It’s all about the APs
Assistant principals play many roles on a campus, and the week of April 7—National Assistant Principal Week—offers the opportunity to recognize their work and thank them.
On April 7, vertical team executive directors will deliver the Assistant Principal Award of Distinction, which recognizes an assistant principal with exceptional dedication and achievements within the various regional vertical teams. This educator has fostered collaboration and innovation, and their exemplary leadership has significantly enhanced performance and positively impacted the school community.
Between Friday, April 4, and Thursday, April 10, team members, parents, students, and the community will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite assistant principal. The prize for the winner will be delivered on April 11. To vote for your favorite principal, click here.
Assistant principals are the boots on the ground at schools, dedicated leaders who prioritize student success and empower teachers daily. Celebrate them by recording your best version of “Boots on the Ground.” Post your video on X, tagging @LEAD_DallasISD and using the hashtag #BootsontheGroundAPWeek. The video with the most likes wins!
Below are some outstanding principals from across the district.
Emily Brokaw
North Lake Early College High School
Emily Brokaw oversees teachers in all content areas and helps manage partnerships with Dallas College, supporting the school’s early college high school curriculum.
“The great thing about being a part of such a small school is that you get to have a wide variety of experiences. I get to learn more about each subject area and help support our students and teachers with an understanding of the entire school,” she said.
A Dallas ISD alumna from Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership High School, Brokaw believes successful school leaders have a passion for creating opportunities and changing the lives of their students and staff. As an assistant principal, she has a love for learning and a passion for engaging her school in high quality professional development experiences.
“Something I learned when I came out of the classroom and stepped into school leadership is the difference in balancing your schedule,” Brokaw said. “You go from following a structured weekly schedule to having many things of equal importance happening at the same time. You learn to juggle your responsibilities in order to make sure everything falls into place.”
Maria del Pilar Davila-Lopez
Oran M. Roberts Elementary School
Maria del Pilar Davila-Lopez supports prekindergarten through second grade in all subjects and assists upper elementary grades with reading, taking pride in increasing the school’s academic performance.
She received a master’s degree in literacy from Southern Methodist University and is passionate about supporting the diverse population of Hispanic students on her campus. She believes in having a shared vision with her principal and commits to building relationships with other teachers. Davila-Lopez believes that leaders in education have the ability to believe the best in people and are always seeking knowledge.
“As instructional leaders we must be in the classrooms. Here at Roberts our office is on wheels. We are in the hallways with the teachers and close to the students. We like to be visible and available,” she said.
Sasha Hampton-Rounds
Downtown Montessori at Ida B. Wells Montessori
Sasha Hampton-Rounds has the unique experience of being an assistant principal at a Montessori school in the middle of downtown. She believes the school fills a need for families within Dallas ISD who live in this most urban area of the city. With 11 years of teaching experience Hampton-Rounds supports the reading department at her school. She believes a successful educational leader will love working with people and have the tools to navigate working with all personality types.
“We have a little over 330 children. There’s a complete mindset shift at Montessori school that is separate from traditional school. At Montessori school we focus on teaching the whole child,” she said.
Hampton received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas, as well as a master’s in business administration from Texas Woman’s University and a master’s in educational leadership. She believes her experience in leadership and business prepared her for not only instructional leadership but coaching others.
“I think a great leader should be able to interact with a range of people from prekindergarten students all the way to a superintendent. Figuring out what people need and finding ways to meet those needs is key,” Hampton said.
Patrice Ruffin-Brown
South Oak Cliff High School
Patrice Ruffin-Brown is a proud product of Dallas ISD and graduate of A. Maceo Smith High School. She believes in pouring back into the community that gave her guidance, mentorship and investment as a student, which led her to become an assistant principal in the district.
Ruffin-Brown supports the English language arts and writing departments at her school and also leads the grow language teachers, school counselors, the attendance office and the 12th grade administrators.
“I believe that leaders in education should be adaptive servant leaders with compassion and empathy. We should seek to understand the unique needs of diverse learners,” Ruffin Brown said. She believes successful school leaders are courageous and have the fearless ability to speak up for others that don’t always feel that they have a voice.
Ruffin-Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Jarvis Christian University, a master’s in educational leadership from Prairie View A&M, and pursued doctoral studies in educational leadership at National University.
