Change Agent Spotlight: Principal Marie Mabanag of Oak Grove School District
When Partners in School Innovation uses the term “Results-Oriented Change Agent” (ROCA) to describe someone, we name them as leaders who are equipped to handle the complexities of schools that are under-resourced and are committed to the success of every student. ROCAs are powerful leaders of improvement and change management who have the capacity to rally their school and/or district communities in ways that lead to sustainable improvements.
Partners in School Innovation and Principal Marie Mabanag
We’re thrilled to spotlight a Change Agent who embodies the mindsets, possesses the skills and understanding, and takes the necessary actions outlined in our Change Agent Framework and Rubric to effectively transform her school and district for the better: Principal Marie Mabanag of Christopher Elementary School in Oak Grove School District in California.
The Partners team has supported Marie’s school site for multiple years through partnership with Oak Grove School District (OGSD) and coached her directly throughout her first four years as principal. This included weekly 1:1s and support in the East Side Alliance Transformation Network through which she was awarded an educator scholarship.
Our relationship with Marie has persisted beyond coaching as she continues to use the School Transformation Rubric (STR) as a grounding tool to help identify strengths and growth areas to set goals for future school years.
While we’ve known Marie for several years, it’s time for others to get to know her and how strong of a Change Agent she is. During a site visit where we accompanied Marie on classroom walkthroughs, we asked a few questions and her responses validated even more just how dedicated she is to students’ success.
Read case study “What Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Work Looks Like in Education: An Elementary School's Story” to see what a powerful, equity-driven force Marie is.
Getting to know Principal Marie Mabanag
Why did you get into education? What’s your journey been like?
“I am starting my 27th year in education. During that time, I have been a teacher for Grades 4- 8, a literacy coach, and now am serving as a proud principal.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be a teacher (I created my own classroom where my stuffed animals were my students!), but it wasn't until I was working in an after-school program helping a student struggling with a math problem that I knew that education was my destined path.”
What motivates you as an educator? What are you hopeful about?
“Different things motivate me as an educator but primarily, the students and their families. The excitement in the student's eyes when they are learning something new or something fun motivates me. The support of the families and the hope they have for a good education motivates me. The inequity in systems that do not support the students in my community motivates me, because all I want to do is show what a good education with the right supports can do to help students so they can all excel.
I am hopeful that inclusion for all becomes no longer something that we are fighting for or educating people on - it is just the norm everywhere and we are all on the same page.”
A collection of children’s picture books on top of a bookcase with their covers showing - titles include “All Are Welcome,” “Total Solar Eclipse,” and “Bullying is…”
What are your personal goals for the year?
“My personal goal for this year is to create a system of accountability for myself and for others that makes an impact on teachers’ practices, which then makes an impact on student achievement. This is why classroom walkthroughs have been important for me.”
How Principal Marie Mabanag approaches classroom walkthroughs and accountability
Tell us more about the walkthroughs. What was the thought process for doing these?
“During my walkthroughs my thoughts can be all over the place depending on what I see, but most of it is about ‘What evidence can I find to see the work we are doing is making an impact for our students?’ and ‘What can I do to better support my teachers so they can make the most impact for our students?’ I am always looking at what I can do to ensure the students get the best.
The data that I collect tells me several things:
It lets me know how many classrooms I have been in during the week.
It lets me know what I am seeing in teacher practice.
It lets me look for the things that we have talked about in our PDs that should be present in teacher's practice to make an impact.
It shows teachers that I am present and invested in what they are doing.
It holds me accountable to my leadership team for moving the school forward on our goals in the school's theory of action.
I want to be able to monitor what is happening in classes. We are focused on academic discourse, so I wanted to know how that lives in classrooms. I believe multiple opportunities for students to talk will make an impact on their learning and especially support our multilingual learners (MLLs) to grow.”
Two photos side by side of a classroom’s work at Christopher Elementary School where students have added Post-It notes to prompt posters with their answers.
Advice from Principal Marie Mabanag for Aspiring Change Agents
We see you as a change agent – what advice would you give to people wanting to make an impact on education like you?
“Advice I could give others to make an impact on education is that this job is too big and too important to do alone. Lean on others to share this journey with you and create an environment where everyone feels welcome, affirmed and needed to help make an impact. You will find it will be easier to make it to your destination than if you would have done it alone.
I also ground myself in two questions that you should think about: ‘How do I make it intentional? How do I make it clear?’”
We thank Marie for her decades of hard work and determination to ensure student success and appreciate all of the Change Agents out there making their mark on education and students’ lives. We invite you to join Marie and others in the Partners in School Innovation Community where 600+ equity-focused leaders in education are sharing resources weekly.
To learn more about how to conduct effective and equity-focused classroom walkthroughs, enroll in our free on-demand Classroom Walkthroughs course.
