Every Educator Is a Leader at
Kingsport City Schools
Five years ago, Christy Free was a middle school math teacher interested in taking on a bit of work beyond
the walls of her classroom.
Flash-forward to this summer. Ms. Free has just finished her first year as head principal of John F. Kennedy
Elementary School, part of 2014 SCORE Prize-winning district Kingsport City Schools (KCS). She credits her
district with shaping her into the leader she didn’t know she could be.
“If you had asked me five years ago where I would be now, there are a lot of things I might have said, but not
being principal of an elementary school,” Ms. Free said. “KCS has dynamic leadership programs that help us
continually grow, uniting us all. They set up the opportunities and then step back to let us grow, supporting
us along the way.”
At KCS, which serves more than 6,600 students in East Tennessee, leadership development and collaborative
decision-making are ingrained in work at every level. Superintendent Dr. Lyle Ailshie says the district lives its
message that everyone who works with kids – secretaries, central office staff, bus drivers, teachers – is an
educator. And every educator is a leader.
“Success breeds success. When you have people who really are empowered and feel they are making a difference, that rubs off on children and builds confidence,” said Dr. Ailshie. ”We expect everyone who comes in
contact with students to exhibit leadership in whatever way is available to them.”
Dr. Ailshie believes this philosophy has helped deliver strong academic performance at KCS. The district has
delivered significant achievement gap closures between white students and their Hispanic and black peers.
KCS posted strong three-year marks on TVAAS growth, and the system-wide ACT average score is 22.
KCS teachers have many opportunities to lead, regardless of whether they’re interested in joining the administration. Ms. Free’s journey toward principalship began when she joined the KCS Teacher/Leader program
five years ago. Designed for outstanding teachers who want more involvement without giving up their teaching roles, the program currently allows about 60 teachers – chosen through an application process – to meet
regularly and tackle significant work within schools and system wide. Participants often work on district-wide
curriculum and help plan supports for teachers, while also serving as model educators within their schools.
“Teacher leaders are typically very effective in the classroom because of the constant professional learning
that takes place,” Ms. Free said. “We encourage each other to continue to grow, so the learning never stops.”
After two years in the Teacher/Leader program, Ms. Free was hired as one of the district’s eleven associate
principals. The KCS associate principal program allows educators with a strong interest and aptitude for
administration to get a complete sense of the job, while providing the district with an outstanding pipeline for
school leaders.
KCS has one associate principal in place at each elementary and middle school. Program participants receive
expert mentorship from KCS principals, meet regularly in their own collaborative, and form close relationships that facilitate synergistic work after the program’s completion.
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