13 May 2009
Veteran Educator Celebrated as Top Administrator
DALLAS—Cynthia Goodsell, principal at Dallas ISD's Bryan Adams High School, was named the 2009 Principal of the Year at an awards ceremony today at City Place.
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa presented the award during the ceremony along with a check for $2,500.
Goodsell has been principal at Bryan Adams since 2006 and is a visionary educator and administrator with more than 30 years of experience.
Under Goodsell's leadership, Bryan Adams "has been undergoing an amazing transformation since her arrival with aggressive staff restructuring and curriculum realignment," said Dallas ISD School Board Trustee Leigh Ann Ellis. "She is at the forefront of her profession as an advocate to ensure that her students receive the best possible public education. She represents what the school board expects from our principals to ensure our students are college and work force ready and that we are evolving into one of the nation's best public urban school districts."
Goodsell is credited with creating collaborations where all stakeholders participate in decision-making by expressing their viewpoints on the problems and, more importantly, the solutions. She accomplishes this by setting up advisory and review committees for every school decision.
"Every stakeholder at our high school has become involved—the community, the parents, the
students and the teachers," said Goodsell. "Individual teacher and student empowerment at our high school provides the foundation for a positive and proactive environment, thus enabling our organization to transform itself under the guidance of our energizing vision."
Two of her first accomplishments as principal at Bryan Adams were to abolish the presence of several gangs on campus and establish a coffee-shop in the library so that students could enjoy books in a pleasant place.
"Being a change agent for our schools' improvement has always been my first commitment," said Goodsell. "A safe and secure school with an academically rigorous learning environment has been the first step in the process of turning a low-performing high school into a professional learning community where the focus is on learning and student personal accountability as well as teacher professionalism. Every aspect of the school, including governance, organization, instruction, and accountability is affected by this change."
Goodsell's leadership has resulted in a number of improvements at the school. Accordingly, the school's Organizational Health Index rose from 29 percent before she assumed leadership to 87 percent this year.
Relationships with students are a strong suit for Goodsell. One example of a student morale booster is her daring parachute jump out of an airplane at 30,000 feet. Students can see the jump on YouTube and see their principal floating through the air and landing saying "Go Bryan Adams."
Goodsell received a Master of Education in Secondary Math from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Texas. Before coming to Bryan Adams, she spent six years as a principal in the Irving ISD and three years as principal at Rosemont Elementary School in Dallas ISD.
"We believe that every student must be educated in a safe, welcoming, effective and innovative learning environment," is the fourth core belief adopted by the Board of Trustees.
For a complete list of core beliefs, visit the Web site at http://www.dallasisd.org/about/vision.htm.