Alicia Harper —Leading Achievement First and Redefining Joy in Schools

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Oh, yeah.
I mean, I don't remember

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everything that I learned in
elementary school, in middle

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school, in high school or in
college.

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But I remember the the teachers
that had the greatest impact on

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me were the ones that I had the
strongest relationships with

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were the ones who invested in
me, who took the time to

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understand who I am as a person,
who I am as a learner, what

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motivates me, what inspires me.
And so we know that

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relationships are a strong
determining factor in kids

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success, especially when they
get to a place where their

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parent isn't bringing them to
school anymore, right.

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So in elementary school, someone
is walking you to school or

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dropping you off.
That's not the case in middle

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school.
That's not the case in high

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school.
And so it really.

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notes.
Welcome, welcome.

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Welcome to Add Up Accelerated
Excellence, the podcast for the

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advancement of educational
excellence and equity.

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And I'm your host, Jacob Easley,
the second PHDPMP.

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And today's guest is a rock star
of an educator and educator

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leader.
She is the regional

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Superintendent of New York
elementary schools at

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Achievement First.
Achievement First is a charter

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school network.
And so I think it's important in

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today's context to talk about
school reform.

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And that is somewhat of a dated
word.

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So we're going to update that
lexicon during this episode.

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Really, it's about ensuring that
schools that perhaps have had a

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history of not doing well thrive
and achieve excellence at high

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levels.
So welcome to the show, Alicia

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Harper.
Alicia, please introduce

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yourself to the Add Up
Accelerator excellence community

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by giving voice to your name.
And if you could just give us A

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and and sort of a high level
overview of achievement first.

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Thank you so much, Jacob, for
having me on.

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I'm so excited to be in
community with you right now and

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to just have a conversation
about this really important

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work.
As you said, my name is Alicia

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Harbour and I am the regional
Superintendent for New York

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elementary schools at
Achievement First Public Charter

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Schools and I've been in
education for my entire adult

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life.
I've been 15 plus years in the

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game and I know I don't like it.
I don't look like I've been what

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I've been through or that I've
been doing this work, but for

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me, this is my life's work.
It is a call in, it is a

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mission.
It's it is very closely, deeply

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connected to my opinion and and
it's really, really important to

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me.
And so that's why I continue to

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do it.
A little bit about achievement

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first.
We are a a multi state charter

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network and so we have schools
in Brooklyn, NY, we have schools

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in Queens, NY.
We also have schools in

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Connecticut and in Rhode Island.
And so we are a public K12

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school district and we mostly
serve in neighborhoods where

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there are lower resources, where
there are majority black and

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brown populations.
And we just everyday try to

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prove what's possible in
education for all of our kids.

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Alicia, thank you for that.
And anyone who's met Alicia, you

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know that her energy is
infectious.

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I really appreciate that.
And you talked about this life

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work as your mission, and you've
been doing this for more than 15

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years or about 15 years.
So you are a native New Yorker,

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so and you've shared with me
openly that you grew up in New

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York City in foster care in the
system and you attended largely

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under resourced schools.
So what have those experiences?

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What were those experiences like
for you, and how did you

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navigate them in your own
journey towards educational

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excellence?
Yeah, so, so fun story is I I

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didn't actually major in
education when I was in college.

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I majored in psychology.
Well, initially I thought I was

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going to be a doctor and so I
was pre Med until I had to get

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to or go and I was like, yeah,
no, I'm not doing this anymore.

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But I majored in psychology and
I had a minor in education.

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And when it came time for me to
graduate, I knew that I wanted

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to just be a part of a solution
because as you said before, I

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grew up in Brooklyn, I grew up
in New York.

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I went to five different
elementary schools because I was

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in the foster care system and I
went, I lived in different

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foster homes in elementary
school and depending on which

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where you live that you went to
school in your neighborhood.

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One of the things that I noticed
about all of the schools that I

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went to is as a as an adult, I
realized that we were closely

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underfunded.
There were just things that I

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saw in college and that I saw
people talking about their

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school careers, their school
journeys, their public schools

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that they went to was very
different than the school that I

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could describe that I went to.
And so I knew that there was an

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issue.
I didn't have words like add

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reform.
I didn't have words like

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educational equity.
I didn't know all of those

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things at the time as an 18 year
old or 19 year old.

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But I knew that it was that
something was wrong and I knew

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that I wanted to be a part of
the solution.

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I also thought a lot about if I
came out of the public school

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system in New York in in the
neighborhoods that I grew up in

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and I got to college and I
wasn't as fully prepared for the

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rigor that I was going to
experience in college.

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I really thought about then what
about my peers?

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What about, you know, the people
that I consider like, really

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close friends, friends who
became family, who did not go

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to, you know, the schools that I
went to for the college that I

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went to or who did not have an
opportunity to be in the classes

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that I was in.
And so I just knew that there

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was something wrong with the
system, and I knew I wanted to

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fix it.
And so that's sort of like how I

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landed here.
So Alicia, thank you for that.

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And how did those experiences,
you started talking about this,

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but how do those experiences
shape your beliefs about how

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schools can, in a sense, show up
for children and especially

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those navigating instability or
uncertainty?

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Because really, your story is a
story of, and I don't want to

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say it in a way that sounds
negative, but a story of a

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survivor in some ways from
systems that many folks are not

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familiar with.
Yeah, that's so true.

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I think when I was in in
elementary school, I'm aging

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myself now, but back then the
classes were tracked and so I

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was in it and in by track.
I mean they put all of the kids

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that they sort of see as high
potential in the top class of

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the grade and all of the kids
that they probably see as lower

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potential in the bottom classes
of the grade.

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So that it's like if I'm in
fifth grade, 5 O1 might even top

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class, whereas five O 5 is the
class that is the bottom class

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of the grade.
And even within that system, I

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saw that there were disparity
with new resources because in

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five O 1 we had, you know, we
got to go on field trips, we had

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the teachers who would, you
know, we had textbooks that were

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newer if we got a new batch of
textbooks that year.

