GUSD Superintendent lauded for his management style
Gilroy – Gilroy Unified School District Superintendent Edwin Diaz’s leadership skills were highlighted in a September issue of the national publication Education Week.
The article “Forward Motion,” included in the publication’s annual “Leading for Learning” report, detailed Diaz’s management style and how he helped improve the relationship between teachers and administrators, which, in turn raised standardized test scores.
“We needed to shift from teachers just being compliant about implementing strategies that they were trained in, to actually having to make decisions about which of those strategies to use and when,” Diaz said in the Sept. 14 article. “Because we think that’s where you get the next big level of growth.”
During his first year at the helm of the district Diaz said he visited every school in order to observe the instruction in every classroom.
The article also discussed how Diaz is still charging forward even in the face of the many challenges GUSD officials face with its large number of economically disadvantaged students and English learners.
GUSD Trustee Pat Midtgaard mentioned the Education Week article in a letter to the editor in the Dispatch. The letter was in response to an editorial that criticized the board for giving Diaz a substantial raise without clearly defining his goals or accomplishments.
The editorial also said Diaz’s salary should be tied into the student’s performance on assessments.
In Midtgaard’s letter, the retired teacher, pointed out that Diaz’s recognition in Education Week should not be overlooked.
“Such a national honor is given to a handful of superintendents annually,” she wrote. “We all recognize the challenges still facing our district but applaud the direction being set by Superintendent Diaz.”
Education Week has a circulation of more than 217,000 and has covered private and public school education for more than 20 years. The article is available online at www.educationweek.org.
