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 |