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Whereas in five O 5 that was not
the case.

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So there is a there are gaps
within the gaps and there are

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disparities within the
disparities, first of all.

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So I would say that one of the
things that I saw in terms of

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like how can schools show up for
kids and families that need it

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the most is really understanding
where that family is coming

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from.
Really understanding what are

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the challenges that's impacting
families?

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What are the challenges that's
impacting just that's getting

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that's impacting just getting
kids to school?

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What are the barriers like that?
And like, how can we work with

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families and not just like
decide that we know what the

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issues are that that they're
facing and create these plans

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for them, but what does it truly
look like to work with families

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and understand what a
partnership is?

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You know, you know, that's
actually brilliant because we

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often focus on teaching and
learning, which is what's

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happening in schools between
teachers and students and how

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school leaders can support it.
But we have fewer conversations

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about the the broader context,
which means the family lives and

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how do we extend teaching and
learning beyond just what's

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happening in an individual
classroom or school to those

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conditions outside of the school
that support a child outside of

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that classroom or that building.
So I think that's very

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important.
So you have served as an

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assistant principal, a principal
and now Superintendent.

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What inspired you most about the
work and and those changes that

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you saw or changes in demands
across the different levels?

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So what inspired you each level
if you could?

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You know, and each level I'm
really inspired by the kids.

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At the end of the day, This is
why I do this work.

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I do this work so that our kids
can have the education that they

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deserve.
I think a lot about my younger

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self.
I think a lot.

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I talk a lot about Alicia on my
social media and what and this

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idea of there is a kid with so
much promise and so much

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potential and sometimes that
gets tapped into and it gets

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cultivated and they are able to
do really great things.

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And sometimes it doesn't.
And until we get to a space

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where everyone that has the
opportunity and the access for

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their gifts to be really
nurtured and cultivated, I'm not

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going to stop doing this work.
And so like at the AP level, at

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the principal level, and now at
the Superintendent level, the

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thing that really drives me is
the work for the kids.

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I think it's really easy to be
at a Superintendent level to and

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not be in schools and not see
the kids daily.

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I think also as it when I went
from AP to principal, it's

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really easy to be in your office
and to, you know, just do the

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planning work, do all the things
that needs to happen behind

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closed doors.
And I'm not saying those things

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aren't important.
Those things are very, very

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important.
But even now in my role as

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Superintendent, even as a
systems leader, I spend 4 out of

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my five days in schools doing
school visits.

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So I'm usually at two different
schools every single day.

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And when I'm in those schools, a
portion of it is spent with my

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principal doing some coaching
work, I'm doing some development

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work, but the majority of my
time is actually spent with my

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principals and a piece in
classrooms with kids, with

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teachers doing the work
alongside them.

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So just out of curiosity,
because I'm, I think this is a

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phenomenon for most of us who go
into some leadership role.

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Did it happen to you or did you
or did you prepare for a

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leadership role?
So how did you know?

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How did that come about?
That's an interesting question.

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I was a third grade teacher and
at the time the 5th grade class.

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This one fifth grade class went
through three teachers on there

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and the third teacher went to
lunch and never came back.

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And so my AP at the time came up
to me and she was like, hey, as

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of tomorrow you're going to be a
fifth grade teacher.

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And so I had to take over the
ass in the middle of the year.

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And what I learned in that
process of dividing up my

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current kids, my third graders,
in amongst the other third grade

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classes, taking over this 5th
grade class, essentially

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resetting the class so that we
had systems and structures in

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place so that learning could
actually take place.

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00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:58,760
I actually had a little bit of
resentment from my AP and I was

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00:16:58,760 --> 00:17:04,920
like, this is not the way you
approach an adult and a a

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00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:08,760
teacher who has like poured so
much into a school.

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00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,599
And if and if it needed to be
that I had to take over the

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00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:14,560
class then flying.
But the way you come up to

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00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,960
someone and engage them in a
conversation like that should

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00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:21,319
not just be on a random.
And I'm literally, because I

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00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:24,599
remember this, it was a random
Wednesday afternoon, which it

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00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:26,880
was like, as of tomorrow, you're
going to be a fifth grade

235
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,320
teacher.
And so going from teaching to

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00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:34,320
being an API knew I wanted to do
that because I, I felt like I

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00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,680
could have a greater reach, a
greater impact.

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00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:41,440
And I, I felt like I could do it
differently than how I was

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00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,880
experiencing with my current
leaders.

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00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,640
And so that was something that I
did pursue.

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00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:53,080
I pursued the assistant
principal role while I was in

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00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:56,800
the assistant principal role and
I was in that role for a number

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00:17:56,800 --> 00:18:01,480
of years.
At some point I began to prepare

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00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,440
for principalship.
There is a program at

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00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,160
Achievement 1st called the
Principal fellow program.

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00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,960
And so I applied to that program
and I and I and I was a part of

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00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:16,920
that program and it's a pretty
rigorous two year program that

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00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:21,040
prepares assistant principals to
step into a principal seat and

249
00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:23,000
take on the role of
principalship.

250
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:29,560
And so I did that program
Superintendent, I would say that

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00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,480
that was not a role that was yet
on my radar.

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00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:41,440
And so I would gently pushed or
gently nudged into this role.

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I loved being a principal.
And you know, like I, if I could

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00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,760
go back to being a principal
tomorrow, I would absolutely do

255
00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,120
it.
It was just such a, it's such a

256
00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:57,640
demanding job, but such also,
there's just something so

257
00:18:57,640 --> 00:19:04,760
special about creating a vision
and seeing that vision come to

258
00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,920
life in every single classroom
in your school across

259
00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:11,880
kindergarten, first grade, 2nd
grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, you

260
00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,120
know, with all teammates.
And that, that was a very, that,

261
00:19:15,120 --> 00:19:19,920
that was really magical for me.
But I did, you know, I answered

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00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:24,720
the call of stepping into the
Superintendent role because I do

263
00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:28,680
believe that it is a calling.
It's not just a job.

