills they’re demonstrating? Let’s show some of their artwork as part of the story, too.”

He adds that it’s been his mission to ensure the visibility of students who are often overlooked.

“We’re not looking to do the fifth piece on the valedictorian as wonderful as that is,” he says. “But what about that student who maybe is an A, D student up at the high school but is an accomplished musician? Maybe they just donated hair to an organization, or they’re working at the local food pantry. That’s the impetus behind this.”

Another added benefit of this idea is the role model component that comes into play when a student sees their peer being recognized for their accomplishments. In this case, it’s not always the starting quarterback or the president of the national honor society who’s being celebrated. Instead, it could be the classmate who sits in the back of the class who rarely raises their hand. Or, a student who goes the extra mile to help out a friend. It’s a testament to the power of encouragement, no matter your background.

“We had a piece just the other day on a boy in elementary school who’s helping his peer’s Spanish pronunciation,” says Leach.

More from DA: A retiring superintendent’s message to his flock: ‘Thank you’

Fostering a positive culture outside school walls is important, too. Leach likes to send letters to each of the families whose child was featured in the Superintendent’s Spotlight with the article attached congratulating them and sharing his pride for that student.

Additionally, many families throughout the district no longer have children attending public schools. Many of the locals are 55 and older but still have the opportunity to play an important role in the decisions being made for public education. Leach says the Superintendent’s Spotlight helps keep them engaged.

“They’re voting on our bond referendums and our school budgets,” he says. “Many of them when they see me in town tell me that they enjoy these pieces in particular because they can be written in an engaging way different from a traditional article you might find in your local newspaper.”

But above all, students ought to be recognized for their successes regardless of how small they might seem. At the administrative level, ideas like this are another way to show your community how your students are leading by example according to the district’s mission and strategic plan.

“Regularly featuring students’ accomplishments, I think, provides a level of transparency in the district in terms of what the district’s educational goals are,” says Leach. “It’s one thing to have a strategic plan that’s living in a binder or on a webpage no one’s going to look at. It’s another to say, ‘Here’s our strategic plan alive. Here are some examples. And it’s through you and your neighbor’s child.'”

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Home to some 38,000 students and 55 schools, Harford County Public Schools reflects a diverse community of individuals. The district rests in what this leader describes as a “politically conservative community” and encapsulates a healthy mix of urban, rural and suburban areas. Close to one-third of students are eligible for free and reduced meals. It’s a fairly representative district, and these are just some of the characteristics that influence the work they’re doing to support public education for students.

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with this inspiring leader in celebration of his most recent accolade and to showcase some of the innovations and strategies that are helping students thrive and meet their potential. Meet Sean Bulson:

Tackling issues head-on

When Bulson arrived at the district in 2018, he noticed two significant challenges that he’d soon have to overcome for his students, one of them being a deep budget crisis.

“We had traditionally struggled to get the funding that the school system needed to move forward,” he says. “2018 was the 10th of 11 straight years of cutting positions in the district. So, it was that first year that we had to look differently at how the budget got done.”

As a result, the district was forced to make some pretty “dramatic” cuts after he was hired. Thankfully, he says they were able to establish a healthy relationship with their county government to avoid any further cuts.

“Over the next three years, we were able to do things a different way and begin adding positions back,” he notes.

The second issue he gleaned from his Listen and Learn initiative was surrounding school safety, which would become one of his most targeted interventions.

“Everyone around the country was talking about ‘run,’ ‘hide,’ ‘fight’ and all the different ways to approach safety,” he says. “So we went through and trained our 5,000-plus employees and took it on as one of our first major initiatives.”

“But I’m still working from the playbook that came out of my Listen and Learn initiative that I did when I first came in that really informed almost everything that we’ve accomplished in the last few years.”

Reflecting on their accomplishments

Like many leaders across the country, Bulson advocates for a targeted approach to reading and literacy. It’s an area that students in Harford County traditionally struggled with. In 2023, they’re finally seeing their work pay off.

“This year, we finally turned a corner,” he declares. “We made a huge investment in language arts and literacy. One of the things that I learned at the Listen and Learn was that the reading curriculum early on wasn’t suiting the needs of our students and teachers.”

“This year, we finally saw growth as our students outperformed the state, which was exciting. I want all of my colleagues to do well, but it is nice to see that we were growing and the investment was paying off.”

Another achievement worth celebrating is the work they’ve done surrounding workforce development. Bulson says they’ve responded to the shift that’s taken place around the country as we continue to see declines in higher education enrollment. As a result, they’ve moved toward the idea of helping students think differently about what happens after high school and giving them the training they need to be successful.

“We started recruiting apprentices about 16 months ago and we’re up to over 80 apprentices now in just over one year,” he says. “I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to do apprentice programs, but that’s really quick growth!”

