Students of color make up nearly half of the children enrolled in the Eden Prairie school district, a suburban system near Minneapolis.
And like many school districts, Eden Prairie鈥檚 roster of principals did not reflect the diversity of the student body. In fact, five years ago, principals and associate principals of color made up about 18 percent of the district鈥檚 school leaders.
This year, nearly half of the principals and associate principals are people of color.
How did the school system move so far in just a few years?
First, a commitment driven by the district鈥檚 values, according to Superintendent Josh Swanson, who came to the district of more than 8,000 students in 2017.
Eden Prairie鈥檚 mission to inspire students, in part by forging meaningful relationships and connections, bleeds into everything the school system does, said Swanson, who is white.
One of the things that emerged from a community-engagement process after Swanson arrived was a recognition of 鈥渢hat need for belonging and connections and diversification of our workforce leadership,鈥� Swanson said.
That led the district to begin to think strategically about how to increase the number of school leaders鈥攁nd more broadly staff of color鈥攚orking in the system.
The percentage of people of color on the schools鈥� overall administrative teams and in the district鈥檚 central office also increased to 50 percent. Swanson said the number of teachers of color is also increasing, though it still lags student enrollment.
鈥淚 will tell you, from my lens as superintendent, there is no single strategy,鈥� Swanson said. 鈥淚t really becomes, 鈥楬ow do you put multiple strategies together to make that happen?鈥� 鈥�
Network, network, network
That鈥檚 a go-to tool for Carlondrea Hines, the associate superintendent of academics and innovation, who joined the district in 2021.
Hines, who is Black, has built up a Rolodex of exemplary educators of color鈥攖eachers, principals, and others鈥攚ith whom she鈥檚 worked and encountered over the years.
That Rolodex comes in handy when vacancies arise. She scrolls through her contacts to see which one might be the right fit for the school and the community.
And even if someone doesn鈥檛 think they鈥檙e the right fit for the current vacancy, Hines always asks: 鈥淒o you know anyone that would be a good fit for our district?鈥�
鈥淭hey may have a reference that we may be encouraged to reach out to, to inquire if they would be interested,鈥� Hines said.
Networking also includes ensuring that the universities with which the district works know that the school system is focused intently on diversifying its staff.
Look for fit
The process of filling a school-based vacancy begins with surveys of the school staff, students, and families. They鈥檙e asked questions like: What are the strengths of the school site? What would you like to see in a school leader? What challenges will the new leader have to address? What strengths should the new leader possess to help the school community grow?
It鈥檚 about 鈥渞eally listening to our community who identify the needs,鈥� and then searching for candidates who demonstrate those characteristics, experiences, and expertise, Hines said.
Targeted questions during the interview process also help separate those who鈥檒l work successfully with students of color鈥攁nd other communities鈥攆rom those who won鈥檛, and who can further the district鈥檚 goal to inspire students and build connections and relationships.
鈥淲e want to see [that] the candidates and leaders [who] are coming through the system looked at our values, looked at what we are trying to do to say, 鈥榊es, that鈥檚 me,鈥欌�� Swanson said.
District leaders also seek examples of how candidates have made a difference for students of color.
鈥淏ut we鈥檙e also looking for how you鈥檝e impacted white students鈥攌nowing that even those students, within those groups, there is such a diversity inside some of those groups as there is between them on a regular basis,鈥� Swanson said.
Provide support
School leadership can be a lonely job for any administrator, but especially so for leaders of color, who make up about 20 percent of those running public schools.
Eden Prairie has seven affinity groups for school leaders, including for Black men, Black women, white women, white men, Asian-American women, and bi-racial school leaders.
The groups are facilitated by exemplary school leaders or those with backgrounds in social architecture and psychology, and they focus on the social, instructional, and personal aspects of school leadership, Hines said.
This year, for example, the leaders are working on how to create school environments that allow every student to be successful and how leaders showed up for their staff and students every day, Hines said.
