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Dr. Danielle Jones started her job as superintendent of the Orange County Schools on Feb. 1, 2024.
According to an interview she did with N.C. State’s College of Education, her alma mater, “her priority, in addition to ensuring that the district does not have any low-performing schools, is to create an environment in which the entire Orange County community is working together to support teachers.”
“Our teachers are the number one resource for our students and making sure that we’re meeting the needs of every child every day,” Jones said in the interview. “So, I hope to support and develop our leaders, our assistant principals, our principals, and our district staff who help them to reach their full potential because we’re here to support schools that have a direct impact on the lives of our children.”
In June, Jones hosted a three-day leadership retreat for school leaders in the district.
In August, the district held a “Stars of Education” conference for educators by educators to kick off the school year.
At Stars, Jones said to educators, “You are the number one resource that we have in this district. There’s no program to replace you. You have to be at your best. Our job is to make sure we’re supporting you to be at your best.”
Jones, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is a recipient of the Dr. Samuel Houston Jr. Leadership Award.
Ryan Clancy writes for N.C. State’s College of Education. Here is his story and Q&A with Jones. A full version of the interview is here.
‘We’re here to support schools that have a direct impact on the lives of our children’
Jones was majoring in business management when she started tutoring at an after-school program.
After four years in the U.S. Air Force, Jones was in search of a new career, but she never expected to become an educator, not until she had the opportunity to spend time with those students.
“I really fell in love with the kids,” Jones said.
She worked as a middle school mathematics teacher at Cedar Creek Middle School in Franklin County before deciding she wanted to make an impact at the administrative level.
After earning her master’s degree, Jones served as an assistant principal at Cedar Creek and then principal at Bunn Middle School, also in Franklin County. In 2015, she earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and went on to become a leadership coach and then assistant superintendent in Durham Public Schools before beginning her tenure as superintendent.
“I like the impact that I’m able to have, to create the right systems and structures to hold folks accountable for what we say we’re going to do,” Jones said. “I like seeing children grow. I like to see that light bulb come on. Even though I’m multiple steps away from that direct impact, I know that the work that we’re doing at the district level does have a direct impact on how schools impact our students.”
Why I chose education
When I was tutoring in the after-school program, I just enjoyed it. The kids were great. They were eager to learn, and I found out I was naturally really good at math and breaking down the material so that kids could understand it.
Working with the kids, I was able to really lock in and fully engage and really think through what I was able to provide as far as lessons and resources and experiences for them. That just kind of became my mission, to make sure every child feels valued, that they’re learning and growing and understand that they have opportunities to graduate high school and limitless opportunities after graduating high school.
How education shaped me
I would not be in my current position without understanding what education brings and the opportunities that you have afforded to you because you have an education. It’s opened a lot of doors for me. I’m constantly learning; you learn through formal education, and then you have mentors and you learn by mistakes that you make, so I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning.
Education has empowered me to be confident in the various roles that I’ve taken throughout my educational career, and to lead with a purpose, which is really to ensure that our students see the value of having an education and the opportunities that it brings. The more I educate myself, the more I’m able to lead with purpose.
The last person who inspired me
I’m always going to say our students. We have wonderful students here in Orange County Schools. In my short time, I’ve been able to sit in on poetry readings — we have lots of talented writers — and I’ve attended a FIRST robotics competition and got to meet the kids as they were in the pits working on their robot. What [the students competing the robotics competition] talked to me about the most was the Impact Award, which is a community service project, where they find ways to support students that are within our district. It was inspiring just to hear them talk about that. That meant more to them than the competition. Then, we have some very highly competitive athletes and talented artists here. So every time I get to engage with our students, and hear from them, it just reminds me why I do what I do.
I can just almost picture the future that’s so bright that’s ahead of them. I think that inspires me day to day. If I’m having a bad day, I’m going to a school, I need to talk to a kid, I need to know: What do you love about this class? What are your hopes for the future? And I’ve met some pretty great kids here in Orange County Schools.
