Paul C. Nichols, Class of 2012
Paul C. Nichols III
Division Superintendent, Mecklenburg County Public Schools
Clarksville, VA
What is new and exciting with you now or since your time with Lead Virginia?
Currently, I am very excited about the changes that are taking place in K12 education in Virginia. The focus is shifting from high-stakes-testing-only to supporting students by preparing them for success in careers of the 21st Century. This new emphasis is called the "Profile of a Graduate", it emphasizes career literacy, career preparatory skills, community engagement through apprenticeships and job shadowing, and very practical application of advanced academics.
How has your Lead Virginia experience influenced or shaped you as a leader?
My year with Lead Virginia gave me a view of K12 education from the business and industry perspective. Lead Virginia has been a program that primarily engages leaders of business. I believe I'm one of only two K12 educators to participate in the program. I discovered that K12 has pretty much existed in a bubble without strong connection to the real world of work, and that was okay historically, when most jobs were labor intense and the K12 system was solely focused on preparing students that would do well in university. But the world has changed significantly since then. Today's jobs require significantly different skills to engage the advance of technologies. While about 30% of careers today still require a bachelor's degree or higher, there are very few jobs requiring manual labor without specific skill development. A solid K12 education is now the foundation of strong economic development and must be directly connected to business and industry.
Since Lead Virginia, how have you put your social capital to work?
Lead Virginia helped me see a bigger picture of the need for change in K12 education and introduced me to powerful business leaders that would help institute that change. Since then, I've been able to engage leaders like Mr. Barry DuVal of the Virginia Chamber as I've taken this message to schools and communities, and to powerful education groups like the Virginia Association of School Superintendents and the Virginia School Board Association. This focus has had significant impact on my career as I moved from my role as CEO of Virginia Advanced Study Strategies (VASS) to School Superintendent in Mecklenburg County.
What did you expect from Lead Virginia going in? Did the program exceed your expectations and broaden your horizons?
I hoped to meet leaders from around the Commonwealth and get a stronger sense of the real issues of economic development. The program exceeded my expectations. I hope that there will be more opportunities for K12 educators to participate.
What was your biggest takeaway or lesson learned from Lead Virginia that continues to stick with you today?
My biggest learning was that leaders from all career groups must communicate and collaborate in order to create the appropriate climate for a successful economy. I met leaders from the industries of health, engineering, manufacturing, energy, advanced technology, and many more. As a class, we represented every area of Virginia, and we interacted with local, state, and national political leaders to discuss regional cooperation. Personally, I was able to get representatives from these groups to serve on my Board and attend to local issues in K12 education. It was wonderful.