tremely knowledgeable, proactive in anticipating
needed changes, and driven to have Hamblen
County Schools become the best in the nation.
According to his colleagues in the central office, Dr.
Lynch is committed to recruiting the best teachers
and leaders, helping them grow as professionals,
and rallying everyone in the district around common
goals. “He is committed to making sure we know
what to do,” one colleague said. “He’s always looking for the best ways to do things. He tries to recruit
the best, help individual growth, and rally us around
themes each year. His enthusiasm is contagious.”
Dr. Lynch believes in selecting and supporting
the right leader for each school. He believes that
schools succeed when they are led by individuals
who possess particular attributes and skills, especially:
• A passionate drive to ensure that all students
achieve at high academic levels regardless of the
child’s background;
• The skill to recognize quality teaching and to help
improve instruction;
• An unwavering focus on goals and results; and
• The ability to use data to inform instructional
practices.
Principals at the schools are expected to be
approachable and accessible, and thus all have
open door policies. They maintain clean, organized
schools, sending a message of professionalism to
all staff and students. Each tackles the issues that
emerge in their own schools by designing improvement plans to meet their needs. For example, a
school that noticed incidences of bullying immediately responded with a series of anti-bullying
seminars to help address the issue. Students were
taught to take responsibility for their actions but
also to help one another. Positive messages were
posted in every room and the incidence of bullying
has subsided.
The district recognizes
that leadership needs to
be cultivated and sustained. To that end, Dr. Lynch
and his colleagues at the district
level provide coaching and mentoring, opportunities to collaborate,
and targeted training and professional
development.
Coaching and mentoring. The district has hired
instructional coaches to mentor and coach principals on topics related to instructional leadership,
such as use of data for improvement, effective
instructional strategies, and crafting professional
development to meet the needs of the school.
The partnerships the district
forms—with public
officials, higher education,
nearby districts, area
employers, and community
members—are also crucial
to Hamblen County’s
success.
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2012 SCORE Prize District Winner
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