Olympia Della Flora

Why you should listen

Olympia Della Flora wants to seek solutions versus focusing on problems. This is why she became a principal at one of the lowest performing schools in Ohio. She believes that it takes a village to improve schools and has found ways to engage multiple stakeholders in this work including students, staff, parents and community members. Through focusing on this philosophy, Della Flora was able to successfully lead efforts to move her elementary school in Ohio out of failing status with the state. She attributes this success to collaborating with community partners and providing ongoing professional development for staff around social and emotional learning supports for students. She believes that schools should seek ways to address and support the whole child when it comes to learning, addressing not only academics but also social and emotional outcomes. She's now expanding this work through supervising and supporting principals in Connecticut, where she serves as the Associate Superintendent for School Development for Stamford Public Schools.