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Topics: Parents and Community · Coaching School Leaders · Communication · Partnerships · High Stakes Testing · Leadership · Making the Tough Decisions · Improving Student Performance · Trends in Education · Urban Education · ARCHIVE
In this podcast episode, Dr. Hairston discusses what the presidency of Barack Obama means to him and to education. Dr. Hairston shares how he has been able to maintain a superintendency position in the same school district for nine years and the great successes he has led.
A visionary and progressive leader, Dr. Joe A. Hairston has served since 2000 as Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, one of the nation’s 25 largest school systems. In February 2008, the Baltimore County Board of Education approved a third four-year term for Dr. Hairston. His 12-year tenure will make him the county’s second-longest-serving superintendent.
Dr. Hairston’s results-based leadership has yielded a growing list of achievements including greater student participation in and success on Advanced Placement and SAT exams and greater accountability and resource conservation.
A career educator, Dr. Hairston’s ascent in education administration began and is rooted in the classroom. Over the years, he has developed and refined strategies that have proven successful in raising student achievement.
Our podcast host Carolyn Pearson says, “I loved this interview with Dr. Hairston. He was thoughtful in answering the questions, comfortable and clearly proud of the efforts of his district including the community whose trust he has won. When we finished the interview Dr. Hairston felt there was so much he did not cover and so many partnerships he has spearheaded so we agreed the meet again at the end of the school year.”
Enjoy this inspiring and visionary interview with one of the nation’s foremost educational leaders.
Biographical Background
Dr. Hairston began his career in 1969 as a teacher in Prince George’s County. Within two years of entering the classroom, he was appointed department chairperson and five years after that he became administrative assistant to a principal. He was appointed vice principal in 1977 and was named a principal in 1981.
Dr. Hairston’s success in high school reform raised his profile within the education community and in the media. In 1987, Dr. Hairston was selected as one of 30 U.S. principals to participate in the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Urban Principal Project, which was designed to establish a profile of the skills necessary for effective school management, and one of 10 U.S. principals to participate in an Urban Principal Conference at Harvard University. In 1988, he was cited in Time magazine and featured in Maryland Magazine and Baltimore Sun Magazine.
In 1989, Dr. Hairston was named assistant superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools. Then in 1995, he became the first appointed (rather than elected) superintendent of Clayton County Public Schools in Jonesboro, Georgia. During his tenure in Clayton County, he earned praise for infusing technology into the administration and schools, increasing business partnerships, and developing community advocacy and fiscal support for the school system.
After an intensive search, the Baltimore County Board of Education selected Dr. Hairston to serve as superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools. In his first year, Dr. Hairston charted a direction for the school system through the Blueprint for Progress, which presents key strategies and concrete performance indicators. The Blueprint also provides structure for the BCPS Master Plan.
In addition to his demanding role as Superintendent, Dr. Hairston has numerous professional and civic affiliations. He serves on the College Board’s Superintendent Advisory Panel, Governor’s Task Force to Study Raising the Compulsory School Attendance Age to 18, Johns Hopkins University School of Education Advisory Board, Blackboard’s K-12 Advisory Board, Maryland Partnership for Teaching and Learning K-16 Leadership Council, and many other educational and community organizations.
A native of Virginia, Dr. Hairston earned a doctorate in education administration from Virginia Tech (1993), a master’s degree in administration and physical education from American University (1976), and bachelor’s degree in biology and physical science from Maryland State University (now the University of Maryland Eastern Shore) (1969).
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