In Focus with ... Reginald Fisher

The impact of Houston A+ Challenge's Regional Principal Leadership Academy is reaching far beyond the Houston metropolitan region. In August 2009, Reginald Fisher, an outstanding member of Cohort I, was named principal of Frankford High School in Philadelphia, PA.

Fisher launched his career as an educator in 1991 as a charter member of Teach For America's Houston corps. "I had an epiphany and realized that I wanted to dedicate my life to public service," he said.

TFA sent Fisher first to Los Angeles as a teacher intern, and upon returning to Texas he served Houston ISD for 17 years as a teacher, department chair, assistant principal, curriculum writer and workshop presenter. As a member of RPLA Cohort I, Reginald refined all of his skills and shared freely with other cohort members. He always presented himself as a risk taker, which is how his search to be a transformational instructional leader led him to Frankford.

Frankford High School has a history dating back to 1910, with its beginnings in a farmhouse. The early students called themselves the "Pioneers", a name still used today. Frankford is a typical urban high school filled with many successes as well as challenges. The school's 100+ teachers serve more than 2,000 students, 83 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In November, Frankford's culinary arts department was featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Show.

A colleague offered Fisher the following advice as he embarked on his career in education: "This is the mountain you were born to climb." Fisher is still climbing that mountain, and the students and communities he has served, both in Philadelphia and in Houston, are most fortunate to have him as their instructional leader.