Head of the Class: Ocoee Middle Principal Mark Shanoff

Among 62 National Distinguished Principals representing public and private schools nationwide, as well as Department of State Schools and Department of Defense Schools, only one hailed from Florida.

That principal was Mark Shanoff, who oversees Ocoee Middle School.

On Oct. 16 and 17 in Washington, D.C., the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) recognized Shanoff and 61 national peers as 2014’s distinguished American principals, celebrating the elementary and middle principals who set high standards for instruction, student achievement, character and climate for students, families and staff in their learning communities. Public elementary and middle principals were nominated by peers in their state, and committees appointed by each of NAESP’s state affiliate offices made final selections.

“Everyone gets together in D.C., and the Department of State will sponsor the first event,” Shanoff said. “The next day is the policy discussion, when you start to hear about what’s going on in other states, and then reconciling that with what the U.S. Department of Education is looking at in terms of federal policy moving forward. We’re given that opportunity to provide unfiltered suggestions to DOE staff, who are at the highest national level, and tell them where principals are having difficulty implementing policies and where they see some strengths within training, professional development and those types of things.”

Shanoff said the event was a great opportunity to see how Floridian education compares with other states in change and school reform.

“Florida is way ahead when it comes to school reform,” he said. “What a lot of states are changing to now are what Florida went through several years ago. I would never have that opportunity to gain that perspective without the award and the activities that surround the award celebration.”

The actual celebration and presentation of awards occurred only on the second night, Shanoff said.

“That second night, folks are awarded with a certificate and a bell that’s engraved with their name and state.”

REASONS FOR SELECTION

According to the NAESP website, association officials selected Shanoff for accomplishments such as his testimony before the Florida House on middle-school reform legislation; Ocoee Middle School’s Apple Distinguished School award in 2013 and A grade from Florida DOE for multiple years; lowest faculty turnover in the district; increased participation in high-level courses; new opportunities for teacher leadership and collaboration; and pioneering technology usage.

A recent technology update at the school included classroom camera systems, to help teachers analyze their lessons and receive administrative feedback; 150 MacBook Airs for classroom use; and device connectivity updates, Shanoff said.

“It’s important to credit my predecessor in what she did, bringing us along technology-wise,” Shanoff said. “Mainly what I’m talking about is leveraging digital instructions to maximize achievement — when we see kids with less, we’re able to provide them more. Our teachers can be the best they can be in this service business. It’s all about responding to needs, and our teachers have done a great job responding to our students.”

As for increased participation in high-level courses, children at Ocoee Middle School have more than tripled numbers of students taking courses for high-school credit, Shanoff said.

“We had just over 100 students participating a couple years ago,” he said. “We now have close to 400. We’re looking for avenues to accelerate our students. It doesn’t always manifest in the grade book, but we may see it in other areas. We may see a student that works really hard but doesn’t have the grades, and we can push to get them to click grade-wise. We’ve also closed the disproportionality gap and achievement gaps between black students and white students, and between Hispanic students and white students, in both reading and math.”

A TEAM AWARD

Shanoff stressed that he considered the award not so much a reflection of his accomplishments as of his staff at Ocoee Middle School.

“I work with teachers that are go-getters,” he said. I work with administrators and assistant principals who have the same drive and initiative that I do. It’s been a good synergistic relationship between me and the Ocoee staff. I work in the district with the best principals, and being able to hear their ideas on a daily basis and collaborate with them, that had been my No. 1 professional development experience as a principal. I don’t think my experience is unique. It’s just part of a well-developed professional school model that lets principals act entrepreneurially and thrive in that experience.”

In his two years as Ocoee Middle School principal, Shanoff has seen greater involvement and enthusiasm from everyone involved.

“I’ve seen teachers adapt to changes,” he said. “I see students excited to come to school and learn and take control of their learning. I see teachers who want the best for students. I see parents who want the best for their kids. I see us finishing the goals we want our kids to get to. What are their strengths? What paths do we want them to go on? It helps to motivate them along the way, to get them to graduate and get them options when they graduate.”

Giving those students every opportunity to perform and pursue further education and passionate livelihoods as contributing members of society motivates Shanoff.

“The way to do that is to grow your teachers,” he said. “My teachers are open to feedback, constantly challenging each other, and that motivates me. Teachers as risk-takers, thinking outside the box, may really get the students where they need to be. Allowing them to see the fruits of their labor and collaboration drives me — the teachers want to get better every day, and I’m here to help them.”

REFLECTION AND THE FUTURE

Shanoff still does not know who nominated him, even after a lengthy application and judging process.

“I was asked to complete a packet because of the nomination,” Shanoff said. “So I completed the packet, I talked it over with my supervisor, and I decided to proceed with it. The application was a way for me to capture everything I had done unconsciously and in a conscious way and put it on paper in a way I had never seen. I was notified of my selection by the Florida Association of School Administration and my superintendent and deputy superintendent.”

The nomination was a reflection of others’ support, involvement and impact on him, not what Shanoff had done, he said.

“The one thing I realized about being a principal is that the higher you go in leadership, the more reliant you are on others to validate your leadership style,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with many talented people.”

Shanoff plans to continue working with those people to try to ensure every student is proficient and successful, he said.

“We still have students that are not meeting the standards, that are slipping through the cracks,” he said. “No school can ever rest on its laurels as long as one student hasn’t been successful. They may be making improvement but aren’t where they need to be. It’s about increasing the number of students that are successful until 100% are successful.”