Tap the current staff
Tapping鈥攍ooking at the talent already in the system and helping them get to the next rung on the career ladder鈥攈as also helped, Swanson and Hines said.
鈥淲e are continuously tapping people on shoulders and providing development opportunities for folks, as we think about 鈥榞row your own,鈥欌�� Swanson said. 鈥淟ooking at 鈥� the support staff who could be great teachers, [and] what teachers could be good administrators.鈥�
It is also about elevating those who demonstrate superior abilities and having conversations with them about their career plans.
鈥淭hat gives them the encouragement and the validation that they have the skills and the ability to be great leaders and other people see that in them,鈥� Hines said. 鈥淭hat tap is so important when it comes to building others up as they look towards their future [trajectory] in the field of education.鈥�
Swanson concurred.
鈥淲hen we have folks that share any kind of interest, we are always tapping into that and figuring out [what are] those next steps,鈥� Swanson said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 personal and individual.鈥�
What 鈥渁re things that we need to add to your repertoire or your toolkit, if you will, so that you鈥檙e prepared for whatever the next step is when it comes along.鈥�
The district has developed a 鈥榞row your own program鈥� for students who are interested in going into teaching and who can take university courses in the final year of high school toward a college degree. But that鈥檚 a longer-term strategy, Swanson said.
Right now, it鈥檚 often about helping those already in the system and encouraging teachers, by saying, 鈥淚 noticed this about your work. This is impressive. Have you thought about this?鈥� as we think about tapping people on the shoulder,鈥� Swanson said. 鈥淲e are doing that with students, too.鈥�
Quennel Cooper, the principal of Prairie View Elementary School, was one of the school leaders of color who joined Eden Prairie more recently.
Cooper was the only principal of color in his previous district, the nearby Inver Grove Heights, where he鈥檇 worked for eight years. He wasn鈥檛 exactly looking to move, but he started noticing peers in his network of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) school leaders going to Eden Prairie, he said.
Eden Prairie has a good academic reputation, so Cooper talked to his colleagues about the additional draws. He looked at the district鈥檚 mission and vision and was also impressed that the associate superintendent was a Black woman, which he said was 鈥減owerful.鈥�
鈥淚 said 鈥楾his district is doing something,鈥� 鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淚t made me want to come up here. A lot of times, as a BIPOC leader, you鈥檙e the only one in the district. You鈥檙e the only person of color in the district. And to be able to get this experience, to see other BIPOC leaders around me, I couldn鈥檛 miss this opportunity. I couldn鈥檛.鈥�
Cooper felt that he would be better supported at Eden Prairie, especially since one of the top leaders was a person of color, but also because there were colleagues with similar backgrounds and experiences around him.
He has found support in one of the district-created affinity groups. He also has assistance from an associate principal and an instructional excellence educator to help with the instructional part of the job and better support students鈥� academic growth.
Cooper also feels that the district鈥檚 commitment to equity and efforts on cultural proficiency means that leaders of colors aren鈥檛 always asked to address issues of race and equity when they emerge.
鈥淲hen you are the only one in the district鈥攖he only BIPOC in the district鈥攚hen something comes up with race, they come to you,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 so uncomfortable.鈥�
Representation matters, not just for the school leaders, but also for teachers and students, he said. In his last job, he hired the first teacher of color in the school.
Cooper recalled wanting to be the president of the United States when he was growing up and being told that it鈥檚 never happened before, so it wouldn鈥檛 happen. He looked around the classroom, and saw only pictures of white men. He shelved that dream.
But his now teenage son can dream of being president, having seen a Black president and Black-Asian female vice president.
The same is true for students seeing leaders who look like them.
鈥淲hen I walk through a school, my kids see me. They can go, 鈥極h, I had a Black male principal, I can do that,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淵ou have to see something in front of you; you have to be able to touch it. We see things on TV sometimes, and we don鈥檛 believe it can happen. But if you can see it in front of you, you can touch it鈥攖hat鈥檚 huge.鈥�
