Meet the Leaders

Each year, Education Week identifies some of the nation’s most exceptional school district leaders in its EdWeek Leaders To Learn From report and shines a spotlight on their extraordinary impact on the success of educators and students.

2026 Leaders

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2026 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From
Introducing our 2026 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From, highlighting innovative district leaders.
Meet the 2026 Leaders

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Small Town Schools Chief Bridges Cultures Through Language Learning
Michelle Saylor, the superintendent in Bellefonte, Pa., has brought robust foreign-language learning to her district, part of her robust vision to teach global citizenship. She is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Schools Chief Builds Cultural Bridges Through Language Learning
In Chicago's Rough and Tumble Politics, Schools Chief Rises Above the Fray
Janice K. Jackson’s journey through the Chicago Public Schools as a student, teacher, principal, administrator, parent, and now, chief executive officer, has prepared her for one of the toughest jobs in K-12 education. She is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Janice K. Jackson
An Instructional Coach Can Improve School Performance. Here’s Proof
As a director of instruction, Rachel Rodriguez works to make sure that every teacher receives regular coaching and real-time support.
Rachel Rodriguez
Making Schools an Oasis of Calm and Safety in San Bernardino, Calif.
Superintendent Dale Marsden has built a culture of safety in the San Bernardino, Calif., schools even as his district withstood two shootings. He is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Dale Marsden
A Modern Solution to the Problem of Teacher Absences
Robert Harris devised an out-of-the-box solution to quality substitute teaching in Lexington, Mass.—something few schools around the country have been able to creatively address. He is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Robert Harris
Giving Families an 'Equal Shot' at Finding the Right School
Education’s inequities are unacceptable to Mohammed Choudhury. As San Antonio’s chief innovation officer, he’s working to even the socioeconomic playing field and expand school choice. He is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Mohammed Choudhury
High-Quality Online Learning Is Possible and Indiana Leader Wants to Prove It
As the director of virtual and blended learning at Indiana's Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, Michele Eaton strives to bring personalized learning to students and teachers. She is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Michele Eaton
Putting Creativity at the Center of Student Learning
Aileen Owens, director of innovation in Pittsburgh’s South Fayette school district, is changing mindsets about what it means to offer hands-on, creative learning to students. She is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Aileen Owens
For This Champion for Student Health, P.E. Extends Beyond the Gym
As the honcho for student wellness in the South Orange-Maplewood school district in New Jersey, Judy LoBianco is changing what schools do to educate students about their physical health. She is recognized as a 2018 Leader To Learn From.
Judy LoBianco
Personalized Learning in Practice: How a Risk-Taker Tailored Learning in Her District
Patricia Deklotz instills a culture of personalized learning in which students choose how and what they learn and teachers create their own microcredentials to advance their careers.
Forging a Firm Path to College With High Expectations and No Excuses
Dolores Gonzalez, the chief program officer for IDEA Public Schools, has shaped an academic program that focuses on erasing achievement gaps in the earliest grades and putting first-generation college-goers on a firm path to higher education. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Preparing All Students for College - Meet a 2017 Leader to Learn From
Superintendent Fosters Love of Reading
Superintendent César Morales leveraged his district’s 1-to-1 tablet initiative to create a massive bilingual-literacy campaign and make tens of thousands of electronic books in English and Spanish accessible to students and their families in Oxnard, Calif. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Fostering a Love of Reading - Meet a 2017 Leader to Learn From