264
00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:37,600
And now I'm able to work with
schools across my district and

265
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:43,160
just bring in a little bit of
what I felt as a principal and

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00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:45,320
what I was able to cultivate as
a principal.

267
00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,680
And to me, that's really, really
magical, and that's also really,

268
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:53,680
really inspiring.
We definitely appreciate that.

269
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:59,880
And so when you left from
leadership of managing or

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00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:04,240
leading a single school to
overseeing a district, how did

271
00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:09,520
your leadership identity and
decision making mindset evolve?

272
00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:15,680
And I know you said you you were
nudged into it, which I can

273
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:18,040
definitely relate to.
Yeah.

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00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:23,800
So I mean, I think that more
than anything, I had to stay

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00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:29,840
even more rooted and grounded in
my values, in my standards, in

276
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:35,360
my beliefs about what's possible
for children because I was, I'm

277
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:38,720
not suiting my own ear, but 22 I
was.

278
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:44,120
My school was in turn around
when I took over and I had a

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00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,920
charge of turning around the
school in five years.

280
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:51,200
And we were able to do that in
less than three years where we

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00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,400
went from the bottom of our
district.

282
00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:58,200
Like our proficiency was around
35%.

283
00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:04,200
And in the span of three years,
we were able to get it up to 90%

284
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:09,040
in math, in phonics, in writing.
And so we were and that's a

285
00:21:09,040 --> 00:21:13,680
really great accomplishment.
And it, it just really changes

286
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,280
the trajectory of lives of our
kids if 90% of them are able to

287
00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:22,560
do the things on grade level.
And so when I step into this

288
00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:29,080
sort of like district seat, so
the hat that I had to put on was

289
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,960
the hat.
What does it look like to scale?

290
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,120
What does it look like to scale
these results?

291
00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:39,440
What are the systems that need
to be in place in order for all

292
00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,360
of our schools to achieve at
that high level?

293
00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:45,120
What's the coaching that needs
to be in place?

294
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:47,600
What's the school visits that
need to be in place like?

295
00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,160
What's the professional
development that needs to be in

296
00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:51,520
place like?
Things like that?

297
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:55,920
Like what does it look to roll
out a curriculum at a level with

298
00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,480
all schools as opposed to just
one grade or one class or one

299
00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:03,280
school?
So that's the the shift that I

300
00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:06,320
had to make.
It's like thinking about some my

301
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:10,840
building, me, my building.
We we roll in together to Oh no,

302
00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,600
we are all in this together.
This it's not just about my 400

303
00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:16,960
plus kids.
It's about the thousands of kids

304
00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:22,440
that we serve every single day.
So that's the the biggest thing

305
00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,680
that I would say, the shift that
happened for me.

306
00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:30,400
But ultimately, I had to stand
and double down on the things

307
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:35,000
that I value, that my standards
and my beliefs in what kids and

308
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,280
adults deserve and what they can
do.

309
00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:41,440
Because I have found that those
things are the things that get

310
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:45,960
tested at this level.
I, I appreciate that.

311
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:50,720
So you mentioned the word turn
around and we at the top of the

312
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:54,040
show, we talked about reform and
we're going to get into that.

313
00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,240
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notes.

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00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,680
And we're speaking with Alicia
Harper, who is regional

334
00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,080
Superintendent of New York
Elementary schools at

335
00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:35,920
Achievement First.
And in an article Achievements

336
00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:41,120
on Achievements First website,
that auditor refers to you as

337
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,880
the Turn Around Whisperer,
highlighting how you build a

338
00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:49,520
school culture that teachers
enjoy working in and students

339
00:24:49,800 --> 00:24:52,680
love to learn at where students
love to learn.

340
00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:59,600
Can you illuminate what is
required for a successful school

341
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:05,240
turn around?
I That's a throwback article.

342
00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:08,600
I yes, that is one they referred
to me as.

343
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,360
That's hilarious.
What's required for a school

344
00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,560
turnaround success?
That is a loaded question.

345
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:23,920
I wouldn't say the things like
grit and resilience is required

346
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,640
because that is the truth.
Those things are required.

347
00:25:26,880 --> 00:25:31,920
I think one of the first things
though, that is required is this

348
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:38,880
idea, this belief in what kids
deserve and what kids can do and

349
00:25:38,880 --> 00:25:42,280
what teachers deserve in a
school that they work with and

350
00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:49,120
what teachers are capable of
doing and a conviction to stand

351
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,680
by that no matter what.
Because I think if you have

352
00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:59,880
those two things, so many other
things fall into place, right?

353
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:04,440
Like if we are, when you take
our first assessment, we're at

354
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:09,440
30% proficient.
It is so easy for people for

355
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,800
leaders to be like, right, I
don't know what to do with this

356
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:18,120
or they did their best.
But if you have a conviction

357
00:26:18,120 --> 00:26:22,560
around what kids can do and what
they deserve, then that's not OK

358
00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,640
with you.
And if you have a conviction

359
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,640
around what teachers can do and
what teachers deserve, then

360
00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:32,000
that's not OK with you because
you also know that your teachers

361
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,440
are capable of more.
And I'm not necessarily saying

362
00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:39,160
like do more work, work longer
hours, come in on the weekends,

363
00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,720
but be more intentional.
You have a belief around like

364
00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:44,560
what intentionality could look
like.

365
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,320
You have a belief around what
your school schedule needs to

366
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:51,680
look like in order for your
teachers to have quality lesson

367
00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:56,560
planning meetings, in order for
your APS to actually lead those

368
00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,680
meetings and do a development
that's necessary for your

369
00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,240
teachers.
So if there's anything that I

370
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,840
would say is necessary,
necessary, it definitely is that

371
00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:09,800
belief and that conviction.
Now, there are also some

372
00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:14,400
tactical things that are
required as well there, you

373
00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:19,400
know, there definitely needs to
be lots of strategic systems and

374
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:24,120
structures in place so that your
teachers can grow at the rate

375
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,040
that you need them to grow,
right?

