Read this exclusive conversation with Dr. Candace Singh. Learn more during the podcast interview on Change Starts Here. WATCH HERE
Dustin: So school –and I think now district leadership –has always been something you’ve been really passionate about. Which point did you really understand, without a great school leader and even if we have superstar teachers, things are always going to be limited? When did you become a passionate advocate for school leadership in particular?
Dr. Candace Singh: You know, when I was a school principal, I did a lot of work around what makes a really effective school. The higher you go, what you really can see is that the principal is the linchpin for an effective school. We know within the school building the most important connection, the most important person, to a child is the teacher. But when it comes to the effectiveness of the system, it’s the principal and it’s the people who support that principal. So, you know, as a school principal, I was really passionate about what the best principals do. That was something that started on my leadership journey early. I did a lot of research about that –in fact, I actually focused my doctoral work on what do superintendents do to help make principals be more effective. I know that if we don’t have highly effective principals in every school, we will not leverage what needs to be done for kids. Over the last, 15 or 20 years or so –for as long as I’ve been a site administrator, and now as superintendent –I know that’s true, which is why the hiring of principals and assistant principals is something that I am very involved in and up close to. And then the work that I do with our school principals is actually some of the best work and my favorite part of the job.
