U.S. Education Department Officials Visit, Learn from School Principals During ED Goes Back to School Principal Shadowing Week

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As part of ED Goes Back to School Principal Shadowing Week, dozens of Education Department officials spent time this week learning about the work of principals by job shadowing them at school. Approximately 79 principals paired up with Education officials, which gave the Department an opportunity to see the successes and challenges of implementing reform efforts at the school-level. On Thursday, Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. ET at the Department, Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. will join Department staff to discuss what they learned from their time with a school principal about how federal policies play out in schools and classrooms.

"My own experiences as a teacher and principal have been critical in informing my work as Secretary," said King. “This shadowing is a valuable opportunity that enables us to honor the work of our school leaders and to see how principals inspire greatness in their students, in their teachers, and in their communities. Great principals are among the key factors in America's children getting a first-rate education. The Department is thankful for the principals who opened up their schools to our entire team and provided us with this unique opportunity to learn more.”

Principals make great teaching and learning possible, and strong leadership in a school is critically important in the transition to new standards and assessments to make sure all students are prepared for college, careers and life. The Department launched the first Principal Ambassador Fellowship (PAF) program in 2013, modeled on the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program, in order to better allow local leaders to contribute their knowledge and experience to the national dialogue about public education and, in turn, learn more about education policy at the federal level. Since then ten principals have been selected as Principal Ambassador Fellows.

The Obama Administration strongly believes that every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, and education is crucial to the economic strength and security of our nation and communities. The Department of Education’s work is focused on ensuring all students receive an education that prepares them for success in life and their career, through programs including Race to the Top, ConnectED, School Improvement Grants, as well as ED's work to expand access to preschool, make college more affordable, and support educators and school leaders. Specifically, the Fellowship programs also support the Department’s educator engagement agenda, including the Teach to Lead initiative.

Below is a list of sites where department staff shadowed school principals this week:

Participating Principals

Participating Schools

Elizabeth (Betty) Moore

Pinch Elementary

Nathaniel Laney

Potomac High School

Katie Larkin

H.D. Cooke

Jada Langston

Luke C. Moore High School

Dr. Afie Mirshah

Largo High School

Natalie Hubbard

Raymond EC

Mireille Lopez Humes

Moten Elementary

Kristine Rigley

Bridges PCS

Maria Tukeva

Columbia Heights Educational Campus

Robynne W. Prince

Bowie HS

Shawn DeRose

Glasgow Middle School

Traci Townsend

Earle B. Wood Middle School

Stephanie Byrd

Payne ES

Regena Williams

Oxon Hill High School

O'Kiyyah Lyons-Lucas

Powell ES

Belicia Reaves

Capital City Public Charter School- High School Campus

Reginald  McNeill

Eleanor Roosevelt HS

Donna O'Shea

Monarch Global Academy

Richard Trogisch

School Without Walls at Francis/Stevens

Lynmara Colon

Mary Williams Elementary

E. Carlene Murray

Northwestern High School

Holly Searl

Ross Elementary

Gwendolyn Payton

Beers ES

Shane Wolfe

Aldrin Elementary School

Kathryn Procope

Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science

Amanda Delabar

Tubman Elementary

Mayra Canizales

Oyster Adams Bilingual School

Nathan Newman

Suitland High School

Karen Rivas

Carlos Rosario School-Sonia Gutierrez Campus

Hilary Darilek

EL Haynes Public Charter School (High School)

Carmen Shepherd

Thomson Elementary

Scott Elchenko

Hartwood Elementary

Vernetta Christian

Center City Public Charter School – Trinidad Campus

Sundai Riggins

Hendley Elementary School

Maisha Riddlesprigger

John H. Ketcham Elementary School

Chris Cebrzynski

Murch Elementary

Mary Ann Stinson

Truesdell Education Campus

Yolanda Stanislaus

Francis Scott Key Middle School

Greg Mullenholz

Ashburton Elementary School

Jamie Virga

Seven Locks Elementary

Damon Monteleone

Richard Montgomery HS

Loren Brody

Takoma Education Campus

William R. Henderson

Croom High School

Dawn Foreman

Cleveland Elementary School

Khanny Yang

Parkland Middle School

Ingrid Bynum

Patrick Henry Elementary School

Michelle Schultze

Regional Institute for Children & Adolescents (RICA)

Donna Redmond Jones

Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS

Melissa Shindel

Mayfield Woods Middle School

Eddie Scott

Frederick Douglass High School

Alison Hanks-Sloan

International High School at Largo

Liz Whisnant

Mann ES

Kara Kuchemba

Bunker Hill Elementary School

Laina Cox

Capital City Public Charter School: Middle School

Edward Owusu

Shady Grove Middle School

Diantha Swift

Sligo Creek Elementary School

Alicia Perez-Katz

Baruch College Campus High School

Jessica Nauiokas

Mott Haven Academy

Dr. Trevor A. Liburd

Edward M. Felegy Elementary School

Elizabeth Namba

Hyde-Addison

Collin Hill

Garrison Elementary

Hilary Darilek

EL Haynes Public Charter School (Elementary)

Nora Dietz

Captain J. E. Daly Jr. Elementary

Andrea Mial

Miner Elementary

Joseph Manko

Liberty Elementary

Michael Coyne

Baden High

Karen Bryant

Silver Spring International Middle School

Kimberly Taylor

Mountain View Alternative School

Michelle McCarthy (AP)

Williamsburg Middle School

Johnny Babb

Dunbar SHS

Lauren Sheehy

Hybla Valley Elementary School

Meghan Dunn

PS44 Riverdale Avenue Community School

Sarah Kaufman

School of the Future High School

Nika Davis

Boswell High School

Alicia Maphies

Centennial High School

Mike Calhoun

Allegany HIgh School

Micheal Meiser

Westlake High School

Dr. Marjorie Myers

Key School ~ Escuela Key

Michael Robinson

Martha Ellen Stillwell School of the Arts