The sleeve of tattoos that run up Tracie Anderson Swilley’s left arm brings items of her life and work collectively—her favourite flower, a quote from the Bible, and a musical notice that reminds her of a pupil who misplaced their life a couple of years in the past.
“His mom and I obtained the identical one,” Swilley advised Training Week throughout a nationwide gathering of college principals right here. On the again of her arm is a tattoo of lion’s head, to remind her of the power she wants as a pacesetter.
As a part of the Oct. 18 gathering, Swilley, the principal of Fairfield Central Excessive Faculty in Winnsboro, S.C., was named Nationwide Principal of the Yr for the 2024-25 educational 12 months. Swilley, together with two finalists, was chosen by the Nationwide Affiliation of Secondary Faculty Principals from a pool of fifty state principals of the 12 months. (The award is for center and highschool principals; elementary principals are acknowledged individually via their very own affiliation.)
Swilley, a first-generation faculty graduate and former elementary math trainer, has led Fairfield Central for the final decade. The varsity, which serves a inhabitants of largely Black college students, is in a rural, economically deprived space of the state. Nearly all the 660-plus college students at Fairfield Central qualify totally free or reduced-price lunch.
That hasn’t slowed Swilley’s ambitions for her college students.
During the last three years, the college has made robust positive aspects in math and studying achievement—college students who obtained a C or above in Algebra 1 elevated from about 40 % to 60 %, for instance, and college students who obtained at the least a C in English 2 elevated from about 40 to 58 %, based on the state’s standardized testing information.
The varsity additionally achieved a commencement fee of 90 % final educational 12 months. When Swilley first got here on board in 2013, the commencement fee was round 70 %.
Final college 12 months, the college obtained an general “good” score on its report card from the state for the primary time in its 38-year-old historical past, Swilley added.
Swilley’s mother and father by no means went to school, however made positive she and her sister understood the significance of upper schooling. In her position as a principal, Swilley mentioned she’s tried to emphasise that mindset along with her college students too, by making a “tradition of expectation” in her college.
“I be certain they perceive that the aim is excellence, what’s anticipated of them, and how you can get there,” she mentioned. “I do an affirmation with my college students on daily basis and emphasize that their ZIP code doesn’t resolve their talents.”
Getting take a look at scores up by slowing down
Enhancing take a look at scores has been excessive on Swilley’s to-do listing within the final decade. The information had advised her that college students weren’t acting at grade stage in math or English.
Swilley determined that each one ninth grade college students coming into her college would take Algebra 1. The preliminary lessons centered on the foundational abilities wanted for Algebra 1, and an evaluation in December decided who would proceed within the class, and which college students wanted extra assist with the fundamentals.
“We discovered a method to sluggish it down for teenagers that wanted it,” mentioned Swilley.
Swilley credit small group time, extra tutoring, and on-line, customized follow for serving to college students enhance their math scores. College students can even select to finish Algebra 1 over two years as a substitute of 1, in order that they transfer forward solely after they’ve totally grasped the basics.
“That’s once they’re going to thrive,” she mentioned.
I do an affirmation with my college students on daily basis and emphasize that their ZIP code doesn’t resolve their talents.
Tracie Anderson Swilley
Swilley had an identical problem with English/language arts—she seen college students coming into ninth grade have been as a lot as three grade ranges behind of their studying abilities. Her method was like her work in math: put all the scholars via a diagnostic take a look at to find out who wanted what sort of intervention.
Fairfield Central now makes use of a studying intervention program from HMH, Learn 180, which recommends having smaller studying teams at school and extra customized consideration to every pupil.
Fairfield Central has outperformed the district by nearly 13 proportion factors by way of college students who’ve scored a C or increased in Algebra 1, based on South Carolina’s college report playing cards database. For English 2, the state stage scores are increased by 8 proportion factors.
That includes college students’ voices within the college’s enchancment
As Swilley spoke with Training Week, her telephone buzzed with congratulatory messages. Plenty of them have been from her college students.
“These imply rather a lot to me. They advised me, ‘We knew we had one of the best principal on this planet. Now everybody is aware of,’” Swilley mentioned, smiling as she texted them again.
This deep connection between college students and their principal, and their shared delight in class, wasn’t all the time a given. When Swilley took cost, she was the fourth principal that her seniors had of their time on the college.
“I vowed that I used to be going to at the least see one ninth grade class go to a senior class, and I’ve saved my promise,” mentioned Swilley.
She additionally needed to work on college students’ “mindset of limits”—low expectations for themselves—by exposing them to careers they’ll pursue after commencement. Swilley constructed upon the prevailing STEM faculty academy at Fairfield by including an arts component to it. As a part of this academy, college students can earn an affiliate’s diploma whereas they’re in highschool.
Swilley additionally made positive that each one her lecturers point out the universities they went to on their nameplates to let college students know concerning the completely different alternatives they’ve. She’s intentional about “branding the significance” of faculty. Final college 12 months, about 80 % of Fairfield Central graduates have been accepted at four- or two-year schools.
Altering the college tradition hasn’t been with out its hiccups. One of many classes Swilley has realized is that relating to enhancing habits—in lessons, the hallways, and the cafeteria—college students should be a part of the dialogue.
Swilley initially “rushed in with lots of guidelines” on costume codes and different points that have been being inconsistently utilized between lecture rooms.
“We have been being punitive about an entire lot of issues that had nothing to do with pupil achievement,” she mentioned.
She removed the prescriptive costume code as soon as she requested college students for his or her opinions. After she began listening to them, Swilley mentioned she obtained the scholars’ buy-in for the expectations she set round educational achievement.
“I needed to discover ways to embrace letting college students be a part of the method,” mentioned Swilley.
Rising a various group of leaders
Swilley’s work on expectations and mindsets extends to trainer leaders and the assistant principals at her college. As a part of her work with the South Carolina Affiliation of Faculty Directors, she presently mentors two principals who’ve sought her recommendation on managing the primary few years of the principalship.
Swilley will go to her mentees of their colleges, take a tour of the constructing, observe lecture rooms, and solicit their issues as leaders. Swilley mentioned she tries to not be prescriptive, and depends on her personal expertise as a veteran principal to assist new principals of their jobs.
“I additionally study from them as a result of new principals are likely to have lots of revolutionary concepts [about leadership],” she mentioned.
Inside her college, she pairs assistant principals and lecturers along with her college’s testing coordinator so these future leaders can get hands-on expertise with planning and implementing exams.
Swilley additionally plans to advocate for higher recruitment of ladies of coloration, like herself, to the principalship. She needs to make use of her platform as Nationwide Principal of the Yr to spotlight a few of the obstacles that girls of coloration face in management.
“One of many largest issues is the imposter syndrome: Am I adequate? Am I succesful?” she mentioned. “Sure, we’re adequate. We’re succesful. We carry issues to the desk.”
