It was just after 3:30 p.m., and dismissal was in full swing at M.C. Lively Elementary on the South Side of Irving, Texas. Parents were waiting patiently for their kids. Most car engines were turned off since the punishing Texas heat had finally subsided. Parents looked at their phones or passed snacks to the back of the car to future generations of Lively Eagles.
I am no stranger to Irving ISD, as the Region 10 Education Service Center and Irving ISD have collaborated closely over the past two years. Nevertheless, I had never had an opportunity to visit Lively Elementary until this day, when I suddenly found myself front-row, witnessing a work of art as parents, students, teachers, and staff converged momentarily at the front of the school. Traffic flowed almost melodically, not unlike a symphony being conducted by a world-class virtuoso. It was as if I stumbled upon a Broadway musical or an extremely well-coordinated flash mob. The person directing traffic did it with the same passion and conviction as a seasoned baseball coach as they energetically signal their runners to head to home plate. Curiously, this individual happened to be wearing Puerto Rico’s baseball jersey, but this person was neither a baseball coach nor a virtuoso; it was Lively Elementary’s Principal, Brittany Phillips, rocking the Puerto Rico jersey in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Phillips was one of several Irving ISD school leaders who received the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) Effective Schools Framework (ESF) Focus Support Grant two years ago. The grant required school principals and their Instructional Leadership Teams (ILTs) to receive ongoing training, coaching, and support in collaboration with Region 10 over the course of two years. Teachers also received professional development delivered by consultants from Region 10’s Supervision and Leadership Development (SLD) team.
I first saw the charismatic Phillips at an ESF beginning-of-the-year training. However, I had never had the opportunity of a formal introduction. I made myself comfortable in the main office as I waited for Phillips to return from dismissal. The crackle of a nearby two-way radio brought me back as Phillips’ voice came through, giving out instructions with an enviable economy of language. The delicate ballet outside was only sustainable in a school with a strong climate and culture. A few moments later, Phillips came into the main office, introduced herself, and told me some staff members were absent, and she had had to step in to help. She escorted me to a small room near the main office as she explained that she gave up her office at the beginning of the year because her team needed it. Now, she works out of this tiny room better suited for interrogations than running a school. However, it was also abundantly clear that she spends limited time here, a telltale sign of an instructional leader.
Phillips was born and raised by a hard-working mother in Dallas. She shared thay she stood out at a young age, but not because of her artistic talents or fashion sense. She was always one of the tallest students in class, and other kids would inevitably bring it up frequently, making a young Brittany hate how tall she was. Today, her height does not break the top 10 things she is known for. Her servant leadership, charismatic personality, and creativity are more likely to stand out first to those fortunate to know her.
The multifaceted Phillips, or The Educator Emcee, as she is known to her YouTube and Instagram followers, is also rapidly becoming an education influencer. One of her videos has amassed over 35,000 views on TikTok. Her chosen nom de guerre perfectly encapsulates her essence. Education is her passion, but she has always loved the fine arts. She writes songs, sings, plays the piano, and she used to write poetry. She also shoots her videos before or after school and handles the post-production. Unsurprisingly, the quality of the content she produces is top-notch, and her flow and delivery rival that of successful recording artists currently on Billboard's Hot 100.
During our time together, she explained that she began her YouTube channel to counter all the negativity she saw regularly in content geared towards educators, particularly post-pandemic. It was a way for the solution-oriented leader to counter this negativity by highlighting all the good in education and educators. It has never been just about her, as this was a recurring theme while I shadowed her for two days.
The more I learn about Phillips and all she accomplishes in one day it truly admirable. The former elementary school reading and writing teacher is a University of North Texas graduate. She also has a master’s degree from the prestigious Simmons School of Education & Human Development at Southern Methodist University. A fellow SMU alumnus and Region 10 School Improvement Consultant Brian Hills was Brittany’s case manager as part of the ESF Focus Support Grant during year one and worked closely with the then-first-year principal.
“Her instructional leadership in data-driven instruction has allowed her teachers to create tighter, more effective, and more efficient data meetings, which, in turn, has helped her build even more credibility with her teachers,” Hills explained.
This change produced quantifiable results, particularly in 5th-grade science, where she coached her instructional leaders to facilitate data meetings to prove the concept. There was an increase in all score bands, and by at least 13% for approaches in 5th grade science. Lively ELementary was the only campus to meet or exceed projected middle-of-the-year MAP growth in math.
The technical know-how and adequate support are simply not enough in education. Great leaders must relate with those they lead at a human level. When asked about her accomplishments, she did not want to take all the credit alone and would continually refocus our conversation around her staff.
“I am not here without my staff,” said Phillips. “I am working with great people.”
As I continued to inquire about her achievements, she eventually mentioned she had been named Teacher of the Year without elaborating much as if not to place the spotlight back on her. This is a significant achievement that few educators can claim. Again, for Phillips it is not about the individual, but instead about what ‘we’ can and have achieved collectively.
Phillips considers herself a dreamer, but I respectfully disagree. She has transcended from that initial stage, becoming a visionary who sees Lively Elementary as an A-rated premier school of choice within five years.
It is perhaps a legacy of her journey, having to become independent from an early age. Nevertheless, it is also apparent that her experience, coachability, and mentors like Dr. Tanya Jones in Duncanville ISD taught her valuable lessons about the transformational power of collective efficacy, which she now embodies in her work.
The first video she ever released on her YouTube channel is titled Give Thanks, and it honors the work educators do daily. So, the last thing I have left to do is to sincerely give thanks to this fantastic educator for all the work she does for her students and staff. The principalship is indeed a very tall order, but Lively Elementary and Principal Phillips, its multifaceted leader, march on unabated to a catchy tune written by its master of ceremony, The Educator Emcee, while teachers and staff play along, and play it beautifully so that all students will succeed.