Education Week - February 16, 2022 - 48

ensure equity for students and staff. We have since
reached the goal of a 1-to-1 technology program,
including hot spots for those without reliable home
internet, and we've hired additional staff to support
principals, provide small-group instruction, and
assist with technology integration at a time when
students need it most.
Personalization can inspire innovation
Our values-and our commitment to ensuring
each student reaches success after high
school-have remained firm, even as our school
demographics, needs, and funding have shifted.
In the last decade, our Hispanic enrollment has
grown to 45 percent, up from 35 percent in the 201213
school year. Twenty-one percent of our students
are now English-learners.
Our promise to almost 10,000 pre-K-13 students
is to prepare them for success after high school,
whether they choose college, technical training, the
military, or the workforce.
Personalization continues to inspire
innovation. In July 2018, building upon a decade
of efforts to expand career-and-college readiness,
the Duplin County schools launched a STEAMA
(science, technology, engineering, arts, math, and
agriculture) initiative to integrate learning across
many content areas and allow students to graduate
with a pathway to a successful career.
STEAMA contributes to a growing economy
and better-prepared workforce by engaging all
students in pathways with purpose, increasing
their chances of connecting to school and
graduating on time, ready for prosperous careers
and college experiences. Among its components:
physical science integrated into P.E. classes;
hands-on career modules in middle school
selected with local business and industry input;
high school academy options, including diesel
tech and agribusiness; and makerspaces and live
learning laboratories where students learn how
food gets from the farm to table.
Forward progress toward educational equity
Our progress is evidence of our commitment to
student growth and success, which we have coupled
with a promise to provide every child with the tools
to be successful. Our teachers, through innovative
lesson designs, are making learning exciting and
engaging for students.
We've embraced a state framework for researchbased
academic and behavioral practices. We've
also established district- and school-level teams
whose work is guided by the district's socialemotional-learning
plan and invested in a universal
screener to identify student needs. Counselors,
social workers, nurses, and resource officers are
integral members of every school. Telemedicine,
available at each school, connects students with
medical professionals.
The data indicate we are succeeding: Many
early-college students and a growing number of
comprehensive high school students graduate
with an industry-recognized credential and/or
associate's degree at no cost. Last year, students
were offered nearly $15.1 million in scholarships
as an increasing number of graduates earn their
associate's degrees while simultaneously working
on their high school diplomas.
Our four-year cohort graduation rate has
improved overall, from 69 percent in 2010-11 to
86 percent last school year, the highest on record.
Notably, the graduation rate for our students with
disabilities is 72 percent-higher than our overall
graduation rate a decade ago.
Don't just add new ideas;
cull ineffective ones
Visionary and innovative leadership is not
always about new ideas but the ability to recognize
practices that are ineffective and having boldness
and grit to implement modifications.
Recent events and hardships have reinforced
my belief that successful leaders have a genuine
love for those they serve. They nurture a
servant leadership spirit and belief in shared
decisionmaking that includes all stakeholders.
Effective leaders are humble. I learned early in
my career that effective leadership is not about
personal success but rather about the success of
those you lead. And our growth and success would
be impossible without the unwavering support
of our school board members, who are studentcentered
and work tirelessly to ensure that our
school community continues to grow and prosper.
EdWeek has united educators across the
" I learned early in my career that effective
leadership is not about personal success
but rather about the success of those you lead. "
nation for what I believe to be one of the best
and most meaningful professional-development
opportunities. This includes the annual EdWeek
Leaders To Learn From project, which exposes
district leaders to powerful conversations and has
helped us dream bigger for our students.
It inspired innovation that has allowed for
steady growth, stability, confidence, personalized
instruction, trust, and the unity necessary to
overcome barriers associated with rural schools.
We are hopeful that this contributes to economic
prosperity in our community. n
48 | EdWeek Leaders To Learn From | February 16, 2022
Education Week - February 16, 2022

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