Under Dr. Hall's leadership, APS has implemented a number of initiatives to increase student achievement and bolster graduation rates. In addition to systematically transforming the district's high schools into smaller learning communities and creating single-gender academies, APS has introduced Project GRAD, a reform initiative intended to help students enhance their performance and increase graduation rates.

Beyond the Book recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Hall about her philosophy on leadership and her vision for the Atlanta Public Schools.

BTB: How would you describe your style of leadership?

BH: I really believe that a leader has to get other people to buy into their vision. They must understand the vision, accept it, and be able to articulate it themselves, otherwise they will not be able to execute on it. You can't be the only person who believes in what you're doing. For me, the toughest role is to articulate my vision, and be so authentic that people really know what I say I'm about is what I'm about, and then get them to eventually own the vision. Sometimes they will own it with such veracity that you're amazed you don't even have to be in the conversation. They understand what you're trying to do and they're going to get it done.

You also want to select quality people who understand what you stand for and that there is no give or take on the bottom line. They must also be able to empower other people. The key to success in an organization is getting the right people, who can engage their people to believe in a vision and to execute on it, in key positions. Nobody can lead these organizations by themselves. For me, the model of the superhero leader is flawed because nobody can move these systems without a lot of other people sharing their focus and going in the same direction with them at the same speed. The speed of light, I might add.

BTB: A nine-year tenure is such a remarkable accomplishment in this day and age. What do you attribute to that success?

BH: A lot of people contributed to that success. When I arrived in Atlanta, what probably worked best on my behalf was that people were fed up. By that I mean that at every level of the city—from grassroots and the parents, to the civic and business community—everybody felt we couldn't continue to have a revolving door of superintendents. When I came to Atlanta there had been tension between the school board and the superintendent, and all of that had to be worked out by having all of these groups pitching in and saying, "We're not going to let the whole thing fall apart. We're going to find ways to make this work." They have done just that and have not gone away. They have remained vigilant and have put their money where it is needed. They have gone into the legislature and changed the charter governing APS so there's a strong ethics component for the board of education, and there's also a clear delineation of the school board's and superintendent's roles. They have become very good for the board, building consensus and running meaningful meetings. We don't have committees—we have a committee of the whole. Our meetings are like clockwork. We're not working until midnight like most urban systems—if we're there until eight o'clock, we're late. We meet two days per month, sometimes only one day per month, and we finish by eight o'clock.

The district is moving forward, and I think that has allowed me to stay. We've been able to get on to the real work instead of all of the other stuff that traditionally gets in the way. I am fortunate that we've been able to maintain our progress. What bothers me is, even with nine years, there's still so much to be done. Research shows that it takes twelve to fifteen years to transform a system, and it has never been done in this country. I think about where we are, and we still have a long way to go. We're maybe two-thirds of the way if you use twelve years as a benchmark. But, we still have a lot to do before we can say we have a world-class urban system. When I listened to Reverend Jackson and a lot of other speakers at the Council of the Great City School's fall conference, I thought we should invite some of them to Atlanta into those "poor schools" so they can begin to see for themselves the transformation that is possible when all the forces come together to say we're going to make educating the children a number one priority. It can be done.

BTB: What was it like for you as an administrator to move to Atlanta from the Northeast in terms of the cultural and professional reception in the South, and how would you compare that to past experiences?

BH: In New York and New Jersey, I had grown up in the system, so there were a lot of people who knew me. They knew what I stood for and watched my career. Some of them were vested in my success. So coming to Atlanta, where I was really unknown, I had to identify who I was, what I stood for, and what I believed in. I had to explain myself whereas in the New York school system and even in the Newark school system, you could say my reputation preceded me—people knew a little bit about me and had expectations about where I was coming from. In Atlanta, I had to start from square one, and I had to confront a very different culture. New York has a diverse teaching pool and student body. Even though I worked primarily in African-American schools in New York and New Jersey, it was a multiracial environment. Though the teachers were predominantly Caucasian, there were many different ethnicities among the staff. In Atlanta, not only are the children in the school system 88 percent African-American, but the faculty and staff is 90 to 95 percent African-American. That brings its own challenges as well as rewards. Atlanta is a different culture, a different place to be, and I had to find my footing.

BTB: What advice would you give to young superintendents?

BH: They should look at trend data around student achievement; set goals that they intend to make public, and make them public; set goals for the system and then for every school; and provide professional development and support to meet those goals. If people don't get some quick wins around student achievement early on, you won't get the necessary support. When I came to Atlanta, we did a survey and nine out of ten kindergarten teachers said they did not expect their children to finish high school based on everything they had seen before. If we were to survey those kindergarten teachers today, they would tell you they expect all of their students to go college, and not just any college, but high-performing colleges. They saw early on, through things like Project GRAD and other programs, that it is possible to get students to begin to learn at high levels. I think young superintendents should focus on their core business, and they should be very public and truthful. One of the things I promised myself was that no matter what was going on with the board, there was not going to be any secrets between the board and myself. It's a public institution so you need to be public about what's going on and have public discourse. I think it helps garner support for what you're trying to do.

BTB: As we see new superintendents coming into the system, and particularly women of color, what advice would you give them? What are the key focus areas you would recommend as they begin their careers as superintendents?

BH: One thing I worry about is people abusing power—male or female—when they find themselves in a key position. I think when women abuse power it's easier for them to be maligned. People are almost more used to men abusing power, but if they see women abusing it, they feel it's much more out of character. So I always advise not to take yourself too seriously. Don't be rude to people, don't throw your weight around, and don't show off. You have to be careful about who you pass on the way up because they're the same people you're going to pass on the way down. Be respectful of everyone around you. You have to get people to understand that you're a real person and that you value them. You're no better than them, and you need their help, their caution, and their wisdom. A lot of people who are new superintendents fall prey to believing they're as important as the trappings suggest they are. If they do, I can guarantee they won't last long in the position.

BTB: What are some of the top skills you believe a superintendent should have and utilize on a daily basis?

BH: Having been in this role for over a decade, I think there are multiple skill sets a superintendent has to have. I think they need a clear understanding of the core business. I know that there are non-traditional superintendents being hired, but I challenge them to go out and make sure they understand something about teaching and learning, and how that takes place. If you don't understand the complexity of teaching and learning, and you expect quick fixes, you will find there are none. It takes time, investment in professional development, and changing practice to get different results.

You also have to get people to buy into your vision of student success. You have to do that by being authentic—behaving consistently in a way that says you believe what you say and that you really mean it. It's a tremendous amount of responsibility because people are watching you every day. If you say teaching and learning is your number one priority, but you behave in a way that is contradictory to that, people are not going to stand behind you. If you say you expect all students to be taught to high standards, but you don't put in place the necessary resources and programs, and you don't measure how many kids are taking high-level courses or hold people accountable for making sure that the playing field is level, people won't believe you. APS may become the first urban school system to have all of its facilities reconstructed in every single school. We have twenty-seven schools left to reconstruct, and we just received our third referendum since I've been there. We have poured millions into fixing facilities, from the poorest neighborhoods to the wealthiest. We are making sure that everybody has access to technology to level the playing field and hold them accountable for high standards.

They also have to be able to select and surround themselves with very good people. There's a tendency to believe that you can do it by yourself, but trust me when I say the job is too big and too complex. You need a really strong team—not just technically strong, but adaptive and able to figure out what to do next when there is no answer. They have to understand that we're not building widgets, we're intervening directly in children's lives, and we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make sure success happens.

In the continuation of this article, Dr. Hall will discuss her approach to educational issues in APS.