376
00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:28,840
There needs to be structures in
place around coaching, around

377
00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:33,560
development, around how to
prepare for lesson planning,

378
00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:40,880
around how often do APS go into
rooms to actually observe

379
00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:45,680
teachers and coach them.
And it can't be just like the

380
00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,800
beginning of year observation
and then that like media

381
00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:52,720
evaluation observation and end
of year because we're not going

382
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:58,000
to get the growth and attraction
that we need on the weight that

383
00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:01,240
we needed for our kids.
And so one of the things that I

384
00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:07,600
also had to do as a turn around
principal was build out systems

385
00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:13,520
and structures for my teens so
that everyone got what they

386
00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:18,440
needed and so that it can
outlive me.

387
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,880
I'm no longer the principal
there, but those systems and

388
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,280
structures are still in place
and they're still able to

389
00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:30,200
produce I results and really
strong outcomes for kids because

390
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,320
I because I was able to put
those systems and structures in

391
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,920
place years ago.
And out of curiosity, is that

392
00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,960
school within your network?
Do you supervise that school as

393
00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:45,080
a Superintendent today?
Oh hell yeah.

394
00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:53,160
Not a ghostable for me.
I, you know, I have a, it's a

395
00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:55,280
school that's very near and dear
to my heart.

396
00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:59,600
I, you know, like I love this
school with down to my bones.

397
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,360
And I still visit obviously
every week.

398
00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,000
I still go to like the parent
events, the family events, the

399
00:29:08,080 --> 00:29:10,080
families, They still have my
phone number.

400
00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:13,280
They'll text me things and
updates about their kids, but

401
00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:18,160
it's it was definitely one of
the one of my personal

402
00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:20,560
requirements in stepping into
this role.

403
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,680
You know, I'm, I'm laughing with
you because anyone who's seen

404
00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,040
Abbott, Abbott Elementary, it's
kind of reminds me of that

405
00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:34,840
Janine moment where she left her
school and went to work in the

406
00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:40,360
district office and that
emotional tug that she had of

407
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,800
wanting to go back to the
school, help the school, but

408
00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,360
also how she would peek, peek in
on her classroom.

409
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,600
So that brought to mind a, a
clear vision of me of what that

410
00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,680
looks like somewhat some, I
guess, a bit of separation

411
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,160
anxiety at times.
So seems like you're doing

412
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,080
really well with that.
So you're not a Janine?

413
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:05,160
You know, I'm, I feel resonating
so much with that.

414
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,920
The, the, the, the episode where
she like goes back and like

415
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,040
peeks into her classroom and
just like she's like, how are

416
00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:13,880
they doing and things like that?
And why is this sub in here?

417
00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:20,320
I remember that so vividly.
I'm more like the, have you ever

418
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,360
seen a movie, if you've ever
seen a movie, Mean Girls, where

419
00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:29,200
the mom is videotaping while the
girls are on stage doing their

420
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:33,040
Christmas Jingle.
I'm more like that because every

421
00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,800
time I'm here, I'm just like
videotaping or like, you know,

422
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:41,080
sending them like text messages,
like, yes, you guys are doing

423
00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:42,240
it.
I'm so proud.

424
00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:46,200
I'm like a proud mom, but I, I
mostly refer to myself as like

425
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:50,560
their proud big sister.
We also have a theme of Beyoncé.

426
00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:53,600
Like we, we say like if you've
ever been to a Beyoncé concert,

427
00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:57,840
Beyoncé, my girl puts on four
people and you do not leave the

428
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:00,880
same.
And so we have a theme at my my

429
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:04,080
form from a school where we have
to give them Beyoncé.

430
00:31:04,080 --> 00:31:07,240
We give our kids Beyoncé, we
give our parents Beyoncé and all

431
00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,440
that.
And so I always tell them, like

432
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,040
y'all a giving Beyoncé and I'm
like a proud Mama Tina out.

433
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:19,720
Here I love that, I love that.
So a mini achievement for

434
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,760
students are black Latin eggs
and from low income families and

435
00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:28,240
for many college will be a first
time achievement in their

436
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,840
families.
How does the network define

437
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:39,240
equity in this context?
That's a great question.

438
00:31:39,240 --> 00:31:46,040
And as someone who was also a
first Gen. college student, it's

439
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:51,080
something that's very near and
dear to my heart because there's

440
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:54,760
just so much you don't know
going into the process.

441
00:31:54,920 --> 00:32:00,040
There's So it is a very, very
challenging process from picking

442
00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:03,320
schools, visiting schools,
filling out applications,

443
00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:08,480
essays, scholarship information,
financial aid, all of those

444
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:10,600
things.
I, I just remember doing it and

445
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,120
I remember not having anyone in
my family that I could ask

446
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:18,360
questions to.
Luckily, I had a really great

447
00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,080
college advisor who was really
deeply invested in me as a

448
00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:26,400
student and as a person.
But one of the things that we

449
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:31,600
do, because we know the
challenges of being a first Gen.

450
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:36,960
is we really think about equity
as how do we want to remove

451
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:43,720
barriers for people and to
ensure that there is access and

452
00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:47,720
opportunity for people.
And so some of the first things

453
00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:53,160
that we do when they are in high
school is their AP classes are

454
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,360
part of our curricula in high
school.

455
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,960
So there are a certain number of
AP classes that our high

456
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,920
schoolers, they just take
because it's a part of the

457
00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:04,360
curriculum.
It's not because you are a

458
00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,720
wizard in, you know, calculus.
So, you know, in math.

