Celebrating excellent educators: Stephanie Amaya

In our ongoing work to develop a skilled workforce in Dallas County that can command living wages, we want to celebrate the educators and school leaders who are instrumental in ensuring we reach our goal.

Stephanie Amaya is principal of W.H. Adamson High School in Dallas ISD. Her story illustrates that while people are resilient, a supportive, human-first environment is essential to maximize student and teacher success.

Tell us about yourself and your family.

My parents are political refugees from El Salvador. My dad's parents were governor and governess of the town where they lived so my dad brought over his siblings. I grew up in a household of about 11 people with one restroom because he tried to help as many people in his family as he could.

I went to Oran M. Roberts Elementary School [in Dallas ISD] until third grade, then for fourth through eighth grade, I went to Harry Stone Montessori Academy. My teachers pushed me to apply to School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, and I did, got accepted, and graduated from there. It was the year where our class made it the top high school in the nation.

What expectations did you have for your education and career?

School was something we had to do so our parents wouldn't get fined or we wouldn’t bring attention onto our family. The elementary, middle school and high school experience was just making sure that we went to school and weren't getting into trouble.

I was never advised about college in high school. I tried but couldn’t get a waiver to take my SATs from my own school. I had to go to another school. Somebody else in my life had a similar experience: They were in the top 10 at a comprehensive high school in the area, and no one ever talked to them about college. I ended up getting a pseudo-scholarship from a private school, thinking that it was a lot of money, and accrued more debt in one semester than the rest of college combined. After just one semester, I knew I couldn't do this.

To what do you attribute W.H. Adamson High School's excellent STAAR scores in the 2023-2024 school year?

The biggest thing is having the right people on board. They can be a novice or a veteran, but you must provide an equal amount of pressure and support.

It's not just about the teachers and staff; it's also the kids. They have to know you believe in and trust them and will push them. Everybody in your community has to understand that everyone makes mistakes, including me, but we're going to be supportive. Once that culture of genuine care and those relationships are established, people are more inclined to try things that are out of the box and work harder.

When my staff comes to me, my first question is always "Is it good for kids? If so, I'll support you and we will figure it out."

Then we try it and then see if it works. Then we try it on a bigger scale. It's more than just being a risk-taker and challenging the status quo, but how can you make that experience fun and engaging for both the adult and the kid. No one wants to come to school and feel like they don't have a voice in what they do or feel like no one cares if they're having a good experience.

Tell us about the innovative programs you've implemented.

Each of the three innovative projects I've worked on (International Baccalaureate Program, expeditionary learning, novel engineering) are rooted in the whole child, and supporting students to be thinkers not just learners. How do we cultivate visual learning and visual thinking so that students learn how to think versus just learning for the problem that they're working on?

Novel engineering is more tangible. Students can talk as they're building, which helps them create that understanding around what they're reading. Some subjects are just easier for kids to see and understand, and for teachers to support them because they can see the errors. That doesn't necessarily happen in English or in reading, though, so how do we make reading more hands on?

What additional support do you wish school systems and educators had?

One of the best things that we have been able to do at my high school and as a district has been providing more [college] access providers so that students are hearing more about college and there's more hands-on support specifically about college applications and scholarships. It would be additional personnel and staff, so that everyone can have that connection with a kid, to really make sure they're pouring into them and presenting experiences that can make them think bigger. Bigger than who they are. Bigger than their family. Bigger than their community. Who can they become?

And giving them the wraparound services so that every kid has their basic needs met. Kids are resilient, but they also have way more responsibilities than they should. They shouldn't have to worry about where they're living or whether they can come to school or if their parents are okay or whether they have time for their own mental health. All of us need the basics of self-care and a sense of belonging, then we have space for additional aspirations. Then students can be open to what post-secondary looks like.

What’s your biggest piece of advice for the teachers you work with?

Remember you are making a difference in people's lives. You show up for a kid not just by going to work, but by caring for them.

Self-efficacy is a top predictor for both student and teacher achievement. That kid is going to come to school and be excited about learning. That student is going to become someone because of the way that you speak life into them, see them, value them and hear them. You're worth so much more than a number. The legacy you are leaving in every child's life because of how much you care is way more impactful.

And what about your fellow principals?

How are we inspiring our teachers and giving them the confidence that anything is possible? And the same thing for our kids. How are we inspiring everyone around us so they know that whatever they want to do, they can, and we will support them?