Mansfield Educator is Recognized by UConn

Lauren Rodriguez has been named the 2021 Outstanding School Administrator by the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education Alumni Board. Rodriguez was recognized on March 13 at the Neag School’s 23rd Annual Alumni Awards Celebration, held virtually.

Rodriguez earned her Master of Science in educational psychology in 2003 and her 6th Year Certificate in educational leadership in 2006, both from UConn’s Neag School. As the principal at Southeast Elementary School in Mansfield, Connecticut, for the past seven years, her compassionate leadership and supportive approach to engaging with all members of the school community has, according to her colleagues and nominators, fostered an inclusive environment that has ultimately earned the school recognition numerous times as a Connecticut School of Distinction. From implementing enrichment clusters for students to integrating positive behavior supports to allow for healthy social and emotional development, Rodriguez is known for having built strong and positive relationships with teachers, parents, and students.

“Lauren brings to the principalship a strong understanding of teaching and learning, and the skills to support her teachers to improve continuously,” says Kelly Lyman, superintendent of Mansfield (Conn.) Public Schools and a Neag School alumna. “A true learner is one who constantly assesses their understanding while seeking to deepen it further. This has certainly been true of Lauren as I have watched her initiate her growth, always by taking the more challenging route, and then quickly turn[ing] around and shar[ing] what she has learned with her staff to grow their skills.”

Rodriguez has proven herself not only as a leader, but also as a collaborator, having, for instance, co-written the district’s grade-level benchmarks for 21st-century learning and led the professional development rollout for three district elementary schools. Over the years, Rodriguez has also remained closely engaged with the Neag School community, including as a mentor in the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program, a longtime champion of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, and an organizer for Neag School leadership conferences.

“Even a casual glance at Lauren Rodriguez’s vita reveals why this school and other schools that have benefited from her training have become showplaces under her leadership and guidance,” says nominator Joseph Renzulli, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor at the Neag School. “The competence, caring, and collegiality of the faculty and staff at Southeast are truly a sight to behold; and these things are the result of Lauren’s ongoing professional development; the creation of innovative math, social studies, and science curriculum; and her direct involvement in teaching as well as being the principal.”

“Lauren’s professional and personal skills, her thoughtfulness and kindness in everything she does, her dedication to the profession, and the creative ways in which she has reengineered the role of exemplary principal leadership are the reasons I believe that she will add as much prestige to the meaning of Neag’s Outstanding School Administrator,” Renzulli adds.

This award annually honors a graduate of UConn’s Neag School of Education who demonstrates excellence and has made significant contributions to their profession. Learn more about the Neag School at education.uconn.edu.