“A Front Row Seat to Growth”: Texas Principal Showcases How Systems Grow Leaders

As principal of Brenham Middle School in Texas, Erin Thibodeaux is a systems thinker. Through Brenham Independent School District’s partnership with NIET, she has put in place systems that develop leaders and drive continuous improvement. These systems prioritize time for reflection and collaboration, classroom observations, and meaningful feedback. Under Principal Thibodeaux’s leadership, dedication to these practices and systems is improving outcomes for students.

The results speak for themselves: Brenham Middle School has gone from a school rating of D to B in just one year with a 13-point gain. Below, Principal Thibodeaux shares how these aligned systems are transforming the school, and how being a principal gives her a front row seat to watching that growth unfold.

Brenham Middle School went from a D to a B in one year, what systems do you think contributed to this achievement?

In the 25-26 school year, we implemented many systems to help us continue to strive for the results we wanted, but one that stands out is prioritizing time for our instructional leaders to be present in classrooms and calibrate on the quality of instruction we saw happening in each class. Scheduling regular observation time, as well as reflective meetings, provided us time to identify trends that informed our decision making on professional development and coaching needs, creating a unified vision for what instruction should look like at Brenham Middle School.

How did you align all of the systems so they reinforced one another?

All of the systems reinforced one another in a very circular manner. Calibrated observations allowed administrators and instructional coaches to identify needs in our classrooms and build agendas that addressed those needs with our campus teacher leaders. Those teacher leaders, in turn, customized that learning to their particular team and content areas. Regular learning walks for all teachers allowed us, as a campus, to ensure the work in those meetings was carried into the classrooms and impacted our students.

How have the systems helped grow teacher leaders and improve classroom practice?

They’ve provided tremendous growth for our teacher leaders and directly improved classroom practices. Our teacher leaders refined their own practice while growing as leaders in sharing with their teams’ through lesson rehearsals and leading student work analysis protocols. Students ultimately reaped the benefit of the collective efficacy of every teacher on the team.

What do you love most about leading your school community?

What I love best about leading BMS is having a front row seat to watch the tremendous growth that unfolds over the course of each year. Our mission is to grow good people, and I love watching it happen for students closing gaps and hitting higher achievement marks; for paraprofessionals growing into teachers with their very own classrooms; for first, second, and third year teachers growing confident in their own practice; and for our very best (which are some of the very best in the world) who are already masterful, to continue to strive and push themselves even further. As Ms. Parker, our 5th grade math teacher leader, says, “I’m strictly here to change the world.”