Philadelphia Principal Named Best In Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA — A School District of Philadelphia principal has been named the best in Pennsylvania by National Association of Secondary School Principals.

According to the district, Principal Richard Gordon IV will receive the 2020 Distinguished Service to Education Award from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Gordon is the principal at Paul Robeson High School For Human Services.

He will be presented the award during the National Association of Secondary School Principals' Virtual Recognition Awards Program on Monday.

As a state winner, Gordon will be a nominee for the National Association of Secondary School Principals National Principal of the Year award.

Gordon, who has led Robeson since 2013, was selected as Pennsylvania’s top principal by the Pennsylvania Principals Association, an honor that earned him the national recognition from National Association of Secondary School Principals, which annually recognizes principals from across the country for their leadership and making significant differences in their school communities by providing high-quality learning opportunities for students.

During his tenure at Robeson, Gordon transformed the school, which was once among the School District of Philadelphia’s 30 lowest-performing schools and in danger of facing permanent closure.

In 2017, Robeson was designated a "High Progress" school by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and was removed from the commonwealth’s list of academically "high needs/lowest performing" schools.

Gordon has been credited with developing a model program for college & career readiness and achieving a 95 percent graduation rate.

"Receiving this award is a wonderful honor, but I’m most proud of the work that my staff and I have been able to do to establish a safe and caring learning environment for our students; an environment that is more of a family-like atmosphere," Gordon said. "We’re committed to creating a community that fosters positive relationships and an inclusive environment that truly builds a foundation for life-long learning."

School District of Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite Jr. said Gordon’s commitment to serving children and families is the driving force behind his success at Robeson.

"From the moment he arrived at the District, Principal Gordon’s enthusiasm for creating a positive learning and instructional environment has yielded wonderful results," Hite said. "We are very fortunate to have him here and look forward to even greater success for his students and the entire school community."