2 Principals Honored For Reviving Schools

Principals Lucretia Jackson and Joanne Uyeda each took over struggling schools and, using innovative techniques and a personal touch, turned them around. This fall, both were proud to announce that their schools had met benchmarks set by the No Child Left Behind law.

The women will be honored Monday as recipients of the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award, sponsored by The Washington Post.

Jackson, the principal of Maury Elementary School in Alexandria, and Uyeda, the principal of Abingdon Elementary School in Arlington, are among 18 Washington area principals who will be honored at an awards ceremony at The Post.

Jackson, who has worked in the Alexandria school system since 1980, spent eight years as principal at Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy and was widely credited with its turnaround. In 2004, Alexandria Superintendent Rebecca L. Perry transferred Jackson to Maury Elementary, a move that angered many Lyles-Crouch parents but was a boon to a struggling school.

Jackson introduced a culture of involvement and passion, staff members said.

The following year, Maury Elementary's Standards of Learning scores improved dramatically, going from the lowest in the city to among the highest. The school has made what federal standards call adequate yearly progress two years in a row and became fully accredited this year.

"Instead of hiring high-dollar outside consultants who didn't know our school history or population, Ms. Jackson used funds to provide small stipends for faculty and staff to collaborate, study, and reflect on our own practices," Suzanne W. Lank, a literacy coach at the school, wrote in a letter nominating Jackson for the award.

"We met on weekends in one another's homes and amidst a flurry of chart paper, professional books and meaningful conversations about our school, we made a plan about how to make it all happen at Maury."

Jackson organized open houses for parents and brought in volunteer tutors. She made classes smaller and added after-school lessons.

Her enthusiasm and dedication are infectious.

"She is there at 6:45 every morning and she's still there at 6:45 in the evening," Perry wrote. "She greets every student, every day, with a hug. She greets staff with high fives."

Jackson said she was "ecstatic" to be chosen but said the credit went beyond her. "I strongly believe that the award is the result of the teamwork of many hands, many minds and one goal," she said, adding that the school's improvement was brought about by "teachers and parents and central office and administration, and the community as well."