Nancy Albarrán | Superintendent, San José Unified School District

As San José Unified School District’s superintendent, I am honored and privileged to serve the community. It is not a role and responsibility I take lightly, given my whole-hearted belief that education has the potential to transform lives for generations to come, especially for students of color.

Like many Latino parents, my parents dreamed of coming to the United States to find a better life. They believed that education was the greatest equalizer, and they were willing to risk moving to a new country to provide the best educational opportunities for the children they did not yet have. Soon after arriving in the United States from México, my three siblings and I were born. Growing up as the daughter of immigrants, the importance of education was instilled in me throughout my childhood.

My parents believed hard work, commitment, dedication and accountability were the keys to success and did not let poverty or their limited command of the English language serve as a barrier. They were relentless in their pursuit of excellence for themselves and their children. My parents consistently supported my education and did everything they could to ensure that my siblings and I excelled academically.

As a result of their support and efforts, I did well in school and was fortunate enough to be admitted to the University of California at Berkeley. I went to Cal believing I was prepared to succeed in a rigorous academic environment. Unfortunately, I quickly realized that many of my peers possessed knowledge and skills that I did not. I began to question whether I belonged and seriously considered leaving.

The fear of disappointing my parents and letting them down after many sacrifices made me dismiss that idea. Instead, I chose to emulate my parents’ incredible work ethic, commitment and dedication. My hard work began to pay off and I started to develop a love for learning. This intrinsic motivation excited me, and I realized that my K-12 experience did not instill this same level of passion. And as a result of this realization, I decided to become a teacher. I never wanted another student to experience the same level of insecurity I had when I arrived at Cal.

After successfully graduating from college, I moved to Southern California to teach in a large urban school district. My students and their families were amazing, resilient people, and despite the distressing circumstances that many of them faced, all of my students enjoyed learning and were actively engaged. Unfortunately, many adults appeared to be more focused on their needs than the students in our charge. In some cases, these individuals went to great lengths to silence those who believed in our students and wished to challenge the status quo. When I saw this, I was heartbroken and decided it would be best to return to the Bay Area.

Upon returning to the Bay Area, I started working in another large urban district, which led to a similar experience.

I had terrific students eager to learn at high levels despite facing many challenging circumstances; however, some adults were more focused on their needs than our students. I quickly became disillusioned and considered leaving the profession.

Fortunately, my best friend’s father was an administrator at San Jose Unified. Having heard about my dilemma, he had his best friend, a principal in San José Unified, call me and convince me to move to the South Bay. This phone call changed my professional trajectory.

San José Unified felt like the equivalent of dying and finding heaven. In this district, I found a critical mass of adults with shared values and belief systems committed to working collaboratively to change student outcomes. This district’s commitment to equity has given me hope, support and tremendous opportunities to add value in numerous capacities. Before becoming superintendent, I’ve been a bilingual teacher, district resource teacher, assistant principal, principal, director and assistant superintendent.

As a result of these experiences, I wholeheartedly believe that the classroom is the heart and soul of our organization. The most critical work in the system takes place here. I have learned that leadership involves creating an environment where teachers can achieve their maximum performance, enabling students to reach their full potential.

A second lesson I learned is that stakeholders want to know what leaders expect from them. This question always interests me. As a teacher, principal or superintendent, I want the same thing for my students as every parent would like for their children. Every student should be known by their name, their strengths and their needs. Having rigorous, relevant instruction and a positive relationship between teachers and students is vital. Students should take risks, ask questions, learn from their mistakes and graduate from our system prepared to make meaningful contributions to society. To ensure that academic achievement is no longer predicted by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or zip code, we must ensure rigor, relevance and relationships. San Jose Unified School District is committed to achieving these goals.

Nancy Albarrán Bio

A veteran educator with more than two decades of experience, Nancy Albarrán was appointed Superintendent of San José Unified School District in May 2016 after serving as Interim Superintendent beginning in September 2015. She has also served the district as an assistant superintendent, curriculum director, principal, assistant principal and bilingual classroom teacher. In her various roles at San José Unified, Nancy has worked to increase the instructional capacity of educators and administrators through professional development and continuous improvement efforts aligned to the district’s strategic plan. As superintendent, she oversees all policies and operations for the largest school district in Santa Clara County.