Distinguished New Leaders

Michelle Pierre-Farid

New Leader, Cohort 3
Principal | 2006-2007
Tyler Elementary School
Washington, D.C.

"Everything I’ve done has been directly linked to my New Leaders training: lesson studies, professional learning communities, grade-level teams..."

Tyler Elementary School

More than 20-point gain in both ELA and math proficiency--41 points across the two subjects combined
Largest gain score among elementary schools in the city in a New Leaders internal value-added analysis comparing gains in all DC schools
TEAM cash award recipient, recognizing Tyler as one of only three DC public schools where student test scores rose more than 20%

After attending a New Leaders for New Schools information session, Michelle was eager to follow the path to urban principalship. She was immediately inspired by the enthusiasm and passion of New Leaders CEO Jon Schnur as he spoke of the growing need for high caliber urban school leaders. Michelle explained, "Sitting and listening to him talk, I thought, yes! We should all be doing this to educate all students."

She knew from the start that making Tyler Elementary a high achieving school would not be easy. Enrollment was declining every year, and there were consistent student behavioral problems. "The first year, we were ranked 113 out of 115 schools in the district,” Michelle said. “We had to create our own infrastructure focused around how to change things."

Two aspects of the New Leaders training program that were most important to Michelle's growth as a principal were the summer Foundations experience and working under a mentor principal as part of her residency. She found that other principal training programs she considered were more project-based, but commented, "The New Leaders program is not just reading and discussion--you apply what you learn to things happening in your school or your colleagues' schools."

In the 2005-2006 school year, Tyler Elementary was one of only three schools in D.C. to increase in both English/language arts and math achievement scores and made the highest gains in special education for the entire district. The school was recognized with the TEAM cash award, presented by D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, for being one of three schools with a 20-percentage point gain and for achieving more than one year of consistent gains and increases for the 2006-2007 school year.

To foster a school culture invested in high academic achievement, Michelle conducted staff retreats, monthly lesson studies for teachers to review data and discuss best practices, instructional faculty meetings, regular classroom visits, and feedback sessions with teachers to increase engagement and professional development. She credits her New Leaders training with providing the solid foundation and ongoing support to move her school above and beyond expectations.

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