Thank you for supporting great principals

One such leader is Abdullah Zaki of Kelly Miller Middle School. The school offers one of only two Gifted and Talented programs in Washington, DC’s Ward 7; however, when Abdullah arrived as principal in 2010, academic achievement was low, and truancy and suspensions were common. Kelly Miller’s population of more than 350 students is nearly 100% African-American and more than 90% qualify for free and reduced-price lunch.

In spite of these challenges, Abdullah knew that his students deserved better. Leaning on experience gleaned from over 15 years as an educator in the DC Public Schools, as well as the leadership skills he learned through New Leaders’ Aspiring Principals Program, Abdullah focused his efforts on supporting teachers to use data to make decisions about teaching. He also prioritized quality professional development opportunities for teachers and establishing a culture of equity, excellence and high expectations for all students.

Under Abdullah’s leadership, truancy has dropped from 30% to 1% and suspensions have dropped by over 50%. Over a three-year period, Kelly Miller students’ scores have increased more than 30% in math and more than 15% in reading. In November 2013, Abdullah was recognized as the District of Columbia Public Schools Principal of the Year and was presented with the Excellence in Leadership Award.

About the strength of the community at Kelly Miller, one student states, “It’s like home because I come to school and I just feel surrounded by all my family members. Mr. Zaki is like the father of the building.”

In response, Abdullah says, “We refer to ourselves as a family, so we hold each other accountable for everything that we do. We just believe that if we stay focused on student achievement, if we stay focused on improving students’ lives, that we will have one of the best school systems in America.”

Every student in DC deserves an Abdullah in his or her school. The great news is that we have dozens more just like him: we are currently training 50 current and future leaders like Abdullah right here in DC.

New Leaders believes 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. Thank you for joining us and supporting this work.