In the Limitless Thinking of the New National Director of the Year

The sleeve of tattoos on Tracy Anderson Swilley’s left arm brings together pieces of her life and work—her favorite flower, a Bible quote and a musical note that reminds her of a student who died several years ago.

“His mother and I have the same one,” Swilley told Education Week during a national meeting of headteachers here. On the back of her hand is a tattoo of a lion’s head, reminding her of the strength she needs as a leader.

As part of the Oct. 18 convocation, Swilley, principal of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, S.C., was named National Principal of the Year for the 2024-25 school year. Swilley along with the two finalistswas selected from among the 50 State Principals of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. (The award is intended for middle and high school principals; elementary school principals are recognized separately through their own association.)

Swilley, a first-generation college graduate and former elementary math teacher, has led Fairfield Central for the past decade. The school, which serves predominantly black students, is in a rural, economically disadvantaged area of ​​the state. Almost all of Fairfield Central’s more than 660 students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

This did not diminish Swilley’s ambitions for his students.

Over the past three years, the school has made significant gains in math and reading achievement, with the number of students earning a C or better in Algebra 1 increasing from about 40 percent to 60 percent, for example, and students earning at least a C in English. 2 increased from about 40 percent to 58 percent, according to state standardized testing data.

The school also achieved a 90 percent graduation rate last school year. When Swilley first joined the company in 2013, the graduation rate was about 70 percent.

Last school year, the school received an overall “good” report card rating from the state for the first time in its 38-year history, Swilley added.

Swilley’s parents never attended college, but they made sure she and her sister understood the importance of higher education. As principal, Swilley said she tried to emphasize this mindset among her students as well, creating a “culture of expectation” at her school.

“I make sure they understand that excellence is the goal, what is expected of them and how to achieve it,” she said. “Every day I give my students an affirmation and emphasize that their zip code does not determine their abilities.”

Improve test scores by slowing down

Improving test scores has been high on Swilley’s to-do list for the past decade. The data showed her that students were not performing at grade level in math and English.

Swilley decided that all 9th ​​grade students entering her school would take Algebra 1. Initial classes focused on the basic skills needed for Algebra 1, and in December they assessed who would continue in the class and which students needed extra help with the study of algebra 1. basics.

“We found a way to slow this process down for kids who needed it,” Swilley said.

Swilley believes small group time, extra tutoring and personalized online practice help students improve their math scores. Students can also choose to study Algebra 1 for two years instead of one, so that they can move forward only after they have fully mastered the basics.

“That’s when they will thrive,” she said.

Swilley had a similar problem with English language arts and arts: She noticed that students entering 9th grade were as much as three grade levels behind in reading skills. Her approach was similar to her work in mathematics: She put all students through a diagnostic test to determine who needed what kind of intervention.

Fairfield Central now uses HMH’s reading intervention program, Read 180, which recommends having smaller reading groups in the classroom and more individualized attention for each student.

Fairfield Central outperformed the district by nearly 13 percentage points in the number of students earning a grade of C or better in Algebra 1, according to the South Carolina School Report Card Database.. In English 2, state scores are higher by 8 percentage points.

Student participation in school improvement

As Swilley spoke to Education Week, her phone was buzzing with congratulatory messages. Many of them were from her students.

“It means a lot to me. They told me, “We knew we had the best director in the world.” Now everyone knows,” Swilley said, smiling as she answered them.

This deep connection between students and their principal, and their shared pride in the school, was not always a given. When Swilley took over, she was the school’s fourth senior principal.

“I vowed that at least one class from 9th grade would go on to graduate, and I kept my promise,” Swilley said.

She also had to work on students’ “limited mindset” – low expectations for themselves – by giving them careers they could pursue after graduation. Swilley built upon the college’s existing STEM academy in Fairfield and added an arts element to it. Through this academy, students can earn an associate’s degree while they are in high school.

Swilley also made sure that all of her teachers mentioned the colleges they attended on their name tags so students were aware of the different opportunities they had. She intends to “emphasize the importance” of college. Last school year, about 80 percent of Fairfield Central graduates were accepted into four- or two-year colleges.

Changing school culture has not been without its challenges. One of the lessons Swilley has learned is that when it comes to improving behavior—in classrooms, hallways and the cafeteria—students need to be part of the discussion.

At first, Swilley “rushed through a lot of rules” on dress codes and other issues that were inconsistently applied across grade levels.

“We punished a lot of things that had nothing to do with student achievement,” she said.

She backed away from a prescriptive dress code when she asked students for their opinions. After she began listening to them, Swilley said she received support from students about the expectations she had for academic achievement.

“I had to learn to let students be part of the process,” Swilley said.

Growing a diverse group of leaders

Swilley’s work on expectations and mindsets extends to her school’s teacher leaders and vice principals. Through her work with the South Carolina Association of School Administrators, she is currently mentoring two principals who sought her management advice in their first few years in office.

Swilley visits his students at their schools, touring the building, observing classrooms and listening to their concerns as leaders. Swilley said she tries not to be prescriptive and relies on her own experience as a veteran principal to guide new principals in their work.

“I also learn from them because new principals tend to have a lot of innovative ideas (about leadership),” she said.

At her school, she pairs assistant principals and teachers with her school’s testing coordinator so that these future leaders can gain hands-on experience in planning and administering tests.

Swilley also plans to advocate for better recruitment of women of color, like herself, as directors. She wants to use her platform as National Director of the Year to highlight some of the barriers women of color face on their path to leadership.

“One of the biggest problems is impostor syndrome: Am I good enough? Am I capable? she said. “Yes, we are good enough. We are capable. We bring things to the table.”