Cohort 8
Washington, D.C.
Principal, Powell Elementary
“Being a New Leader means being supported by cohorts of other leaders before me with similar values and goals in this work of social justice.”
Before Janeece Docal took over Powell Elementary School, the community was very dissatisfied with the school, with parents protesting in the field in front of the building and a survey showing only 50 percent satisfaction with the school.
When Docal got the keys to the building and started as principal in fall of 2009, she knew she had a lot of work to do to turn the school around and gain the confidence of the community. First, she created an entry plan and interviewed as many staff, parents, community members and students as she could – and then she worked with her staff to develop a clear mission statement and action plan. She walked the community and introduced herself to parents. And she also immediately improved the building, taking three UHaul trucks of junk out and making the facility bright and clean.
After some of these first steps were in place, she worked to assemble a strong team who she knew would work hard to increase student achievement; conducted frequent classroom visits and provided honest, direct feedback using data; increased parent and community engagement by making sure she and the staff knew the families well; and developed a strong Academic Leadership Team that engages in continuous learning cycles using data and implements a coordinated system of assessments and interventions across the school.
At the end of her first year at the school, 2009-2010, there was a 14 percent increase in reading; at the end of her second year, 2010-2011, there was a 16 percent increase in math. The good news about the school is spreading, and Powell now has a waiting list of more than 100 students. In a survey from 2011, 98 percent of parents would recommend that a friend send his/her child to this school, and 97 percent of the parents think the school is on the right track for student achievement. While Docal and her staff are pleased with their progress, they feel their work has just begun; they are focused now on driving achievement levels even higher and providing all children in the school with the highest quality elementary education.
