Danielle Pierre is a newly hired senior associate here at the Great Schools Partnership. We’re proud to share some of her story below.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born and raised in Boston and spent most of my childhood riding my bike and playing four-square in Roxbury and Dorchester. I spent my elementary years in Boston Public Schools and then spent my middle and high school years in Brookline as a METCO student. I have the best mother in the world! She raised me to love deeply, to work hard, and to have faith in God no matter what circumstances I faced. One of the best decisions that I made in my life was to attend the number one HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) in the world: Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia! It was there I learned the true meaning of black excellence and that I, too, possessed “Black Girl Magic.” After college, I was ready to go into the world and serve in the field of education, which I have enjoyed doing for the last 13 years. I am a starry-eyed newlywed – so much so that my husband convinced me to move from Boston to Maine. I am a morning person who loves seafood, traveling, and helping keep people organized by creating spreadsheets (very random, I know).
What drew you to education?
My passion for educational equity is rooted in my personal experience as a student that had to be transferred out of Boston Public Schools and bussed to the suburb of Brookline to have access to educational opportunities. Through this experience, I became keenly aware of the disparity in educational opportunities for students from my neighborhood as compared to those from Brookline and was determined to be a catalyst for change. As a school leader and educator, I have been committed to ensuring that all students I serve have access to a high-quality education that advances achievement through a school community that supports, respects, and honors who students are and their potential to achieve.
Before you were a senior associate at the Great Schools Partnership, you were a middle school principal. How do those experiences inform your work?
I served as a school principal prior to the COVID 19 pandemic and in the aftermath of remote learning. It has been a challenging yet rewarding experience as I have learned so much about the importance of being an adaptive leader in order to meet the diverse needs of our school community in an ever changing landscape. My moral imperative never changed. I remained steadfast in my commitment to creating a school environment where all students felt academically challenged and known as individuals. I have done a lot of work developing school leaders and teachers in my role as a principal. I believe that my work as a senior associate will expand the impact that I am able to have in the New England area.
What are you looking forward to in your new role?
As a classroom teacher, I was excited about the impact I had on my 25 students and their families each year. When I stepped into the role as a principal, I recognized that I had the opportunity to impact more students and more families in my community.
As a senior associate, I am looking forward to partnering with some of the most brilliant minds in education in order to further improve learning for all students by supporting teachers and school leaders in building a culture of achievement through rigorous curriculum, effective coaching, and an unwavering commitment to educational equity.