The most important role of any educational leader is to be an advocate for children – especially children who otherwise do not have a voice. The children most in need of a high-quality education are oftentimes the children most overlooked, and they depend on educators to support them.
Such is the philosophy of Linda Wagner, superintendent of Monrovia Unified School District, who has dedicated her career to helping those most in need. As an exchange student in Mexico her junior year of college, Wagner realized just how important education is. She saw barefoot children walking through the city center selling candy rather than going to school.
"I saw firsthand the importance of education in a community in which all children did not have the privilege of education," she said. "I saw the struggles of these families to merely survive and feed their children. Education was out of the question for children from these very poor families. This experience fostered within me an understanding of the importance of education, and I left Mexico with a focus and ambition to teach those children who are most in need of help."
Wagner’s first teaching position was in inner city Los Angeles, teaching some of the poorest students at a school in which 95 percent of the students spoke Spanish as a native language. While working on her doctorate in instructional leadership in high poverty schools, she became inspired to move into administration in the hopes of having a positive influence on even more students.
"I knew I could make a difference by taking a leadership role and becoming an advocate for those students most in need of help," she said.
Working with non-native English speakers instilled in Wagner a deep respect for bilingualism. Working in the Palmdale SD, she and her colleagues created dual immersion programs in which students emerge from school proud to speak two languages, carrying these skills with them into postsecondary education, the workforce, and throughout their lives.
"As an administrator, I continued my work on behalf of children and families. I wanted children to be proud of their skills in not one, but two languages, and I hoped to create a community that would respect children for their abilities to speak, read and write both English and Spanish," Wagner said. "As I saw the impact school can make, it reinforced my conviction that becoming an effective district-level leader would allow me to make critical differences for students."
In her day-to-day job, Wagner always tries to have a strong influence on the students she comes across. She said her turning point came when a young girl who was in foster care following the painful death of both parents came to school with bruises. It became clear that she was suffering from abuse at the hands of those charged with her care.
After multiple calls to Child Protective Services, Wagner finally drove down to the social workers’ office, sat down and stated she wasn’t going to leave until something was done to assist the child.
"I personally understand that teachers are often the single caring and responsible adult in a child’s life, and I try to provide teachers the support they need in the most difficult of situations," Wagner said.
Too often, Wagner said, administrators get caught up in paperwork. Looking at their desks, all they can see are mounds of paperwork that needs to be done. But getting out of the office and into the classroom is where to see most clearly what is needed. And what is needed is usually not more paperwork.
"I believe we must lavish time, attention and support throughout our schools, to teachers and students alike," Wagner said. "Simply put, it is critical throughout the system – not just teachers, but principals, the district staff and even the district office to constructively interact with children, parents, staff and the community. My philosophy is paperwork is just a side effect of the real job. Begin with your important work, which is relating to and supporting people, during the school day.
"Children must serve as daily reminders to us as to why we chose the field of education as a career. They care how we relate to them. We must nurture and support their goals and dreams, and encourage them to succeed. Any child, and every child, reinforces that lesson, if we will only listen."
Wagner said she believes empowering others is what makes a successful leader. This, she said, is a philosophy that she learned from former superintendent and current state Assemblywoman Jean Fuller.
"As she explained it to me, when we begin as leaders, we think the work is all about tasks. We work hard, and hope to accomplish things. Mid-way through our careers, we realize that the work is really about helping others to develop. The notion is, ‘I’ll sit beside you; you drive.’ However, when we have really evolved, we realize that the lion’s share of the work truly is encouraging, supporting and developing others. I like to think I am constantly growing and evolving into this supportive role, although I have to admit that task-orientation is a constant pull."
That said, educational leaders are and will always be teachers at heart.
"I believe there is a rather widely held misconception that, when we move into leadership roles, we stop teaching," Wagner said. "Each day we lead by example. We teach our staff and constituents, and if we are good at what we do, we teach in the boardroom, in the work room, in classrooms, and when we are out in public by promoting the cause of our students."
Teaching and supporting up-and-coming educators is key to building leadership capacity. Mentoring has played a crucial role in Wagner’s success, and she, in turn, makes an effort to serve in the same role as a district leader.
"I consider myself fortunate to have had countless mentors who have guided me as I moved along my career path to my current position of superintendent," she said. "These men and women have taken the time to guide and direct my work, teaching me directly as well as by the examples they set.
"I too enjoy any opportunity to help others along in the profession, whether they be teachers, principals or peers. I think actively mentoring is one way we can all leave the profession better for those who follow."
One of the most memorable experiences for Wagner took place one year during the Women’s Leadership Breakfast at ACSA’s Leadership Summit. During the event, a group of women who worked together to write the book, "Eight at the Top: A View Inside Public Education" spoke about their journey in the superintendency.
"What struck me most about these women was not the fact that they had written a book, but that they clearly were driven to inspire and mentor others in the role of superintendent," Wagner said.
Wagner went on to interview these women, as well as 50 other superintendents, and distill their wisdom, advice and stories into her own book, "The Savvy Superintendent: Leading Instruction to the Top of the Class." To be published by the American Association of School Administrators and Roman and Littlefield Publishers in May, it is designed to guide other superintendents as they seek to make an instructional difference in their districts.
Wagner said she believes the field of education needs quality leaders of both genders in order to ensure students have the opportunities they need to succeed.
"Having the courage, tenacity, and drive to put what is best for children ahead of all other things is key," she said. "Myriad examples of wonderful, caring and nurturing yet strong, spirited and tenacious leadership abound, and are exhibited by women as well as by men in our profession. The field needs leaders, both men and women, who do what’s best for kids every step of the way."