Name: Jay Clark

Title: Superintendent

Organisation: Cory-Rawson Local Schools

Jason (Jay) Clark is a public school superintendent in a rural northwest Ohio community and has worked in public education for over 25 years as a teacher and administrator. He earned a Bachelor’s of Music Education and a Master’s of Education Administration, both from Bowling Green.

Jay has been recognized as the Ohio Middle Level Association’s Educator of the Year and the Ohio Music Education Association Administrator of the Year. In addition to his involvement in the local community, Jay is a member of the University of Findlay College of Education Advisory Council and sits on various committees for the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Educational Leadership!

I hope Jay's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as an Educational Leader?

Public education in the United States remains largely stuck in a model that has not changed in over a century. Educators are asked to do more and more to respond to prepare our students for a changing world, while at the same time, policymakers and the public seem to fight change to the system. Many of our structures lack any empirical evidence of effectiveness and were implemented for the purpose of the factory model of schooling, which was necessary to create workers for a world long before AI and much of the technology of today.

2. How did you become an Educational Leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I knew I wanted to be a teacher starting at about age 13. I did just that and, in my first years of teaching, obtained my Master’s degree in Educational Administration. I had no plan to move into Educational Administration, but I increasingly became interested in how I could help other educators have a bigger impact. At 27, I was hired as an assistant principal at a middle school, and two years later, I became a middle school principal. I worked in that role for 17 years until moving into my superintendent position in another school district.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Breakfast is a must. Upon arriving at school, I check in with our administrative team. I always try to save paperwork and administrative tasks for times when students are not in the building, so before or after the school day. During the school day, I try to pop into classrooms across the grade levels each day, including lunch and dismissal at the end of the day. I am typically at school events or meetings two or more evenings a week and some weekends. In the time I’m not at school or focused on my doctoral work, I am intentional about spending time with my family.

4. What's a recent lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of as an Educational Leader?

On a daily basis, I am reminded of the need to build relationships as an educational leader. Education is a “people business,” and being able to listen, establish trust, and identify other leaders is what is going to move us forward. A while ago, I read about the idea of “Mission always. People first.”, used by the U.S. military. This is something I’ve adopted myself - staying focused on a mission and vision, but taking care of people along the way.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your journey as an Educational Leader so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted you?

“Drive” by Daniel Pink. So often in compulsory education in the United States, we turn to sticks and carrots to motivate. Do X or your funding will be withheld. Do Y, and we’ll give you extra credit for your grade. Drive dives into human motivation, and I’ve used these foundational ideas for both adults and children. It’s really quite simple, but again, our entire system as it is does not connect to this.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young educator who aspires to be an Educational Leader, what would you say to them?

Build a robust professional network. I have been fortunate to be on various boards and committees where I was able to talk about education with other exceptional educational leaders. These conversations brought us together, regardless of what our schools looked like, and I learned an incredible amount! Even if you aren’t on state or regional committees, find your tribe of positive educators at your own school and begin pushing each other.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as an Educational Leader, so far?

Being an educator, we are lucky to have impactful moments each and every day. I chose to work in a middle school for 19 years because I can remember how that time in my own life was difficult, having inner conflict, being expected to act like an adult one minute, but treated like a child the next. Over the three years I was the principal for students, I saw incredible change in them, from age 11 to 14. One student stands out because he was very transient and didn’t have good models at home.

He was often in physical altercations with other students and struggled academically. I wasn’t easy on him, but really tried to teach him and model compassion and empathy. Within two years, his grades had improved, and he was in trouble much less often. Sadly, his family moved away to a much larger school and I’m hopeful his trajectory continued to be positive. We keep at it, knowing that we owe it to our students.