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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An Unwavering Advocate for Racial Equity in Schools
In Kentucky’s Jefferson County Public Schools, John D. Marshall uses data to unmask racial inequities and demand policy changes and supports for students of color and those who are poor. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Amid Flint's Water Crisis, Schools Chief Is a Calm Force
Bilal Tawwab, the superintendent of schools in Flint, Mich., refuses to use the city’s lead-water crisis as an excuse from keeping his team of educators focused on improving student achievement in a long-struggling school district. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Bilal Tawwab
Superintendent Builds Bridges to New Immigrant Communities
With his “teach them all” ethos, Superintendent Jim Rollins is on the leading edge of helping immigrant students and their families find a foothold in Arkansas’ Springdale Public Schools and the broader community. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Educator's Pre-Veterinary Program Sends Navajo Students to College
Clyde McBride, the director of career and technical education in Kayenta, Ariz., runs a powerhouse pre-veterinary-sciences program that gives Navajo students hands-on experience that propels them to college, prepares them for the workforce, and puts them at the center of supporting their communities. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Building Up the Teacher Workforce in Small-Town Iowa
Superintendent Chris Coffelt works tirelessly to recruit, retain, and improve the practice of teachers who might otherwise be drawn to bigger cities and bigger salaries outside his small Iowa school district. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Casting a Wider Net for Giftedness
Seminole County, Fla., schools Superintendent Walt Griffin, along with school psychologist Jeanette Lukens, are scouting more broadly for talent and bringing more diversity to the district’s gifted student population. They are recognized as 2017 Leaders To Learn From.
Superintendent Knocks Down Barriers to Learning for Poor Students
In South Carolina's Greenville County Schools, Superintendent W. Burke Royster enlists a wide array of partners to help keep students—especially those in poor communities—engaged in school and on track to graduate. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
A Passion for Saving Schools on the Brink
Sharon Griffin, the chief of schools in Tennessee’s Shelby County Schools, has led an urgent effort to turn around the academic performance of more than 20 low-performing schools in Memphis. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Sharon Griffin
Smart Ed-Tech Strategy That Comes From the Classroom
Joseph Williams, the technology director in California’s Perris Union High School District, demands fast responses to IT problems and insists on keeping close connections to teaching and learning by sitting in on lessons and coaching his colleagues. He is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Joesph Williams
Giving Parents a Prominent Voice in Schools
As the head of family engagement in Washington state’s Federal Way Public Schools, Trise Moore helps parents navigate a large bureaucracy and puts them at the center of the district’s decisionmaking. She is recognized as a 2017 Leader To Learn From.
Trise Moore
A Colorado Leader Taps Teacher Specialists to Serve All Students
In the highly diverse Adams County 50 district, Steve Sandoval brings teachers together to integrate supports for English-learners, gifted students, students with disabilities, and those in poverty. He is recognized as a 2016 Leader To Learn From.
California Leader Puts Spotlights on Long-Term English-Learners
Michael Matsuda, superintendent in the Anaheim Union High School District, has spearheaded new efforts to support English-learners who struggle for years to achieve proficiency in the language. He is recognized as a 2016 Leader To Learn From.
Meeting the Needs of English-Language Learners – Meet Michael Matsuda, 2016 Leader to Learn From