459
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:10,480
So now you're taking calculus.
It's just like that's part of

460
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:14,160
the trajectory.
And we also see those things in

461
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:18,400
other schools, in more in
neighborhoods that are

462
00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:21,080
predominantly high income,
right?

463
00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:24,960
We see that in Scarsdale, you
know, we see that in, you know,

464
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,320
just neighborhoods across the
nation and across this state.

465
00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,360
And so we modeled our curriculum
off of that.

466
00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:37,680
The other thing is that everyone
does have a college counselor,

467
00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:43,040
college advisor, and they do
work alongside the students and

468
00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,440
alongside their families as
well.

469
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,560
So it's not just education for
the kids, it's education for the

470
00:33:48,560 --> 00:33:52,280
families in terms of like what
to expect, what's the timeline.

471
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:55,440
And we don't start that work in
in their senior year.

472
00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:58,680
We actually start that year
fresh, that work freshman year

473
00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:03,120
and then there is an addition to
that in sophomore year, junior

474
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:07,880
year and so on and so forth.
Every single year in high

475
00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:14,040
school, our kids get to take a
college trip somewhere.

476
00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:18,120
And so like some of the seniors
this year, they went on a tour

477
00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:21,960
of HBC US, which and it was an
overnight trip.

478
00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:25,600
And so like they've gone to so
many different schools, so many

479
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:29,920
SUNY schools, HBC, US and so
many other schools just to

480
00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:33,199
learn, to see the campus, to
learn about it.

481
00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:37,960
They also have someone
supporting them through

482
00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:42,040
scholarships that might be a
scholarship applications that

483
00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,040
might be a really good fit for
them.

484
00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:48,000
So when we think about equity,
we think about removing barriers

485
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,480
for our kids.
And then we also think about

486
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:54,440
defining opportunity and access
for them.

487
00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:00,200
And you've mentioned a word
earlier about intentionality.

488
00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:06,240
So could you speak to the design
logic of the network for holding

489
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:09,800
high expectations while
providing support for students

490
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:12,920
and helping them to meet those
expectations?

491
00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:19,520
So I like the story around those
students who are pursuing the

492
00:35:19,520 --> 00:35:25,760
path towards college, but you
may have students who may not be

493
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,120
in that camp.
So for across your population of

494
00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:32,640
students, what is the design
logic, intentional design for

495
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:37,280
holding high expectations?
Yeah, Thank you so much for

496
00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:39,120
that.
So like in terms of like horse

497
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:43,520
work, you know, everyone is,
they do have this, that there

498
00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,720
are certain amount of credits
that you need, you know, with

499
00:35:47,720 --> 00:35:49,560
high school, there's certain
amount of regions you got to

500
00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:54,080
pass to get your diploma.
And so those things are a part

501
00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:56,280
of achievement for us, but it's
also just a part of New York

502
00:35:56,280 --> 00:35:59,200
City and being a high schooler
in New York City.

503
00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:05,720
And so we have that system in
place for kids who, you know, we

504
00:36:05,720 --> 00:36:09,320
figure out by the time they're
maybe like sophomores or juniors

505
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:14,360
that they are, they do not want
to go the route or the path of

506
00:36:14,360 --> 00:36:18,040
going a traditional like 4 year
school or two year school.

507
00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:23,000
Then there is some CTE work that
they're doing.

508
00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,680
There's some like we, we, we
have a small number of our

509
00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:32,760
students that do go into trade
schools and they are able to get

510
00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:38,320
the support and the guidance
that they need in order to be

511
00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:43,720
successful in those areas.
And for those who may not be

512
00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:50,280
familiar with Regions or CTE,
can you just share a brief

513
00:36:50,720 --> 00:36:54,120
overview of the Regents process
and CT ES?

514
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:59,880
Yes, I completely forgot I'm you
know, like I'm thinking just

515
00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:06,880
like a New York type thing.
Yes, so Regents is that is a

516
00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,840
it's kind of like a final of a
final.

517
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:20,040
So it's a test that every every
New York State kid has to take

518
00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,680
different for different
subjects.

519
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:26,800
They have to have a certain
number of regions credits in

520
00:37:26,800 --> 00:37:30,560
order to meet the requirement to
graduate.

521
00:37:31,720 --> 00:37:37,440
And so there might be regions
for ELA, and then there's a math

522
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,080
one and history and so on and so
forth.

523
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,040
And so all of New York State
high schoolers have to meet that

524
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,000
requirement in order to
graduate.

525
00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:50,040
And so we have that.
We have regions part, we have

526
00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,560
classes that prepares scholars
for their regions and so on and

527
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,800
so forth.
When I say CTE, that acronym

528
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:01,400
stands for a career and
technical Education.

529
00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:07,880
And so that is, so if there is a
student who is not interested in

530
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:13,920
college, the answer can't just
be, OK, good luck, right?

531
00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:19,120
Could because that is a
disservice to that kid, that is

532
00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:22,920
a disservice to that family.
And that's doing the opposite of

533
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,400
what we promised to kids and
families.

534
00:38:25,560 --> 00:38:29,080
So what we do if they are not
interested in college and that's

535
00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:32,800
not the path that they want to
take, is that we support them in

536
00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:40,320
exploring different CTE options.
Yep, that's exactly, you know,

537
00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:44,480
we used to call that vocational
Ed back in the day.

538
00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:47,960
So achievement first emphasizes
that teachers are not just

539
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:51,520
instructors, but mentors and
role models or their students.

540
00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,120
And I think that sort of lends
itself to the idea of supports

541
00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,400
and high expectations.
How does the network

542
00:38:58,400 --> 00:39:01,880
intentionally cultivate
mentorship among teachers?

543
00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:05,280
And why do you see teacher
student relationships as the

544
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:08,800
most powerful lever for long
term student success?

545
00:39:10,880 --> 00:39:14,560
Oh, yeah.
I mean, I don't remember

546
00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:17,440
everything that I learned in
elementary school, in middle

547
00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:19,560
school, in high school or in
college.

