The Five Pillars of Our Promise
As Executive Director David Schuler shared, as school system leaders, we are converging around five guiding principles that will define the next era of American public education:
Principle 1: Prioritize Student-Centered Learning – Nurturing the unique potential of every young person by creating environments where they feel they belong and have a voice.
Principle 2: The New Basics: Real Skills for Real Life – Balancing traditional core curricula with the "New Basics"—adaptability, digital literacy, financial literacy, and problem-solving.
Principle 3: Attract, Hire, Retain, and Reward the Best People – Recognizing that the heart of any successful system is its people and building a culture that empowers them to lead.
Principle 4: Build Highly Engaged Family, Community, and Business Partnerships – Moving beyond the school walls to create a seamless learning ecosystem.
Principle 5: Measure What Matters – Moving beyond high-stakes testing to adopt multiple measures that reflect real-world competencies and student well-being.
Give Yourself a Chance: The Sanfelippo Spark
After laying out the framework, we were joined by Joe Sanfelippo, a former superintendent turned leadership coach. His message was a lesson in the "human" side of our roles. One of his favorite taglines, “Give Yourself a Chance," struck a chord with me.
Joe reminded us that because everyone went to school, everyone thinks they know how to run one. In that environment, every interaction matters. We’ve all heard it before, but it necessitates repeating: people may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Every high-five in the hallway or brief chat with a bus driver could be the one interaction that person talks about for the rest of their lives.
Stop Defending, Start Defining
Aligning perfectly with our earlier sessions today, Joe encouraged us to stop "defending" our work. Defending is exhausting and reactive. Instead, we must define our work by telling our own stories. If we don’t provide the narrative, others may invent one. We need to give our staff, families, and students a constant stream of reasons to speak positively about their lived experiences in our schools.
The Superintendent’s Source of Energy
One of the most practical pieces of advice from the Keynote was simple: Get out of the office. Use your feet. Visit classrooms. It is easy to get bogged down in the "business" of the district, but we are at our best when we are with students. Whenever I am around students, I feel energized. I have never walked out of an elementary school building without a smile on my face or a funny story to tell. Those visits are the essential reminders of why we do what we do.
As Angie Hooper said, "The rising tide lifts all boats. Be the tide." As superintendents, we set the tone. If we are the "tide" of positivity and recognition, that energy ripples throughout the entire organization.
Celebrating Excellence
We closed the session by recognizing the Superintendents of the Year from each state. It is always a humbling experience to see our colleagues acknowledged for the hard work they do every day.
The four national finalists were:
Demetrus Liggins (Kentucky)
Roosevelt Nivens (Texas)
Heather Perry (Maine)
Sonja Santelises (Maryland)
A huge congratulations to Roosevelt Nivens from Texas, who was named the National Superintendent of the Year. His acceptance was a beautiful tribute to the personal and professional support systems that make this work possible. Roosevelt, you represent the best of us!
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