Superintendent Rosa Diaz says her most significant accomplishment over the past nine years has been transforming the culture at the Carteret Public Schools in New Jersey.
It’s a small and diverse six-school district located just outside New York City that, before Diaz’s superintendency, hadn’t modernized in decades.
“I knew the potential that our small district had,” says Diaz, a former Carteret student who was recently named Superintendent of the Year by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents. “It was so much easier to improve things here than it would be in a bigger district or a bigger city that has so many more challenges.”
As she moved from vice principal to principal and superintendent, Diaz introduced concepts such as professional development around common planning. The culture shift relied on building strong relationships along the way.
“I knew that if I started building trust with teachers, if I gained their buy-in, that I could slowly start making the changes that I know would improve the district,” Diaz points out. “Once I came into the role as superintendent and made sure that I was building those relationships with people at all of the schools, they could see that I’m here to really help.”
She also leveraged those relationships to help pass the first referendum in 60 years to construct a new junior high school and break ground on a new pre-K center. Trust gives a superintendent credibility to innovate.
“Your board members hired you because they thought you had the potential and the skill set, so don’t be afraid to challenge them,” she says. “And be transparent. Be intentional about explaining the why, so that there are never questions as to what your intentions are.”
Rosa Diaz’s ‘progress train’
Diaz says she will try something “radical” in the new school year.
“We’re actually going to pause and continue the course on this progress train we have going on,” she explains. “We really made some significant gains last year with the curricula and supports that we’ve put in place.”
That progress is anchored in the basics; more specifically, focusing on the fundamentals of writing and math in elementary school. She also hired a junior high writing teacher.
Superintendent of the Year
Diaz founded the New Jersey chapter of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and serves as the state organization’s vice president and chairs its scholarship fund. She is also president of Lambda Theta Alpha, the first Latina sorority in the country.
She remains involved to elevate Hispanic students, women, and educators. For example, there is only a handful of Hispanic superintendents among the hundreds of school districts in New Jersey. She says she is committed to helping vice principals, principals, and other administrators find opportunities to advance.
“Those of us who sit in these positions of power, we know how difficult it is,” she concludes. “When you’re with this group, it just feels different; it feels like home. There’s a certain comfort in having others who understand your journey, your life experience.”
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