Principal

Abingdon's Joanne Uyeda is PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR!

(Released Nov. 9, 2006 by Arlington Public Schools)

Abingdon Elementary School Principal Joanne Uyeda has been named the Arlington Public Schools 2006 'Principal of the Year' and winner of The Washington Post's Distinguished Educational Leadership Award for Arlington.

Uyeda is a dedicated educator providing an excellent education for the children in Arlington. During her more than 25 years as a classroom teacher, administrator, and most recently, principal at Abingdon, Uyeda has made a lasting contribution to her students, her faculty and the entire Arlington community.

After her experience at Glebe Elementary School, where she succeeded in transforming the atmosphere of the school and its community, Joanne requested the challenging assignment of leading Abingdon Elementary School, said Superintendent Dr. Robert Smith. "She was able to turn around both institutions through inspiring leadership and a clear focus on instructional improvement that galvanized their faculties and parent bodies."

Uyeda earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois State University in 1979 and her Masters of Education degree in administration and supervision from George Mason University in 1990. She began her career as a special education teacher in central Illinois before coming to Arlington in 1985 as a special education teacher at Patrick Henry Elementary School.

She served as assistant principal at Oakridge and Taylor Elementary Schools before moving to Glebe in 1991 where she spent 10 years as principal. In 2001, Uyeda became principal at Abingdon.

Under her leadership, Abingdon introduced the highly successful Project GIFT (Gaining Instruction, Fostering Talents) which works in conjunction with the University of Virginia. Project GIFT provides the school focus for Abingdon to increase student achievement and community engagement by implementing instructional practices guided by the framework of multiple intelligence theory. For three quarters, students rotate through architecture, communications/journalism and a science lab. During the fourth quarter students are allowed to choose his/her favorite course. To increase instructional time for students, Abingdon eliminated early release Wednesdays.

Also during her tenure, Abingdon introduced the Word Study program that defocuses rote-memorization of word-bank words and instead emphasizes enriching a student's vocabulary by learning the meaning of a word, its origin and its cultural context to develop a more holistic approach to learning language.

"Uyeda has a keen sense of recognizing what people's talents are and placing them in positions where they will be best utilized," said Kristy Nienstedt, library media assistant at Abingdon.

"Joanne maintains a positive, caring atmosphere for the staff. Her open door policy allows staff to approach her about their concerns and problems," said Janet Stockman, counselor at Abingdon.

Additionally, Uyeda has volunteered extensively in the community. She is currently a member of the Kennedy Center's Principals Forum and is a board member of the Center Dance Company/Arlington Center for Dance. She served with the Peace Corps in Samoa and has served on the Education Committee for the National Gallery of Art.

Uyeda is one of 18 principals in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that will receive the Distinguished Educational Leadership Award from The Washington Post. She will be honored at the Nov. 30, 2006 Arlington School Board meeting.

The Washington Post Honors Uyeda for Commitment and Innovation

More about Joanne Uyeda

Ms. Joanne Uyeda has begun her twenty-second year in the Arlington Public Schools this year, and her sixth year as Principal at Abingdon Elementary. Prior to being assigned to Abingdon, Joanne served as principal of Glebe Elementary for ten years. Born in Chicago, Joanne received a B.A. in education from Illinois State University, and a M.Ed. in administration and supervision from George Mason University.

When Ms. Uyeda took over the leadership role at Abingdon in 2001, the school was in transition. The Spanish immersion program moved to Claremont Elementary in 2003, and a new focus was sought for Abingdon. Ms. Uyeda and her staff looked at current research and decided that Abingdon's students would benefit from the Multiple Intelligences approach to learning advocated by Howard Gardner at Harvard University. Staff also strongly believed that students needed more instructional time in each day. These two ideas gave birth to Project GIFT (Gaining Instruction Fostering Talents).

Project GIFT has many attributes. Abingdon's students now go to school for an extra two hours per week, which gives them an opportunity for additional instruction in journalism, science lab, and architecture. In addition, every student at Abingdon learns to play a musical instrument, and every fourth grader learns to play the violin. The model appears to be working as Abingdon is now fully accredited and has met Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Law for two consecutive years.

Ms. Uyeda has also made great strides in supporting and enriching her staff. After several staff members completed their masters degree in reading at the University of Virginia, Ms. Uyeda was convinced that all teachers who teach reading at Abingdon would benefit from taking these courses. She formed a partnership between Abingdon and the university, and as a result, UVA faculty have taught two courses in its reading masters program at Abingdon.

In addition to her outstanding job as Principal, Ms. Uyeda serves the greater community. Currently she serves as a board member of the Center Dance Company/Arlington Center for Dance and she served as a Peace Corp volunteer in Samoa. Ms. Uyeda truly exemplifies the Abingdon school motto, A peaceful world starts here.