548
00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:25,080
But I remember the the teachers
that had the greatest impact on

549
00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:28,400
me were the ones that I had the
strongest relationships with.

550
00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:32,880
Were the ones who invested in
me, who took the time to

551
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:37,680
understand who I am as a person,
who I am as a learner, what

552
00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:43,600
motivates me, what inspires me.
So we know that relationships

553
00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:51,040
are a strong determining factor
in kids success, especially when

554
00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,080
they get to a place where their
parent isn't bringing them to

555
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:56,680
school anymore right so in
elementary school someone is

556
00:39:56,680 --> 00:39:59,920
walking you to school or
dropping you off that's not the

557
00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:01,760
case in middle school.
That's not the case in high

558
00:40:01,760 --> 00:40:07,800
school, and so it really.
Not only determines their

559
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,520
success, it determines like how
often they come to school.

560
00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:14,760
We know that chronic absenteeism
is, it's now the buzzword in

561
00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:18,200
education across the nation as
we come back from, as we're, you

562
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:20,680
know, making gains and
attendance from Colvin.

563
00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:26,400
But in the relationships are the
thing that makes kids want to

564
00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:30,480
come to school and allows kids
to be invested in school.

565
00:40:30,480 --> 00:40:32,880
Because I might not like
algebra, right?

566
00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:37,800
Like, I might not like bio, but
I am invested in my teacher

567
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,600
because I know my teacher is
invested in me.

568
00:40:41,240 --> 00:40:47,160
And my teacher believes in the
possibility of what and my

569
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,280
teacher believes in what's
possible for me.

570
00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:54,360
Yeah, it's sort of that
influential leadership and you

571
00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:59,720
want to make your teacher proud
in some ways, so you often will

572
00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:02,840
push a little further.
And so I really appreciate that.

573
00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:08,000
And the reality is that teacher
relation, that teacher student

574
00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:12,120
or student teacher relationship
carries through not only in P12

575
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:16,080
but also in higher education.
So outside of high quality

576
00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:20,800
advisement, that's probably the
second most influential factor

577
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:24,000
in student success is the
relationship they have with

578
00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:28,000
their instructors.
Oh yeah, absolutely.

579
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:33,880
I'm I'm aligned today.
Drawing on your experiences,

580
00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:37,880
let's dream together for a bit.
If you don't mind, If you were

581
00:41:37,880 --> 00:41:43,520
to develop a school or a school
system from the ground up, what

582
00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:48,840
would that school or district
look like in terms of teaching

583
00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:54,400
and learning experiences that
would define the unique value of

584
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:57,720
that organization.
So you can either choose it from

585
00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:02,640
the level of, again, principal.
I know you have you have a soft

586
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:06,480
spot for the principal's role,
but also as a Superintendent.

587
00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:14,560
This is a juicy question.
I am definitely a dreamer, so I

588
00:42:14,560 --> 00:42:16,360
love it.
I love this question.

589
00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:23,240
When I think of like the like
the ideal school, it would

590
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:30,160
definitely be a school where joy
and learning joy and rigor

591
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:32,880
coexist.
It would be a school that's a

592
00:42:32,880 --> 00:42:39,360
lot of hands on things, you
know, not just pencil to paper.

593
00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:44,400
There we go.
But really building things right

594
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:50,760
and and designing things and
kids can really own their

595
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:56,360
learning in a way that feels
like it's not just top down my

596
00:42:56,360 --> 00:43:00,520
teacher telling me to do
something, but I have created

597
00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:03,360
this great thing and I can
present it to the world.

598
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:06,440
And by world I mean their class
or their school.

599
00:43:08,240 --> 00:43:13,120
It's a school that not just have
like really strong academic

600
00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:21,640
systems in place, but also that
has really great extracurricular

601
00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:26,440
activities in place for kids.
You know, boys clubs, Girls

602
00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:34,080
clubs, people clubs, just
swimming, soccer, basketball,

603
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:39,520
just acting, dancing, All of
those things are Fine Arts so

604
00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:44,240
that kids can really learn to
blossom and bloom even outside

605
00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:47,680
of the classroom.
One of the things that I saw so

606
00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:52,440
much as a principal, I was a
principal in Bushwick, Brooklyn,

607
00:43:52,440 --> 00:43:56,440
NY.
And that is a school that has

608
00:43:56,880 --> 00:44:02,840
that's a neighborhood that has a
high newcomer population and

609
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:07,320
high bilingual population.
And one of the things that I

610
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:12,960
realized as a principal was that
there are places that our kids

611
00:44:13,320 --> 00:44:16,720
can shine.
That's while they still develop

612
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:21,480
in the language of English.
So they may not have been, you

613
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:24,600
know, comfortable or felt
comfortable speaking in their

614
00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:29,160
classroom, but put them in a
dance studio and they just, you

615
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,920
know, blossomed.
And that also supported them

616
00:44:32,920 --> 00:44:34,720
when they were back in the
classroom.

617
00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:40,440
So I would definitely have a
school that included some so

618
00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:46,520
many extracurricular activities.
I think a lot about access, I

619
00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:51,400
think a lot about opportunity.
And if you know, when I think

620
00:44:51,400 --> 00:44:55,080
about like schools on let's say
like the Upper West Side of

621
00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:58,920
Manhattan, they have those
things in house.

622
00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:02,840
But then they're also so many
programs after school that are

623
00:45:02,840 --> 00:45:06,440
available for kids that also are
very expensive.

624
00:45:06,680 --> 00:45:10,920
And so if I had a bunch of
money, I would have those things

625
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:16,600
in schools that are in lower
resource neighborhood and make

626
00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:21,720
those things free for our black
and brown children because that

627
00:45:21,720 --> 00:45:25,000
is what they deserve.
You know, I thank you for that.

628
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:30,960
And as you begin to talk about
this dream of building a school

629
00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:33,400
from our school or district, in
this case, a school from the

630
00:45:33,400 --> 00:45:39,000
ground up, I forgot to add and
resources were not a limitation.

