Thank you for supporting great principals

One such leader is LaWanda Hill of Caldwell Guthrie Elementary School. When LaWanda arrived as principal in 2010, it was to a school that was the result of a merger of two struggling schools and to a community that didn’t think the new school would work. The school was threatened with closure. But LaWanda had one request for the district: “Give me a year to turn it around.”

From the beginning, LaWanda has envisioned Caldwell Guthrie as a beacon of hope in North Memphis. The neighborhood was once a thriving community in the 1970s and 1980s, but as a result of manufacturing closures, many families relocated, leaving behind only a disproportionate number of the most disadvantaged families. Today, the area is one of the poorest zip codes in the state. LaWanda’s mission at Caldwell Guthrie is to revitalize the community by providing its children with the high-quality education they deserve.

LaWanda focused on raising the academic bar for all students, supporting teachers in using data to assess student progress and adjusting their lessons to meet every student’s needs. As a new principal, she quickly gained a reputation with parents, teachers, and students as an administrator who isn’t afraid to demand excellence from everyone involved in the learning process. LaWanda is a hands-on principal who constantly walks the halls, checking in with teachers and observing classroom activities. Each morning, she meets with teachers to get “everyone on one accord” for a successful day of learning and to find out how she can support them in achieving that goal.

LaWanda has also cultivated a sense of community that extends beyond the school building. For example, she formed a partnership with the Germantown United Methodist Church, which sends over 100 members of its congregation weekly to serve as volunteer reading tutors with Caldwell Guthrie students. The reading program was so successful that Memphis City Schools is now implementing it across the district.

In just three years, Caldwell Guthrie went from being in the bottom 5% of schools statewide to being named a Tennessee Reward School, a distinction reserved for the top 5% of schools in the state.

According to LaWanda, the most important element of success is “loving our children.” For many students at Caldwell Guthrie, impoverished home environments come with the territory. “We want school to be a different place from what their home life is. A nurturing classroom is highly conducive to learning,” she says. “Education is not an ‘adult comfort’ profession. Our children are the most important people. We are here to ensure their success, both at this school and beyond.”

Every student in Memphis deserves a LaWanda in his or her school. New Leaders is committed to the belief that supporting education is the most important thing we can do for our children and for our country–and that making sure every school has a great leader and leadership team is the best way to start. This school year, thanks to your support, we are training 28 more school leaders like LaWanda right here in Memphis, with the same grit and determination to see their students succeed no matter what. Thank you for joining us and supporting this work.