Piedmont Unified School District

Jennifer Hawn

Educational Excellence Steward

Jennifer Hawn, Ed.D., serves as Superintendent of Piedmont Unified School District. Beginning her career as a sixth-grade transition teacher, she has since held leadership roles as a high school teacher, administrator and district leader. Her doctoral work in teacher education and extensive experience in instructional leadership have shaped her commitment to academic excellence, coherent districtwide practices and student success. Throughout her career, she has continued to lead through the lens of a teacher.

Integrating Student Well-Being with Academic Excellence

Student well-being and academic excellence should always be considered together as part of an integrated instructional program. I agree that school districts have come to tackle these elements as separate functions in school programs. However, integrating wellness into all aspects of a student's academic experience better serves students in developing the resilience to thrive socially and academically. In Piedmont, I have enhanced our support services for students at the secondary level by offering additional counseling services that support best practices in helping students manage academic stress alongside college and career preparation skills. At our elementary schools, we have reviewed and revised our support programs (MTSS) and are currently evaluating our social-emotional learning curriculum to ensure our support services and instructional programs are embedded into and threaded throughout a student's school day. We know that when students thrive emotionally, they also are set up to thrive academically.

Building Trust Through Transparency and Community Engagement

Parent engagement has become more important than ever to trust in public education and support for our schools. In Piedmont, I reimagined our parent engagement opportunities to offer monthly community meetings on a variety of topics, including facilities, budget, instruction, technology and more. Our district leaders, including the Superintendent, offer meetings to parents on a range of topics of interest. Our principals also provide State of the School presentations to update families on the great work going on in our schools, along with a State of the District presentation to share how our district is meeting parent expectations in offering the finest education possible. Ultimately, offering a variety of engagement opportunities to parents and bringing transparency along with accessibility ensure trust in our schools. In fact, our parents were so pleased with the results of our work that they have passed two parcel taxes in the last three years to increase funding for our schools.

"Student well-being and academic excellence should always be considered together as part of an integrated instructional program."

Preparing Students for the Future of Learning

Future-ready learning will undoubtedly be a focus for all schools as our students look to a future dominated by various types of technology, including generative AI. Sure, generative AI literacy will be important. However, we are taking a broader view of education, including the very important human skills that our students will need to be successful after high school, in college and throughout their careers. In Piedmont, we created a Graduate Profile that highlights key competencies, including critical thinking, communication, collaboration, resilience and the ability to be an ongoing learner, to ensure students are proficient not only in various forms of technology, but also in other academic and human skills.

Leading Through Relationships and Service

Sure, I often think about how I am a role model for others in this important work as Superintendent. My best advice is to prioritize building relationships as the most important method for offering the finest educational options for students. Relationships with parents, relationships with labor partners, relationships with your Board of Education and relationships with those we serve, our students, ensure collaboration and partnerships that center all decisions on our students. I also model the qualities I want to see in others: respect, integrity, ongoing learning and joy in the work of serving students.