Whitehead to lead city schools
Dr. Shannon Whitehead was introduced to an enthusiastic crowd of parents and stakeholders as the new superintendent of the Philadelphia School District this week.
“I have accepted the great responsibility to see that each child in our district receives nothing but the best education,” Whitehead said after addressing the crowd in the school library on Monday. “I am excited. I think they really took to me. They embraced me. I feel like I am at home.
“The students met me at the door when I arrived Monday. They knew me. They ran to the door and said hey Dr. Shannon. She’s our new superintendent.”
While the School Board was impressed by White- head’s passion, they were drawn to her because of her results, officials said.
She led her Canton school from a “D” rating to a consistent “B” rating and achieved high academic success with students who are from high poverty backgrounds.
“We are excited. Our stake holders are excited and we are ready to roll,” said board president Harold Coburn. “This is a great response. It shows the hunger that our community has to succeed and their love for our schools.”
Dr, Whitehead has served as principal of McNeal Elementary School in the Canton Public School District since 2019. Before being principal, she was lead teacher at the school for seven years. She has 17 years as an educator, working as a teacher, assistant principal and principal.
One of her goals has been to make learning as relevant as possible for each student.
In her work at McNeal Elementary, Dr. Whitehead: Was the instructional strategist for a staff of over 70 and a student population of over 500; including 25 English Language Learners; Developed the concept of Professional Learning Opportunities for teachers to promote curriculum development, to support program implementation, and to increase content knowledge; Developed a climate of trust/openness with all stake- holders and engaged parents and community stakeholders in the life of the school; Worked diligently on a 2015 $33.5 million-dollar school bond election which resulted in a state-of-the-art McNeal Elementary School which still reflects the historical aspects of the former school. Her “boots on the ground” approach of rallying stakeholders to vote for the bond election made a positive difference in the outcome; Was selected 2019-2020 Canton School District Administrator of the Year; She was selected by the Philadelphia board of trustees last week out of12 candidates. The board narrowed the list down to six candidates and interviewed each before deciding on Dr. Whitehead.
“She was very passionate about our school district,” said School Board member Tim Moore. “She has results when it comes to student achievement. We believe Dr, White- head is the one who will take the Philadelphia School District to the next level.”
Whitehead will officially start her new job July 1 but said she plans to get an earlier start. She replaces Dr. Lisa Hull who announced her retirement earlier this year. She plans to hit the ground running.
“My first step will be to make sure we audit the teachers who are returning, making sure we have classrooms filled with teachers. We will audit our technology, making sure we have what we need.
“We will be getting our data files at the end of June and we will be digging in our data to see where we stand compared to compared to neighboring schools and our state score.”
Whitehead said she saw great potential for the Philadelphia School District,
“This is an awesome school district with a lot of potential and tradition,” Whitehead said. “We have a wonderful staff that is invested in our children. That is the most important thing.
She graduated from Canton High School in 2001. Dr. Whitehead's matriculation through Jackson State University has earned her a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees.
Dr. Whitehead has one son, Jeremy. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, DIY home crafting and journaling.