Philly High School Teacher Named National Principal of the Year

Schools are struggling right now during the coronavirus, and all students need right now is good leadership and guidance from their authorities. Fortunately for local West Philly Principal Richard M. Gordon IV, the National Association of Secondary School Principals awarded him on Tuesday as the 2021 National Principal of the Year.

According to Philly Voice, Gordon serves as Principal at Paul Robeson High School for Human Services, which is located in West Powelton. He has been working at the high school for seven years and was given the award for transforming the school into a “high process” school recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education from being one of Philadelphia’s 30 lowest-performing facilities.

Gordon has also received the title of top principal by the Pennsylvania Principal Association, which got him to be one of three finalists for the award by the NASSP. The award looks for someone in the middle level and high school level who provides “high-quality learning opportunities and demonstrates exemplary contributions to the profession,” states Philly Voice.

The administrator has created a model program for college and career readiness and during his time at Paul Robeson has accomplished a 95% graduation rate, which exceeds the average graduation rate for high schools in Philadelphia which is 81.20%, written by Open Data Network.

Superintendant William R. Hite applauds Gordon for his accomplishments. "From the moment he arrived at the district, Principal Gordon’s enthusiasm for creating a positive learning and instructional environment has yielded wonderful results. We are thrilled to see him receive this recognition and look forward to even greater success for his students and the entire school community."