This state-wide program allows students to gain some hands-on industry experience necessary for the workforce. For students to apply, they need to meet some general requirements, according to the district’s website, including:

• Be at least 16 years old and have reliable transportation.
• Complete the program by graduation.
• Receive one year of related instruction, either provided by the business or a class taken for credits while serving in the apprenticeship.
• Be in good academic standing and on track to graduate.
• Complete 450 hours of work-based training and one year of related classroom instruction.

One area in which they’re developing workforce skills for students is that of teaching as part of their version of a “grow your own” initiative. It reflects the ongoing mission in districts across the country as they battle teacher shortages and other challenges to hiring.

“One of the first things I did was bolster our ‘TAM’ program, which is the Teacher Academy of Maryland,” he notes. “We doubled enrollment the first year and it’s been growing ever since.”

They’ve also worked with their local community college to convert it not just to a college, career and technical education program, but into an early college model so they can expedite their pool of qualified teaching applicants.

“We’d struggled for a long time to get people through that pipeline,” he adds. “But as we found ways to make it more compatible for the people who are doing it, we were able to remove some of those barriers to make it more successful.”

What Superintendent of the Year means in 2023

Over the past few years, district leaders have witnessed a dramatic shift in the job duties and responsibilities that the superintendency requires. It’s only gotten more difficult, which is why he believes those who choose to stick it out ought to be celebrated.

We asked Bulson what receiving Superintendent of the Year means for him. Here’s what he had to say:

“I’m in my sixth year in Harford County and my 11th as a superintendent. We’ve seen more than half of the superintendents in the state turnover in the last two years,” he says. “I feel like we’re doing great work in Harford. it’s worth being recognized and I’m happy to talk more about that and share with people some of the things that are going on. But I also think it’s a testimony to the fact that superintendents in general need to be recognized. This hasn’t been an easy job, and my colleagues are amazing.”

“Those are the things that I think about when I wrap my head around an award like this.”

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The high-poverty elementary recently recorded the highest number of students completing their ESOL classes in the history of the Hall County School District northeast of the Atlanta metro area, Rodriguez says. That has a direct correlation to high school graduation. “In middle school and high school, they don’t teach reading,” he adds. “[Students] getting into middle and high school without finishing their ESOL, it’s just very hard on them to stay engaged, to stay connected.”

Lyman Hall’s test scores are the highest in the school’s history while Rodriguez and his team also have ensured that dozens more English learners and other students are being identified as gifted. When he became Lyman Hall’s principal, only three English learners in a school of 700 students were identified as such. “I thought this can’t be right,” he recalls. “We need to work harder to provide these kids with the educational opportunities they deserve.”

After his first year, he and his team increased the number of gifted EL students to 13 and several years later, there are now around 115, giving Lyman Hall one of the highest EL gifted percentages in Georgia and, potentially, in the nation, he notes.

‘SWIRLing all day’

Lyman Hall’s ESOL and gifted achievements have everything to do with expanding the capacity of teachers, explains Rodriguez, who is also a former elementary school teacher. Rather than taking a traditional approach of putting the school’s best teachers in the “testing” grades (such as third grade), he placed his “rock star” educators in literacy, K2 and ESOL.

About 80% of his current team of ESOL educators are former teachers of the year and grade chairs. “It was an area of need and I needed the people with the capacity to do this type of work,” he notes. Instruction is encapsulated by the acronym “SWiRL”—which stands for speaking, writing, reading and listening. 

“They’ve had to create a lot of their own materials,” Rodriguez points out. “Their intentional focus was to SWiRL with the kids … SWiRLing all day. And it can’t just be something that occurs only when the ESOL teacher walks in, it has to got to be something ingrained, that’s embedded in their practice throughout the day.”

He’s also working to expand the number of teachers who have gifted endorsements to go with their ESOL credentials. “Once you get a group of highly capable teachers … get that core group in place and then they come to me with ‘hey we want to do this, hey we want to do that,'” he says. “My job is to step back and discern what the good ideas are and help put them into place.”

3 types of invitations to engagement

A third big achievement has been consistently high family engagement. In other districts where Rodriguez has worked, events maxed out at about 3% family engagement. Lyman Hall regularly sees nearly 30% participation in its activities, a rate Rodriguez calls an “outlier level.” He and his team’s focus on engagement boils down to three types of “invitations to engagement.”

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The most effective are student-centered invitations such as notifications of concerts and recitals. Next on the list are teacher-centered invitations, such as requests for conferences with parents. Finally, “general engagement” covers newsletters, email blasts and other forms of mass communication. Recently, attendance skyrocketed at curriculum nights because they focused on individual grades rather than blocks of grades, as had been done in the past.

Rodriguez also encourages teachers to add hand-written notes, such as “I saw this and thought of you,” on flyers sent home to parents.

“No one is as excited about seeing our families show up as our teachers are,” he concludes. “We don’t make assumptions about what [families] can or cannot bring to the table. We just try to know them as much as we know the students, we try to communicate with them as much as possible and look for invitations for them to be engaged with school.”

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