Powerful Principals

Powerful Principals – The 74 America's Education News Source Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 /wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-74_favicon-32x32.png Powerful Principals – The 74 32 32 On Leadership: Mike & Tonya Milkie raising the bar for 11k High-Needs Chicago Students at Noble Network /article/on-leadership-mike-tonya-milkie-raising-the-bar-for-11k-high-needs-chicago-students-at-noble-network/ /article/on-leadership-mike-tonya-milkie-raising-the-bar-for-11k-high-needs-chicago-students-at-noble-network/#respond Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000

This is the final installment in a three-part series The Seventy Four is publishing this week recognizing extraordinary school leaders to mark the end of National Principal’s Month. This Q&A has been edited for style and length.

Soulmates. Co-founders.

Back in the late 1990s, it was love in the time of startups for Mike and Tonya Milkie.

In Fall 1999, the two educators launched a public charter high school together. Noble Street Prep in Chicago, their first campus, would expand into a network that now serves 11,000 high-needs high school students across 16 campuses in the Windy City. On Wednesday, it was announced that a 17th school was being added to the Noble network.

The Milkies have thousands of kids on wait lists for Noble. Not to mention that they now have two kids of their own.

“We had the confidence that we could figure it out,” says Tonya Milkie, reflecting on their early days as teacher-entrepreneurs brainstorming how to turn their vision into reality.

And figure it out they did, though they remain both humble and striving. Noble is making college a reality for low-income students at rates that far exceed both national and district averages.

With graduation and college-going enrollment rates of 90 percent — and a dropout rate of only .3 percent — serving a population of students who are 89 percent low income, Noble has proved its relentless focus on results getting results.

Last year, The Broad Foundation named it the top public charter school system in America.

Though the network has expanded and proven its worth, you will find Mike and Tonya literally in the same place they were 15 years ago: Room 207 on the original Noble campus, the office where they both work.

“We never changed offices because we didn’t want to lose touch with what we started our work for,” says Mike.

Add another shared label to the list: officemates.

You are cofounders of two organizations: a public charter network of 11,000 students and a family of four. How did you meet?

Mike: We met when I was a teacher and Tonya was an admissions counselor with DePaul University. I was working with high school seniors and trying to get them scholarships for college, especially DePaul, so I was really trying to work the admissions team. And that included Tonya. In the process, I guess I worked her (into liking me) too … I got to know her and that’s how we met.

Tonya: That’s the same story I would tell. Verbatim.

It’s clear you share a passion for serving the neediest students. How did Noble get off the ground?

Tonya: At that time (the mid-1990s) in Chicago, the ed reform movement was alive and well. We had some teachers on staff at Harper High School (where Tonya was working) who were very involved in it. Especially in the small schools movement, an effort to take large schools and break them into smaller schools within a school building.

There were two principals at Harper during this time and they were very supportive of the small schools idea so we said, ‘Let’s try this … a small school with more of a family feel, a tighter culture, more of an identity and some loosening of other restrictions or rules that the general school had in place.’

There were four of these schools that developed within my high school and definitely showed some positive results in terms of attendance and academic performance. Two of the founders of those schools left Harper to start a charter school in the first round of charters that were issued in Illinois.

What drew you to the public charter school model?

Tonya: Charters mimicked a lot of what we were able to do in our small schools at Harper. It was the idea of being able to have autonomy over a lot of things that we felt like were going to be important to our success.

Mike: We applied in Fall 1997 to open in 1998…In December we found out we didn’t get approved actually. But we were resilient and we actually then went back on appeal and our application ended up being approved. We opened in Fall 1999….One salient point here is I would have never heard about charters if I had not been with Tonya. That’s how I learned about them. And she from Harper, her school.

What are Noble’s core values?

Mike: We have five. Results, Respect, Follow Through, Diversity of Perspective, Humility.

This is what we really try to live as we operate. Results is first for a reason. We’re constantly saying, ‘How can we have better outcomes for our students?’ While all of the values are important, we never want to forget that feeling good about ourselves isn’t enough. We have to have great results.

As you’ve expanded to serve more students, what aspects of your mission and vision have you held on to the tightest?