631
00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:46,000
So I think that would
definitely, definitely shape

632
00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:49,160
someone's dreaming in a
different in a different

633
00:45:49,160 --> 00:45:50,960
direction.
Because as you mentioned

634
00:45:50,960 --> 00:45:55,560
earlier, your experience has
been as a both as a as a

635
00:45:55,560 --> 00:45:59,720
student, but then working with
turn around schools often

636
00:45:59,960 --> 00:46:04,760
resources are strained.
Yeah, so.

637
00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:08,080
Absolutely, absolutely.
And and you're, you're spending

638
00:46:08,080 --> 00:46:11,920
a lot of time figuring out where
to where do I put the resources

639
00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:13,480
right?
What, what is going to give us

640
00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:16,680
the biggest bang for our bar?
What does the community need the

641
00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:18,240
most?
Yeah.

642
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,840
And and that, that's also one of
the tough parts of being a

643
00:46:21,840 --> 00:46:26,360
leader when you have limited
resources Now, how then do you

644
00:46:26,360 --> 00:46:31,480
prioritize in order to achieve
the results you want?

645
00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:34,920
So schools may not feel, and
you're still trying to, as you

646
00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:39,280
say, mentioned this joy.
I I guess it could put a strain

647
00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:44,080
on even what joy feels like, not
only for students, but for you

648
00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:49,400
as a leader, knowing that your
students would benefit from

649
00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:53,280
certain opportunities, but not
necessarily having the resources

650
00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:58,680
to to make those available.
Oh yeah, I definitely agree with

651
00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:00,280
that.
And, and I, I agree.

652
00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:03,960
I think I, you know, I'm on a,
I'm on a mission to redefine joy

653
00:47:03,960 --> 00:47:11,240
in schools also because I, I
think that joy is not only

654
00:47:11,240 --> 00:47:14,400
something that can exist during
like fun time or free time

655
00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:19,080
during recess, it also should
exist in the learning.

656
00:47:19,080 --> 00:47:22,280
The learning is the joyful heart
as well.

657
00:47:23,200 --> 00:47:29,560
You know, in, in reading a book
that reflects back who I am,

658
00:47:29,640 --> 00:47:31,440
right?
And, and, and learning about

659
00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:36,360
myself in literature, in math,
in science, and so on and so

660
00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:39,160
forth.
That is really, really joyful.

661
00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:45,160
So Alicia, for educators
listening, and I'm going to

662
00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:49,320
amend that, I'm saying
educators, but those who may

663
00:47:49,920 --> 00:47:53,360
also consider going into
education.

664
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:59,120
So what would you say to
aspiring teachers, folks who

665
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:01,720
want to go into teaching?
And then secondly, what would

666
00:48:01,720 --> 00:48:06,640
you say to aspiring leaders?
What advice would you give to

667
00:48:06,640 --> 00:48:12,040
them leading with both urgency
and humanity?

668
00:48:12,360 --> 00:48:16,000
And so that's two parts.
I'm not sure if the answer is

669
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:19,520
the same, but I'm going to let
you use your discerned minute

670
00:48:19,520 --> 00:48:21,480
and and what advice you might
give folks.

671
00:48:23,200 --> 00:48:31,600
Yeah, I would say like for both
the teachers and the leaders, be

672
00:48:31,600 --> 00:48:36,800
grounded in that we're here for
kids, that we need to do things

673
00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:44,000
that are best for kids and and
it doesn't have to look like a

674
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:46,840
teacher, what's best for
teachers versus what's best for

675
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:48,520
kids.
It doesn't have to be a battle

676
00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:51,120
that tension either, or it can
be both.

677
00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:56,920
And so that's one thing that I
will say the the thing that I

678
00:48:56,920 --> 00:49:02,880
would say for people who are
entering into education is find

679
00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:08,960
your school.
That is the school that you

680
00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:14,880
envision thriving in.
Because I sometimes I'll see

681
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:18,040
that someone goes to a school
and they're like, oh, this is

682
00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:19,720
hard.
I don't have the support that I

683
00:49:19,720 --> 00:49:22,040
need.
You know, I don't have insert

684
00:49:22,040 --> 00:49:26,280
whatever The thing is that they
need and they give up on

685
00:49:26,280 --> 00:49:29,840
education because of that.
And it doesn't have to be like

686
00:49:29,840 --> 00:49:33,080
that.
There are so many schools out

687
00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:36,720
here in in just in New York
City.

688
00:49:36,720 --> 00:49:41,720
There are so many schools and so
find the school that is going to

689
00:49:41,720 --> 00:49:45,680
that is closest aligned.
So who you are as a person to

690
00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:49,200
your vision to your mission and
to what you need to thrive

691
00:49:49,800 --> 00:49:51,360
because it exists.
It's there.

692
00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:55,920
Hold on to that optimism to
leaders.

693
00:49:56,160 --> 00:50:03,400
I would say that to understand
that when you step into a

694
00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:09,640
leadership role, you are not
just the person responsible for

695
00:50:09,640 --> 00:50:12,680
the results, you are.
And that that is a, that is a

696
00:50:12,760 --> 00:50:17,880
burden to carry and it's heavy,
but you also responsible for the

697
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,120
people responsible for the
results.

698
00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:23,680
And don't lose sight of that.
Don't lose sight of the fact

699
00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:29,240
that you are have now been
called to support the people, to

700
00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:34,840
invest in the people, to nurture
the people so that they can get

701
00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:38,360
really great outcomes for our
kids.

702
00:50:39,280 --> 00:50:42,200
I do sometimes think that
sometimes leaders forget that

703
00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:46,200
and that's where that's where
the magic lies.

