McManus
The recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, revealed the continuing negative impact of the pandemic on fourth and eighth grade student outcomes, with the gaps between higher- and lower-performing students only increasing. The importance of high-quality educators couldn’t be clearer.
Research has consistently shown that teachers and principals are the most influential in-school factors contributing to student achievement, among other positive outcomes.
The growing body of research on educator effects also highlights the positive impact of an educator workforce that is more representative of the student population. More specifically, studies have demonstrated a link between principals of color and increased hiring and retention of teachers of color. In turn, teachers of color have been linked to improved academic outcomes for all students.
Focusing on the critical role of school principals, NCSL recently spoke with Tricia McManus, superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, to learn more about her strategies for bolstering the principal workforce. Her district is part of a cohort of school districts working to recruit and retain more leaders of color through a systematic effort to improve their principal pipelines.
Can you tell us about your district and why recruiting and retaining educators of color is essential for success?
The district has a racially diverse student population—30% of students are Black, 30% are Hispanic and 30% are white. We believe that diversity makes us stronger and that our workforce should be representative of our students. We want all students to feel a sense of belonging in our schools, and representation matters.
How has your district prioritized school leader development, particularly around increasing leader diversity?
The district has worked to develop a principal pipeline focused on recruiting, developing, supporting and retaining strong principals and assistant principals who reflect our school district goals and values. Principals are the key lever for change, and the only way to eliminate barriers and ensure that every student in our district has access to the very best learning experience is through strong leaders who work tirelessly and make no excuses for a lack of learning. They are relentless about all students feeling a sense of belonging and experiencing deeper learning in every class every day.
“The only way to eliminate barriers and ensure that every student in our district has access to the very best learning experience is through strong leaders who work tirelessly and make no excuses for a lack of learning.”
—Tricia McManus, superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
With this in mind, the district is very focused on ensuring that our school leaders are developed before they are on the job and that learning is continuous. We have partnered with universities to provide high-quality preservice training and have developed an aligned induction program for both APs and principals. In addition, current and experienced leaders receive ongoing development through our monthly principal meetings, area meetings and through regular coaching visits with area superintendents. Our leadership framework outlines the competencies and actions that our leaders should be demonstrating and serves as the foundation and through line for all selection, development and coaching of principals and APs.
To ensure that we are recruiting and supporting leaders of color, we have embarked on several initiatives. We are part of the Men of Color in Educational Leadership national network designed to provide experiences to males of color that will strengthen their ability to lead through their authentic selves. We have started an affinity group for Latino leaders, called Progressa, designed to provide a space for them to connect and share their experiences and ultimately help our district improve our practices so that Latino leaders want to come and stay in the district.
Our Drive for Forsyth Task Force is a network of district and community leaders who come together for the sole purpose of strengthening the diversity of our workforce. This is a network that meets quarterly to analyze our workforce data and develop ways to strengthen the diversity of our teacher and leader pipelines.
Our future workforce is sitting in our classrooms now. Our Teacher Cadette Program, our Teacher Residency Program that allows us to license our own teachers, and our Transition to Teach Program that allows teaching assistants to become teachers are three additional programs designed to strengthen the diversity of our workforce. One final program—Winston Salem Teach—was designed with three local universities for the same purpose of strengthening the diversity of our workforce and ensuring all students have excellent teachers. This program is a residency that provides a master’s degree in education to students with bachelor’s degrees in other fields.
How have you engaged parents and other community members in this work? Why has that been so important?
We have parents and community members serving on the Drive for Forsyth Task Force and other committees focused on our five strategic plan goals. We cannot do this work alone. It will take our entire community to realize the vision and mission we strive to achieve every day on behalf of our students.
Have there been any policy barriers to implementing this work? Are there opportunities for state legislative policy to encourage or support it?
Districts need more flexibility when it comes to the school leader evaluation system. We need an evaluation tool that allows us to assess leaders on these competencies and actions, rather than just aligning with them. We need more district control of the tools and the processes.
Our leadership pipeline is a reflection of the teachers in our district. A lack of teacher diversity impacts leader diversity. States need to continue supporting teacher recruitment efforts by raising teacher pay and providing funds for more residency models and other professional learning opportunities.
Is there anything else you think state policymakers should be aware of related to school leader recruitment and retention?
We have been operating under the same conditions for a very long time. The model of schooling has not changed, including how we organize ourselves to meet the needs of students in our changing world. We continue to expect more from our leaders and teachers without making any shifts to our delivery models or organizational structures. I encourage states to think about more flexible schedules to allow time for the deep planning that is needed weekly if we are going to achieve deeper learning in our classrooms every day. We need staff funding allotments (teachers, student services staff, leaders) to change with the changing times.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Molly Gold is a program principal in NCSL’s Education Program.