There are many facets to those who work in educational leadership. Some people work to ensure students and staff have a safe learning environment and the materials they need to succeed. Some work to balance school budgets, certainly no easy task these past few years. Some lead school sites. Others help students in specialized areas of teaching and learning, such as special ed or career technical education.
One group of educators making a huge impact on student achievement are those who guide curriculum and instruction. ACSA is pleased to honor one of the best such leaders in the state, Lisette Estrella-Henderson, assistant superintendent of educational services for the Solano County Office of Education, as its 2011 Curriculum and Instruction Administrator of the Year.
Estrella-Henderson says she wanted to be in education since she was a little girl. She grew up with a developmentally challenged brother, and their parents made helping him develop his skills a family project. His success in becoming a functioning adult member of society inspired Estrella-Henderson to become an educator, and she eventually moved into educational services.
“The field of educational services, and specifically curriculum and instruction, first called to me because it allowed me to support student learning from a variety of perspectives and through many different venues,” she said. “I think there is no greater reward than seeing my work impact student learning in a positive way. I have the opportunity to do that in the educational services context by working on things at a variety of different levels, such as curriculum development, professional development training, development of assessment and progress monitoring tools, parent and community engagement, youth development programs, English learner and foster and homeless youth services, and administrative leadership coaching to name a few.
“I also have the opportunity to work closely with student programs and special education, as well as the Business Services Department, which enables us to collectively provide a comprehensive approach to addressing student needs with a broad spectrum of services of support.”
One good example of Estrella-Henderson’s outstanding leadership is her efforts to put together the Solano County Student Summit, a collaborative effort of Solano COE and various community partners, including the County Board of Supervisors and the Economic Development Corp. Hundreds of students took part in the summit and examined issues such as closing the achievement gap, and heard from top-notch speakers, including author Jonathan Kozol.
“The intent was to bring young people from throughout our county together with elected officials, community members, and local businesses for community action planning around key issues impacting the economic future and overall well-being of our communities,” she said “These include such issues as increasing high school graduation rates, effectively preparing for post-secondary options, and exploring career opportunities in local industries.
Estrella-Henderson led planning and implementation efforts, including working with community partners, securing the facility, recruiting more than 400 students from 16 high schools, arranging for the keynote and closing speakers as well as the panel presentations and breakout sessions, refreshments, goodie bags for students, the career exploration fair, and transportation for all the students.
“This was truly a SCOE team effort that could not have been accomplished without the dedication, time, commitment, support and enthusiasm of my colleagues and the vision of our county superintendent,” she said.
Although committed to helping all students in the county, Estrella-Henderson said she is especially passionate about working to improve educational outcomes and advocating for students who may have been traditionally underserved.
“I firmly believe that every child can and will learn,” she said. “It’s up to us at the foundational level to ensure that that happens; what that looks like may be different for every student based on their unique needs. To me, that is the heart of what being an educator really means.”
Estrella-Henderson has gotten a lot out of ACSA’s culture of support, while at the same time she has given back to her profession. She has served on both the state Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability and Elementary Education councils. Every year she takes part in ACSA’s Legislative Action Day. She was so successful in her presentations at several ACSA Academies that she was a director of one of the C&I Academies.
“ACSA has given me the opportunity to continue to grow and learn throughout my professional career, while at the same time providing me with the venue to share my skills and knowledge with others,” Estrella-Henderson said. “It has provided me the opportunity to connect and network with others. It has allowed me to follow my passion for ensuring equity and rigor in teaching, learning, and accountability, all with a focus on positive outcomes for all students. ACSA has also provided me the opportunity to advocate on behalf of students on a local, regional and statewide level through a variety of venues.”
Space does not permit listing all of the many accomplishments in Estrella-Henderson’s career that led to this statewide honor. Perhaps the predecessor in her job, Peggy Alexander, said it best.
“Lisette’s leadership is of the highest caliber and she holds herself to the highest ethical standards,” Alexander wrote in a nomination letter.
But Estrella-Henderson believes this honor should be a shared one.
“I am humbled because I have the privilege of working with individuals who are equally as committed to making a positive impact on student learning,” she said. “It is my fervent belief that there isn’t one individual alone that can do it all, but together we can accomplish great things for students.”
Administrators of the Year will be formally honored at the 2011 ACSA Leadership Summit, Nov. 3-5 in Sacramento. Register by July 15 and save $100. Visit www.acsa.org/leadershipsummit for details.