704
00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:51,400
So we're speaking with Alicia
Harper, who is regional

705
00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:53,960
Superintendent of New York
elementary schools at

706
00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:57,160
Achievement First.
And Alicia, we know this is your

707
00:50:57,160 --> 00:51:02,640
first ever podcast, and we
appreciate that you have

708
00:51:02,640 --> 00:51:07,960
entrusted at UP Accelerated
Excellence to venture into this

709
00:51:07,960 --> 00:51:11,800
world of podcasting, to tell
your story and to shine a light

710
00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:15,040
on some of the great work that's
happening at Achievement 1st.

711
00:51:15,520 --> 00:51:23,280
And if you would, could you give
us insights into what's next for

712
00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:27,280
Achievement First or for some
projects you might be working

713
00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:29,240
on?
And how might the Add Up

714
00:51:29,240 --> 00:51:32,520
Accelerated Excellence community
engage with that work?

715
00:51:33,920 --> 00:51:37,160
Yeah, great question.
I'll first start with what's

716
00:51:37,160 --> 00:51:39,920
next for achievement first.
So we just did some

717
00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:46,200
restructuring in our network.
We as I shared earlier in the

718
00:51:46,200 --> 00:51:49,680
episode, we were charter network
across three different states,

719
00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:53,720
so in New York, Connecticut and
in Rhode Island.

720
00:51:54,000 --> 00:51:58,840
And so what's next is we have
decided to regionalize.

721
00:51:58,840 --> 00:52:04,440
And so we are in a space where
we are able to really give each

722
00:52:04,440 --> 00:52:11,200
state the things that they need
depending on the unique needs of

723
00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:14,600
each region at each state, which
is I'm just really excited to

724
00:52:14,600 --> 00:52:19,960
see what comes next.
Because of that, for Mickey, as

725
00:52:19,960 --> 00:52:27,440
a person, as as an educator, I
am on a mission to just expand

726
00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:32,960
my impact both within the AF
network and also our side of my

727
00:52:33,720 --> 00:52:37,680
mind charter network.
And so I, you know, want to

728
00:52:37,680 --> 00:52:42,960
continue mentoring, continue
coaching and working with

729
00:52:43,000 --> 00:52:48,920
educators just outside of this
beautiful charter network that

730
00:52:48,920 --> 00:52:52,440
I'm in.
I, this is the first time I'm

731
00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:55,560
sharing this, but I've most
recently started an LLC.

732
00:52:55,560 --> 00:53:00,960
I formed an LLC and so it and
I'm working on a website, it's

733
00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:07,400
called Harper Haven and it's
going to be a space for turn

734
00:53:07,400 --> 00:53:12,600
around school leaders to just
have have a ton of resources

735
00:53:12,600 --> 00:53:18,720
that they might need to be able
to do the very hard work of

736
00:53:18,720 --> 00:53:21,520
turning school and school
systems around.

737
00:53:21,640 --> 00:53:24,560
And so I'm really excited about
that and I'm really excited.

738
00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:26,040
Then I get to share that with
you first.

739
00:53:27,760 --> 00:53:31,200
But thank you again, a lots of
trust here, I love it.

740
00:53:32,360 --> 00:53:35,040
Yeah.
So we have so many exciting

741
00:53:35,040 --> 00:53:37,040
things happening at Achievement
1st.

742
00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:39,920
And so you can always go to our
website

743
00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:47,080
www.achievementfirst.org.
If you are an educator, if you

744
00:53:47,080 --> 00:53:51,560
are a teacher, if you're an
aspiring teacher or leader, we

745
00:53:51,560 --> 00:53:54,920
always have positions available
and open.

746
00:53:54,920 --> 00:54:01,280
And so we we welcome people who
agree with our values and want

747
00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:05,040
to do this great work of
educating kids.

748
00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:12,520
You can also in in a few weeks I
will have my website up.

749
00:54:12,560 --> 00:54:17,480
But in the meantime, you can
always find me on LinkedIn and

750
00:54:18,080 --> 00:54:21,200
just engage with the commentary
with the post.

751
00:54:21,280 --> 00:54:26,080
Send me some DMS if you have any
questions about any turn around

752
00:54:26,080 --> 00:54:29,280
work or just school leadership
work.

753
00:54:31,960 --> 00:54:36,200
Lisa Harper, thank you for this
opportunity to learn with and

754
00:54:36,200 --> 00:54:39,400
from you here at Add Up
Accelerated Excellence, where we

755
00:54:39,400 --> 00:54:42,480
seek to advance educational
excellence and equity.

756
00:54:43,640 --> 00:54:47,240
Thank you so much.
I'm so appreciative of you,

757
00:54:47,240 --> 00:54:53,080
Jacob, and the entire community
and I'm I'm just ready to

758
00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:56,680
continue doing this work.
Thank you for engaging with Ed

759
00:54:56,680 --> 00:55:00,040
Up Accelerated Excellence, a
member of the Ed Up Experience

760
00:55:00,040 --> 00:55:03,920
network of educational podcasts.
You can find this in other

761
00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:07,600
episodes on Spotify,
iHeartRadio, Apple Radio,

762
00:55:07,720 --> 00:55:10,920
YouTube, and other outlets where
you listen to your favorite

763
00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:14,640
podcasts.
If you like this episode, don't

764
00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:17,640
forget to follow us and share
within your network.

765
00:55:18,160 --> 00:55:22,920
To leave a comment or suggest a
guest, contact us online at EDUP

766
00:55:22,920 --> 00:55:25,800
xe.com.
A special thanks to our research

767
00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:29,320
assistant, Emma Worthington, a
PhD student of Fordham

768
00:55:29,320 --> 00:55:32,720
University's School Psychology
program, and we want to hear

769
00:55:32,720 --> 00:55:35,080
from you.
If you have feedback on this or

770
00:55:35,080 --> 00:55:38,680
other episodes or would like to
nominate a guest, contact us

771
00:55:38,680 --> 00:55:43,880
online at eduxe.com, where you
can leave an e-mail or a voice

772
00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,360
message.
That's Edux e.com.