Jefferson-Houston Principals Recognized As 'Rising Principals'

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The first-ever Rising Principals list from education publication K-12 Dive recognizes two assistance principals at an Alexandria public school.

Dustin Barnes and Tiffany Young, assistant principals at Alexandria's Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School, were recognized along with nine other assistant principals in the Rising Principals list. The list recognizes the role assistant principals play in school success.

The 11 leaders are described as having a "hands-on role in driving student success by establishing mentorship opportunities and systems of support, to expanding counseling services and parent knowledge."

For the team of Barnes and Young, K-12 Dive credits the assistant principals with "improvements in student behavior and better communications between parents and school leadership" at Jefferson-Houston. Their mentoring approach has allowed them to really get to know students through visits to classrooms, engagement in lessons, conversations in hallways and even presence on Zoom classes during the pandemic. They are credited with maintaining a sense of togetherness in the school community during virtual learning. Barnes also has a mentoring program based on "academics, empowerment and building relationships" and an after-school and Saturday Academy pilot program.

According to the school's website, Barnes has been at the school since 2019 after serving as academic principal at Francis C. Hammond Middle School since 2014, joined Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School on July 1, 2019. He has over a decade of public school experience, previously serving as a high school history teacher in Maryland and department chair of world history at Alexandria City High School.

Young is a former assistant principal at Fairfax County Public Schools and Arlington Public Schools, where she provided support for literacy instruction and special education, worked on Title I resources, and worked on school innovation and improvement planning. She previously served as a Fullbright Memorial Fund Teacher to Japan in 2002.