Tonya: I think culture is the thing we’ve held onto the tightest. We always knew it would be central. We wanted to be a school where for the teachers who are working in our buildings, their classrooms are sacred. We wanted them to be focused on teaching and getting better at teaching and reaching the kids who are struggling and to have our full support so that they could focus on teaching. And when they needed us to be available and resourceful, we would be there to problem solve. I would say that culture is even stronger today than it was in 1999. That is the thing that we’ve been unwavering about. We’ve even gotten better about it as we’ve expanded. All of our teachers work very hard … the things that we can take off their plates and the ways that we can protect their classrooms — we do.

Feedback is so important to continuous improvement. How do you think about it? How do you give it?

Tonya: We talk about feedback and how to give it and why it’s awkward and try to make it a positive. We work with a staff of people who are really good at what they do. But no one’s perfect. So we try to come at it from a perspective of for each of us, what do we want to get better at? If it’s not your strength it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a weakness. It’s important to define growth…and then work with one another towards it.

Mike: We certainly, as a network, have focused on making feedback part of our regular course of action. We’re constantly serving staff, we’re constantly providing forums with us as management to get information that can help us make teaching and outcomes for students better. A lot of great charter organizations do this — provide an atmosphere that allows for feedback at all levels.

What’s in the future for Noble? Have you thought about geographic expansion?

Mike: Serving more students and having a positive impact on the Chicago Public School system. Part of that is growth and part of that is even greater quality. Expansion … we’ve thought about it and we’ve had many cities that have talked to us about expansion. But we believe that Chicago has a great need and we’re poised to be able to be part of continued improvement in Chicago Public Schools.

What has been hard?

Mike: Bureaucracy, in general, is frustrating. One of the reasons we began a public charter school was to leave the bureaucracy in the district. But unfortunately you can’t leave it completely. There’s still a myriad of federal, state and district bureaucracies that we have to go through to get things done. The amount of time that we spend on advocacy because people “oppose us”… we are forced to divert resources to what I think is a pretty self-evident situation of parents choosing that this a great option for their child. But it doesn’t seem to be enough, so we have to do a lot of organizing of our parents so their voice is heard.

Shifting gears a little bit, what do you consider to be each other’s biggest strengths?

Mike: I think Tonya’s greatest strengths are two things. Execution. In those early years, and one of the things we pride ourselves on at Noble in general, is getting things done. Following tasks through to completion. That’s one of the things Tonya is especially good at. And then the second thing: I think that she sees land mines really well that I probably wouldn’t … Seeing around the curve is one of her strengths.

Tonya: I think for Mike it’s he doesn’t get rattled really by anything. We’re sort of opposites in that way which helps. He stays the course, even when things get interesting. I think that’s especially true in the role of principal where any small thing can become very big to a parent or a student. Mike stays very steady and very positive. And that’s definitely translated to the bigger stage of having to be in the political arena a lot.

Mike: And those same qualities apply in our parenting also.

]]> /article/on-leadership-mike-tonya-milkie-raising-the-bar-for-11k-high-needs-chicago-students-at-noble-network/feed/ 0 On Leadership: Camden Principal Timothy Jenkins Making Sure His Students Seize Every Opportunity /article/on-leadership-camden-principal-timothy-jenkins-making-sure-his-students-seize-every-opportunity/ /article/on-leadership-camden-principal-timothy-jenkins-making-sure-his-students-seize-every-opportunity/#respond Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000

This is second in a three-part series The Seventy Four is publishing this week recognizing extraordinary school leaders to mark the end of National Principal’s Month. This Q&A has been edited for style and length.

Last Friday, for a school fundraiser, MetEast High School Principal Timothy Jenkins took 12 cream pies to the face from his students. That’s the kind of school leader he is: willing to do whatever it takes.

“They see if Mr. Jenkins can do it, it’s OK to do it,” he says, referring to staying in the game even when it gets messy and uncomfortable. “That’s part of my drive: continuously influence my students and teachers…and as many people as I can.”

For the 160 teenage students at MetEast in Camden, New Jersey, a city which President Obama recently called “a symbol of promise for the nation” for its renewed efforts to pull itself out of deep impoverishment, Jenkins is also a symbol.

Born and raised on the same city blocks from which where his students hail, he’s not just principal, but role model. Leading MetEast over the past 10 years, Jenkins has brought energy and focus to his work to raise the bar for students and get them not only college-ready but “life-ready.”

There have been setbacks. Jenkins’ efforts were thrown for a loop last year when an application he submitted to — the principal wanted even more autonomy — was turned down. MetEast still “needs improvement” according to state data reports. But Jenkins’ determination hasn’t waivered. He’s committed to seeing even greater improvements over the next 10 years.

However many pies it takes.

