11 May 2011
Administrator Recognized for Collaborative Style
DALLAS—Shanna Burton, associate principal at E.D. Walker Middle School, was named Dallas ISD 2011 Associate Principal of the Year. The announcement was made during a ceremony to recognize the district's top administrators. Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa joined District 3 Trustee Bruce Parrott and Nell Ingram, president of the Dallas School Administrators Association, during the event to applaud the hard work and dedication of this year's finalists.
Burton began working with Dallas ISD in 1999 as a teacher, and in 2008, she began serving as the associate principal at Walker. Known as a collaborator with vision, she has played a critical role in steering her campus to become the only Exemplary comprehensive middle school in Dallas ISD.
As an instructional leader, she revamped the schools' mission to reflect college and career readiness and helped build community partnerships with organizations such as IBM and Brookhaven Community College to give students authentic college experiences to help promote a college going culture.
Under her leadership, the school's Special Education Department received a Dallas ISD award for being the model inclusion program for schools. She also collaborated with teachers to develop the Fast Pass Program, a schoolwide incentive program to positively affect student discipline. Through the program, students with good behavior can eat in the Fast Pass Café, be first in the lunch line or receive free tickets to school events.
Burton, who credits much of her success to having a great staff and great students, has a master's degree from Baylor University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in Austin. She is currently working on her doctorate.
Assistant principals Dedra Picot-Bernard, Learning Alternative Center for Empowering Youth, and Phillip Wade, Harold Wendell Lang Middle School, were also recognized as finalists for this year's award.
A selection committee composed of past Assistant/Associate Principal of the Year and Teacher of the Year winners, Dallas ISD Teen Board students and other district staff chose the winners after reviewing each candidate's nomination packet and conducting site visits and interviews. Winners were chosen based on their leadership skills and management effectiveness; parental and community involvement initiatives; and for their professional relationship with students, parents, staff and community.
Burton received a $1,000 cash award, compliments of the Dallas School Administrators Association. The two finalists each received $250.