My family and I, along with 750 others, celebrated the life of Dan Lairon III on Saturday, May 2 at St. Martin’s Church.  The mass presided over by Father Bob Shinney S.J. was a commemoration of the good work and deeds of a distinguished former Marine and life-long educator.

Dan was the principal of Seven Trees Elementary School in the Franklin-McKinley School District until his sudden death on April 18, 2009. As Dan’s son Daniel Lairon IV said so eloquently while eulogizing his father, “my dad went to work where he was needed the most.” He said his father sometimes did not do the politically expedient thing, but he always did the right thing.

Doing the right thing as a principal of a school where 94 percent of its students are on free or reduced lunch, or any school these days, is arduous. So in honor of my friend, Dan, I thought I would write this week’s column on the importance of the role of principal in creating high-quality learning environments for all students.

Effective principals sustain a focus on instructional improvement and student learning, while providing leadership through modeling. These principals work tirelessly to ensure all students are progressing toward personal bests in all academic pursuits. Social, emotional, health, and physical growth are placed high on the agenda of strong school leaders for all the students. One Seven Trees student, Adrianna, in her letter to Dan’s family wrote, “No matter what sport I was in he would always encourage me to do my best. Mr. Lairon was not just a principal, he was a friend to talk to and that’s what I am going to miss the most.”

The wise school leader sets a tone of high-level teaming and collaboration, since the role is sometimes very lonely. Unlike middle managers in the corporate world the elementary principal usually has no one else on the management team at his/her school. Public school teachers are members of a union with contractual norms and tenure while principals serve at the discretion of their Board and Superintendent on a yearly basis. Therefore, it is imperative for principals to set a strong atmosphere for alliances.

The principal should provide clear purpose toward a shared mission and vision of the school and have clear mechanisms for holding all accountable toward its pursuit. Not only should all on the payroll demonstrate a daily commitment to the mission and goals of the school, the wise leader integrally involves parents (in increasing numbers each year), community organizations, churches, and law enforcement to all aspects of the learning community working toward the common vision. Kali wrote, “Mr. Lairon would come in and observe us plus our teacher to make sure we are doing our job.”

Dan was at Seven Trees for over seven years. I was visiting a school last week in another district. According to a teacher on my Santa Clara University caseload for an administrative field-work class, the school had four principals in the last six years. We are learning that real school reform is a seven-plus year cycle when administrative leadership stays constant. Principal Lairon worked with a consistent fervor to lead Seven Trees with integrity, courage, and vision. 

Dan fought in Vietnam as a Marine during the apex of the war. He received two Purple Hearts. I know on Saturday 750 human hearts were made stronger by the stories, songs, and celebration of his life. Kali wrote, “Mr. Lairon was a noble man.”

It was an honor to be his friend, colleague, and tennis opponent.  I will do my best to keep his spirit alive in my work in public education. Dan, thanks for the memories…