Martin M. Kinney
Tarawa Terrace II Elementary School
U.S. Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Tarawa Terrace, North Carolina

A year after Marty Kinney adopted a new math program at his former school that required students to do less drill, test scores dropped and parents expressed concern. Kinney and his staff studied the curriculum and test data, added supplementary instruction to the program’s hands-on activities, and scores improved by 15 percent the next year. At both schools he has headed over the past 13 years, Kinney has consistently improved student achievement and raised test scores by taking whatever steps were needed. Dedicated to helping every child succeed, regardless of race or background, he says, "We will do whatever it takes to help students, and we will accept no excuses."At Tarawa Terrace II Elementary, a suburban K-5 school serving 429 students at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, his accomplishments since 1999 include raising test scores by focusing on students’ literacy skills, creating common planning time for grade-level teacher teams, and integrating children with physical disabilities into regular classes. He encourages his staff to make home visits, especially when students need additional support during military deployments of family members. He holds a B.A. and an M.Ed. from the University of Southern California.

Stanley A. Hays
Bechtel Elementary School
U.S. Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Okinawa, Japan

As a professional musician, Stan Hays has earned a reputation on Okinawa as a concert performer on the shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese instrument. But it is as a professional educator that he gives his best performance as principal of Bechtel Elementary, a Pre-K-6 school enrolling 965 students. His problem-solving skills have aided Hays "in transforming difficult situations and differences of opinion into programs that are educationally focused and become best practices for students." When he arrived in 2000, for example, the school’s Spanish language immersion program was in crisis. It was labeled elitist because it included no students with special needs, and many parents enrolled their children simply to avoid certain teachers. Hays revised the program’s registration process to increase diversity and limited enrollment to students committed to learning Spanish. He has empowered teachers by involving them in instructional decision-making, created supportive partnerships with community organizations, and strengthened Bechtel’s adopt-a-school program by shifting volunteers from such tasks as moving furniture and collating papers to providing direct instructional support. This exemplary program now draws more than 1,000 volunteers annually from seven Marine Corps units based on Okinawa. Hays received a B.A. from the University of South Dakota and an M.Ed. from Pepperdine University in California.

Linda A. Zielinski
International School of Stavanger
U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools
Hafrsfjord, Norway

The door to the principal’s office is always open to parents, students, teachers, and community members at the International School of Stavanger, symbolizing Linda Zielinski’s commitment to "a sharing and caring atmosphere among all involved in the school community." As primary school principal since 2001 of the Pre-K-5 school, which serves 250 students, Zielinski credits "the teamwork of an excellent faculty and staff and involved parents" with making the school "an exemplary place for students to learn and thrive."Academic performance at the school remains consistently high, thanks to a challenging and vertically integrated curriculum that covers all grade levels. During Zielinski’s previous six-year principalship at an intermediate school in Missouri, the school earned several distinctions for excellence, including state recognition as a Gold Star School. A firm believer in lifelong learning, Zielinski regularly attends and participates in educational workshops and conferences. When her staff jokingly asks her what she wants to be when she grows up, she replies, "You’re never too old to learn." Zielinski received a B.A. from Harris-Stowe State College, an M.A. from Webster University, as well as an M.A. from Southeast Missouri State University, and an Ed.D. from St. Louis University, all in Missouri.

Jacqueline J. Leigh
American International School of Freetown
U.S. Department of State Overseas Schools
Freetown, Sierra Leone

Civil disturbances have rocked Jackie Leigh’s school community during the 14 years she has served the American International School of Freetown, the last nine as principal. But nothing has deterred her from carrying out the school’s mission. She persisted even when there was no school board and when enrollment dropped from 47 to zero in 1997 during Sierra Leone’s bloody civil war. Today the international school serves 58 Pre-K-8 students with a recently instituted standards-based curriculum that includes multiple forms of assessment. Her leadership is focused on "making the school a place where multiracial, multinational, and multi-ethnic community members can learn and grow in partnership." With that goal in mind, Leigh encourages parent communities with different cultural backgrounds to work harmoniously with each other and the school. Several years ago, Leigh planned and taught three 60-hour language-methodology courses for teachers of Sierra Leonean languages in Freetown schools. The classes became opportunities to demonstrate and defend her American school’s values. She later used the same skills to work with locally trained teachers at her school when it became difficult to recruit staff from overseas. She earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.Ed. from the College of New Jersey.