Name: Tara Taupier

Title: Superintendent

Organisation: Tamalpais Union HSD

Tara Taupier, Ed. D is the Superintendent at the Tamalpais Union High School District in northern California. This is her sixth year in the position of superintendent. Prior to her current role, she spent 16 years in the classroom as a social studies teacher and teacher leader, a year as a site administrator and served in several roles at the district office beginning her tenure in education administration 13 years ago. Tara earned her Doctorate in Education from San Francisco State University; the focus of her studies was Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and inclusive learning environments.

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

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

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Balancing the needs of the various stakeholders while holding student success and wellbeing at the center of everything we do.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I was asked to apply for the vacant position in the District in which I was working. My first two responses were no. It was not a position to which I had ever aspired. I was happy working as the assistant superintendent of educational services. A mentor convinced me that I could make the position what I wanted it to be.

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

I spend my mornings focused on home. I work out, have coffee with my husband and we always walk our dog together in the morning before I go to work. I try to wait until I am in the office to check my email. Although, I do check my calendar first thing in the morning to determine what time I need to leave for work.

I build some time at the start of each day to respond to timely emails and prepare for the day's meetings. My days are often occupied by meetings so I block work time off on my calendar to ensure I have time to complete the things I need to complete. I try to check in with my cabinet towards the end of every day to see if there is anything I need to know about or in which they could use my support.

Sometimes I am at work until 11 pm, so if I can leave by 5 pm, I do. I check email one last time from home around 7 pm and after that, I do not read email again until the morning. My team knows that if there is an urgency, they should text me or call me if it is after 7 pm.

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

As superintendent, you must be crystal clear in your communications. Words matter and unless people understand what you are saying and doing and why, they will not trust you.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so

far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. This book changed my perspective on how environment and climate impact students' ability to learn and access information. It helped me to set our district on a new path of teaching and supporting students for success.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Spend time at each level of the organization. Knowing the job of someone within the organization is crucial to understanding their viewpoint and forging strong relationships.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far? When we had to close schools due to COVID and it felt like we were set adrift in the ocean, I reached out to our teacher's union leadership and made it clear that the best way forward was to make our decisions collaboratively. It wasn't always easy and we didn't always agree, however, we built such a strong relationship that it has carried over and allowed us to face challenging situations and maintain focus.