Two BCISD principals headed to Harvard

Two Burnet Consolidated Independent School District campus principals are among 85 school leaders from across the state of Texas invited to participate in a weeklong workshop at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this summer.  

After a two-year hiatus, the Charles Butt Foundation is once again sending select leaders to The Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for continued learning and leadership development.

R.J. Richey Elementary School Principal Jessica McMullen and Quest High School Principal Doug Marvin were selected for the program. The Charles Butt Foundation, a nonprofit that supports public schools and education, covers all expenses, including tuition, travel, and hotel, through its Raising School Leaders program.

“I’m very honored to have been selected,” Marvin said. “It’s a very competitive process, but it’s something I hope every principal wants to be part of as it’s a chance to improve ourselves and our campuses.”

During the workshop, McMullen and Marvin will attend classes led by Harvard faculty and other national and international experts on leadership development, coaching, and school turnaround. They will meet other educators from across the country to exchange ideas and learn from each other’s successes.

Marvin also sees it as a chance to champion programs such as Quest High School.

“I like to represent the population of students which we serve here at Quest, which are at-risk students,” Marvin said. 

Annually, Quest graduates 40-50 students who might not have earned a high school diploma in a traditional setting.

The leadership program doesn’t end with the Harvard workshop. 

McMullen and Marvin will be plugged into a statewide network of principals and educators who share their passion for school leadership and public education. They will be able to attend an annual leadership symposium and receive continued support and professional development.

The Texas cohort of 85 campus leaders includes 45 selected in 2020, but who couldn’t travel to Harvard that year due to the pandemic, and 40 selected this year. 

This year’s group marks more than 1,400 educators that the Charles Butt Foundation has sponsored for the Harvard workshop.

“Great teachers, along with strong school and district leaders, represent the most significant influencers of academic achievement and supportive culture,” said Tim Miller, director of Leadership Development at the Charles Butt Foundation, in a media release. “Our alumni often report that their Harvard experience is the best professional development they have ever experienced, and that they return to their campuses energized, inspired, and empowered to make meaningful changes that benefit all students.”

editor@thepicayune.com