Meet the Leaders Special Report

2024 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From

Recognizing excellence in school district leadership

We are excited to introduce our 2024 class of EdWeek Leaders To Learn From. These district leaders have shown persistence and creativity as they navigate the challenges facing schools in an increasingly diverse, rapidly changing world.

Families & the Community Leader To Learn From Absenteeism Was a Big Problem in This District. A New Strategy Is Getting Results
Sharon Bradley remembers how it felt to miss school for reasons outside her control.

💡This Leader Takes a Compassionate Approach to Truancy. It's Transforming Students' Lives

Madeline Will

•

11 min read

Sharon Bradley, the director of student, family, and community services for the Plano, Texas, school district listens to staff members on a special team that focuses on helping students and their families address a range of challenges that may get in the way of regular attendance and engagement at school.

Shelby Tauber for Education Week

School & District Management Leader To Learn From This Leader Partners With Students to Build a More Sustainable Future for Her District
Under LeeAnn Kittle's leadership, the Denver district has implemented an ambitious climate action plan.

💡This Leader Channeled Students’ Climate Anxiety Into Action. See How

Arianna Prothero

•

10 min read

LeeAnn Kittle, the executive director of sustainability at Denver Public Schools, right, talks to Amelia Fernández Rodríguez, 16, a junior at DSST: Conservatory Green High School. Kittle partners with Rodríguez and other students on efforts to make the district's schools more sustainable.

Rachel Woolf for Education Week
Families & the Community Leader To Learn From A Former Teacher Turns Classroom Prowess Into Partnerships With Families
Ana Pasarella maximizes her community's assets to put students first in Alvin, Texas.

💡 How Teachers' Ideas Drive This Leader's Work on Districtwide Initiatives

Ileana Najarro

•

8 min read

Ana Pasarella, the director of family and community engagement for the Alvin Independent school district in Texas, oversees an activity as Micaela Leon, 3, a student in the district's READy Program, draws on a piece of paper inside the district's STEM bus in Manvel, Texas.

Callaghan O’Hare for Education Week

School & District Management Leader To Learn From With a Steady Hand, a Superintendent Guides Her District Through Big Changes
When Aleesia Johnson became superintendent of the Indianapolis schools, Indiana’s largest district needed much more than a patch job.

💡 How to Manage Big Emotions During Difficult District Transitions

Sarah D. Sparks

•

9 min read

Superintendent Aleesia Johnson visits with a student at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in Indianapolis.

Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
Student Achievement Leader To Learn From An Unorthodox Plan to Pay Students to Write Curriculum Is Raising Achievement
For Kate Maxlow, the director of curriculum in Hampton City, Va., engaging students and improving academic achievement go hand in hand.

💡 Why One District Hired Its Students to Review Curricula

Caitlynn Peetz

•

9 min read

Kate Maxlow, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Hampton City Schools, works with Ava Gomez, 8, left and Khalid Baldwin, 8, right, on a “breakout room” activity in a 2nd grade classroom at Samuel P. Langley Elementary School in Hampton, Va.

Sam Mallon/Education Week

IT Infrastructure & Management Leader To Learn From Through Wars, Tornadoes, and Cyberattacks, He's a Guardian of Student Privacy
Jun Kim, the technology director in Moore, Okla., works to make the most of innovations—without endangering student data.

💡 Why One Tech Leader Prioritizes Explaining Student Data Privacy to Teachers

Alyson Klein

•

11 min read

Jun Kim, director of technology for the Moore public schools in Moore, Okla., leads a data privacy review for staff.

Brett Deering for Education Week

2024 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From

Meet the 2024 Leaders