What’s your story? How did you get to where you are today?

I am a product of Camden and the school system here. Growing up, playing football as a young man, you’re surrounded by mentors and coaches who instill the sense that it’s your responsibility — our responsibility — to help shape the community. When I graduated from high school and went on to Rutgers, I left with the intention of going to college to become a teacher. I wasn’t exactly sure what type of teacher I wanted to be … but I knew when I left high school I wanted to be a teacher.

I’m doing the work I’m supposed to be doing. It’s kind of as simple as that. I don’t know what else I would be doing if I wasn’t a principal.

What does a good day at work look like?

This may be corny, but literally, today was a good day. We have days like this quite often when you can really, truly see students progress. Yesterday one of our students stood up at a meeting and she said, “I want to do a breast cancer walk. Can you guys help me? My aunt has breast cancer and another relative died from it,” she said, “so there’s a strong likelihood that I’ll have it. So I want to learn about it and help people be more aware.”

So we listened to her … Today, the whole school took a three-mile walk through the community. They passed out literature about breast cancer. And I personally took 12 pies to the face for charity … Not only was the day important to her — she saw that the school was supporting her — but these are the hard and soft lessons that we try to teach. Of course, I’m going to take whatever number of pies in the face.

When you see students really take advantage of the opportunities they have, and they embrace the lessons that you try to teach and impart to them, that validates what you do everyday. It lets you know the school is working. That your efforts are working. Though every student may not get the same lesson at the same time, your efforts are never in vain.

That’s a pretty amazing day. What about the bad days?

It pains me when students don’t take advantage of their opportunities. That’s sometimes the fault of the student — work ethic is poor — and sometimes it’s family challenges that get in the way; but there literally isn’t much a student can’t accomplish if they focus their efforts on their goals …We don’t give up on anybody.

That’s why the school works so well, I think, because we’re able to isolate — in a good way — each student individually. To look at the context surrounding a student and whatever’s required to move that student forward, we’re able to do that, using a big picture learning philosophy.

You mentioned “big picture learning,” which is the school model you use at MetEast. What is that in your own words?

It’s really what drives me and how I govern myself and how I oversee the school. It’s doing everything one student at a time and one staff member at a time.

Here is a place where students and their ideas, visions, and passions can truly come to life if they have really good supervision, guidance, and support.

And the staff too: I take that same approach with staff. Every staff member is different, every staff member is unique. My job is to make sure that I eliminate as many barriers as possible for them. Allow them and give them the autonomy and flexibility that they need to impact their students.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Always be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented. I use that everyday. In whatever it is. I could not have been a principal when the opportunity was presented if I didn’t have my credentials. That’s just being ready. Being ready for whatever comes. This vision that I have, you know, I don’t know when somebody’s going to present an opportunity to me. I really do live by that. Be ready and take advantage of opportunities.

You grew up here in Camden. You work here. It doesn’t seem like you’re leaving.

Camden is a city that’s plagued with a a lot of challenges. But the dynamics of the city have changed …The education system has changed. When I was in high school, there was only two educational options for high school students. There were just the large comprehensive high schools, whereas now students have five options. When I was in high school, I went to school based on my address. That’s a major difference.

]]> /article/on-leadership-camden-principal-timothy-jenkins-making-sure-his-students-seize-every-opportunity/feed/ 0 On Leadership: Principal Pamela Chapman Is Using Grit, Grace, Data to Turn Around Her Detroit School /article/on-leadership-principal-pamela-chapman-is-using-grit-grace-data-to-turn-around-her-detroit-school/ /article/on-leadership-principal-pamela-chapman-is-using-grit-grace-data-to-turn-around-her-detroit-school/#respond Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 +0000

This is one in a three-part series The Seventy Four is publishing this week recognizing extraordinary school leaders to mark the end of National Principal’s Month. This Q&A has been edited for style and length.

From the United States Army Reserves to the frontline of one of Detroit’s toughest turnaround schools, Principal Pamela Chapman has been on a self-proclaimed journey towards authentic leadership. As a single mom in Washington D.C., Chapman resolved to become a teacher when she realized the education her young daughter was receiving was substandard at best. “I really began to understand the impact that one’s socioeconomic status has on the quality of education they receive,” she said.

Chapman was all in as she was promoted from teacher to instructional coach to assistant principal to principal, moving around the country as she established a track record of impressive student achievement gains. Her daughter recently graduated from college.

