One of the most important responsibilities of any school leader’s job is creating a culture that encourages success. Building a positive, supportive, trusting relationship with students, staff and parents is key to improving academic achievement.
Peter Richardson, assistant principal at Fremont Elementary School in the Santa Ana USD, is a skilled leader whose work to improve the school environment has had a direct impact on student performance. For his efforts, he has been named ACSA’s 2011 Elementary Co-Administrator of the Year.
Richardson said the secret to his success is working with talented principals, including his current principal, Maricela Roque.
“They have all modeled leadership skills and an admirable work ethic,” he said. “They have also given me opportunities to lead out on projects and initiatives at school, and this has given me many chances to learn and grow in my job as assistant principal. Working with talented, supportive, hard-working people is what led me to this honor from ACSA.”
Roque said it is Richardson’s collaborative leadership style that has led to success. This includes improvements to school safety, student discipline, attendance, technology, campus volunteers and most importantly, academic achievement.
“It is amazing to see how he supports our school community and school,” wrote Roque in a nomination letter. “Peter will go above and beyond to make sure that their needs are met in every way.”
Richardson’s work is not without its challenges. From second-language barriers to troubles at home, many students come to school with obstacles to overcome.
“The challenges we face at school are the challenges that our students face, including being second-language learners, reaching high academic levels, and overcoming challenges that are rooted in their lives outside of the school,” Richardson said. “The challenges for us as educators are how to help each of our students get through whatever challenges they are facing, in positive ways. These challenges are opportunities for success, and we see our students rise to the occasion and succeed all of the time.”
Seeing students overcoming their challenges and succeeding in school is one of the main highlights of Richardson’s career in education.
“As a teacher and as an administrator, the best part of the job is the satisfaction that comes from seeing students grow and progress. We ask all of our students to set the goal to ‘move up a level,’ whether that be their proficiency level in English, their achievement levels on the STAR tests, the number of sight words they can read, their reading fluency rate, or even their efforts to be good school citizens. Seeing kids move up a level is very gratifying,” he said.
Richardson recalls a student who was recently honored by the School Board for his efforts to overcome a physical challenge. The student moved from a special day class to a mainstream class, and with the support of hard-working teachers and even some assistive technology, including an iPad that allowed him to compose essays, he has grown academically and scored proficient on his STAR tests.
“The challenges are what engage all of us serving in our school, and there is nothing more gratifying than beating those challenges,” Richardson said. “This, and many other less dramatic successes, all come about because educators and students realize they can face challenges and overcome them.”
In fact, that’s why Richardson entered the field of education in the first place. He began as a lower level school director of a Thai Chinese International School in Thailand in 1999, later becoming fourth grade GATE teacher in Santa Ana, summer school principal/co-principal at Greenville and MLK Elementary and assistant principal at Glen Martin Elementary before taking his current position.
“The reason to be a teacher or an administrator is the same: It is a real thrill to help students grow, achieve and learn that they can be successful if they work hard for it. I think that is why we are all in the profession,” he said.
Richardson said he is humbled to have received ACSA’s 2011 Elementary Co-Administrator of the Year Award, but said success at any school is really a team effort.
“It brings out in me a great feeling of gratitude to the colleagues and students that I work with, as no recognition like this one happens without the efforts of many people,” he said. “My principals, the teachers, the students, and of course my wife and family are very supportive of me, and we all work toward the same goal of helping students grow.”
Richardson will be formally honored at ACSA’s Leadership Summit, Nov. 3-5 in Sacramento. Register at www.acsa.org/leadershipsummit.