Meet the Leaders

Each year, Education Week identifies some of the nation’s most exceptional school district leaders in its EdWeek Leaders To Learn From report and shines a spotlight on their extraordinary impact on the success of educators and students.

2025 Leaders

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2025 EdWeek Leaders To Learn From
These district leaders have shown persistence and creativity as they navigate the challenges facing schools in a rapidly changing world.
Meet the 2025 Leaders

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Opening the Books on How a School District Spends Money
Nolberto Delgadillo, the chief financial officer in Tulsa Public Schools, Okla., has skillfully made the district’s budgeting process more transparent by inviting parents and community members to dig into the budget with him. He translates complicated and arcane policies that shape school spending into easy to understand language. He is recognized as a 2020 Leader To Learn From.
Creating a Foothold for the Most Vulnerable Students
Johnnye Waller, the student services director for North Carolina’s Lee County Schools, helps students facing homelessness gain a solid footing for the school year. Her summer enrichment program pairs basic necessities with academic supports and exciting field trips. She is recognized as a 2020 Leader To Learn From.
An Unorthodox Strategy Closes Academic Gaps
In a test-obsessed K-12 system, Superintendent Shari Camhi has taken a holistic view of education without sacrificing rigorous academics. The Baldwin Union Free School District, N.Y., leader has helped close graduation gaps, and black and Latino students in the district far outpace their peers in the county and state. Her secret ingredient: themed career academies open to all students. She is recognized as a 2020 Leader To Learn From.
On a Mission to Help Student-Teachers Thrive
Marsha Francis, the program manager of the First STEP program in Georgia’s Fulton County district, has overhauled how the Fulton County, Ga., school system supports teacher-candidates during their clinical experience, by providing carefully selected mentors, professional development, a stipend, and guaranteed placement in the district after graduation.
Making Technology Work for Schools
As the technology director in the Vail School District in Vail, Ariz., Mark Breen’s tech savvy and deep understanding of what principals need has simplified the technology educators need to do their jobs and freed up time for them to focus on students. He is recognized as a 2020 Leader To Learn From.
Waging a Fight for Equity Amid Affluence
2019 Leader To Learn From Shomari Jones advocates for low-income students and students of color whose needs are often obscured by the high-achieving, mostly affluent school system.
Shomari Jones
Elevating the Arts to Improve Student Achievement
"I believe this is the exit [from poverty] through the arts,"says fine arts instructional specialist Christie-Jo Adams of her efforts to use arts integration to help turn around three struggling schools.
A Warrior Against the Inequities in Schools
“Inclusive excellence.” That’s a vision statement and call to action for Superintendent Roberto Padilla’s school district that for too long had left behind its students most in need.
A Bold Vision for Education in Appalachia
2019 Leader To Learn From Jeff Hawkins and the staff at the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative are bent on changing the narrative about what’s possible in Appalachia.
Jeff Hawkins
Confronting and Combatting Bias in Schools
Claiming a school is inclusive doesn’t make it so, says 2019 Leader To Learn From Angela Ward. Building environments where everyone feels valued and supported takes a commitment to challenging, thoughtful work, she believes.
Angela Ward
Taking Struggling Schools to New Heights
Nonprofit foundations usually influence how school leaders work. In the case of Superintendent Wendy Wyman, the reverse turned out to be true as well.
Wendy Wyman
Pioneering Tech-Savvy Rural Schools
We don’t have the most resources, but we’re going to find a way to provide really great opportunities for our kids,” says Superintendent Suzanne Lacey.
Suzanne Lacey

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