Chapman’s latest challenge: a mandate to turn around Brenda Scott Academy for Theatre Arts, a pre-K-8 school in Detroit, Michigan, a city mired in bankruptcy and long considered the epitome of urban blight. Chapman’s school, where she has been principal for nearly a year, is part of the Education Achievement Authority, a district that encompasses the state’s lowest-achieving schools. For the 872 students she serves, who come from some of the toughest circumstances around, she is their greatest hope.

“We’re at the bottom, I’m sure you know that,” she said. “So I decided to lean in.”

Your job is really hard. When you get up in the morning, and you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, what do you tell yourself to get up and ready?

So the irony here is I pushed my bed to one wall. I figured, let’s just lower the probability of getting up on the wrong side of the bed! When I look up my vision board is there. That’s the first thing that I see — my higher self. I have a picture of Frederick Douglass that says, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” Looking at that is a super quick reset. I say to myself, “God woke you up today, it’s another opportunity to succeed. How do you make that happen?” That is genuinely who I am. It’s about doing the work that helps children. Because if I don’t do it, who will?

Tell me about working in a turnaround school. Do you have a theory of change?

Turnaround work is hard. It varies from day to day. I tend to think of turnaround in a couple of ways. First is obviously the culture piece. It’s how I want children to feel when they enter the building. Our core values have to reflect the community. One of them is grit. Grit is necessary for my young people within the community I serve. That’s going to be the thing that gets them onto great high schools and to and through college.

Second is teachers, which are obviously the most important aspect of closing the achievement gap. When I think about teacher development and recruiting, I have what I call A squared: aptitude and attitude. Those are the two things that I look for when I’m looking for a teacher to come and serve our students. How open to feedback are they? Do they have a growth mindset? Are they able to identify their biases and check them at the door?

The last piece is the socioemotional piece. Particularly in the city of Detroit, I really feel like I have a high percentage of students that are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. And it’s literally coming from how they live everyday and what they experience.

What do you love about working in a school?

I love the act of teaching. I taught 7th grade social studies last week because the teacher was sick and I was like, “Yay, she’s sick, I can go teach!” (She laughs loudly) It’s been an uphill journey. A wonderful journey. I enjoy urban education. I enjoy working with teachers and students. It’s a moral imperative. It’s a social justice issue for me. I thoroughly enjoy when I make breakthroughs.

Do you consider yourself to be an entrepreneur? I ask this because turnaround cultures and start-up cultures share some of the same attributes. You have to be scrappy, creative, miraculous.

That is really interesting! For all of the things that I think about, that is not one of them. I love that though! You’re right, it is very similar to that. Everyday you’re taking what’s presented, doing a quick evaluation, and then laying out a plan. Data. How are we using what we’ve learned to adjust literally in the moment. Because that’s super important. And that’s the part about turnaround work that makes it different.

Was there a setback in your career that helped you become the leader you are today?

The relocation to Detroit from Florida. I came into the city with the expectation that, because I am here, you will take me at face value. I thought, my staff will do as I’m asking because I turn around schools, I move the needle. That’s what I do! And that was really not the case. There were a lot of questions around who am I as a person, why am I here. To me it felt like a setback because I’m so committed to the work. It was a struggle that people weren’t on Team Pam. Like, when did that happen? That was really hard because I had to go back to the space where you intentionally create buy-in and change a deeply entrenched, fixed mindset around an inner city school and what black children can do.

What have Detroit’s gifts been to you as you’ve gone from outsider to insider?

The gifts would have to be the people. There’s a ton of cultural capital that folks bring to the table. My students’ parents are awesome. Are they perfect? Absolutely not. But you know, their openness and willingness to be on this journey with me has truly been a gift.

Have you read Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In”? What does “lean in” mean to you?

Yes, I have read the book. Huge fan. For me, “lean in”, leaning in, has been about pushing myself. If you’re going to tell other people that you can prove the possible in Detroit, you’ve gotta prove it within yourself. You have to be the example.

Coming here, I had no family in the area and I didn’t have any friends. I had no source of pulling from a leadership team that was existing. And I couldn’t convince anyone to come here with me, that is the honest to God truth. All of my resources were like, ‘No, we’re not doing Detroit. We draw the line at Detroit.’ And so even getting that feedback, I was like, ‘Pam, why would you?’

And then you know, I was like, “Lean in.” Why wouldn’t you? What’s the worst that could happen? You leave it how you found it. I doubt that’s going to happen.

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