Administrator of the Year: Houghton's Hands-On Support, Data-Driven Goals Foster Success

Amanda Gronewold

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) named Debra Houghton, the principal at Mannsdale Upper Elementary School (MUES) in the Madison County School District, the Mississippi Administrator of the Year for 2020.

Houghton has served as the principal for MUES since it was established in 2015. There, her impact on the school, which houses grades 3-5, is evident in its drastic improvements in testing scores and proficiency levels in the past five years.

Concerned by her students’ proficiency levels in reading and math after the school’s first year of instruction, Houghton set aggressive goals to improve those percentages.

The work paid off. The school increased its proficiency in reading score by almost 16% and its proficiency in math score by more than 23%. MUES also improved from a B to an A in the MDE’s statewide accountability system.

“That data shows that our focus on proficiency is working to help our students,” she said.

Principal Debra Houghton (right) of Mannsdale Upper Elementary School (MUES) in the Madison County School District (MCSD) is pictured with MCSD Assistant Superintendent Edith Mitchell (left) and MUES Physical Education Coach Rolando Roman after Roman was awarded a Nissan grant in 2020.

While data is important to Houghton, her leadership goes beyond scores and numbers. Lauren Shotts, a math teacher at MUES, expressed admiration for Houghton’s hands-on, supportive approach. Houghton’s selection as Administrator of the Year came to her as no surprise.

“She is a distinguished leader,” Shotts said. “She meets with her teachers individually to come up with personal goals, she always asks what she can do to help us and she has those uncomfortable conversations with her teachers when they are needed.”

Shotts also lauded Houghton’s drive to create new initiatives to help their students, such as MAVS on the MOVE, a group of high-achieving third graders placed into a classroom together to learn both third and fourth grade math standards.

“This has been an amazing experience,” Shotts said of MAVS on the MOVE. “These students love to learn, and we are able to push them to that next level. [Houghton] always has a vision in everything she does.”

Houghton (back row, pink shirt) is pictured with Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Gipson (front row, right) and a group of MUES students and faculty after the school was presented an agricultural grant from the state in the fall of 2019.

Looking beyond test scores proved to be especially important in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Houghton to shift the school’s priorities from testing to social emotional learning.

“You have to do what’s best for your school at the time, and what’s best for my school right now is to focus on people’s emotions,” she said.

Bottom left: Houghton (second from left) holds the Administrator of the Year award she received from the MCSD in 2019. She is pictured with (from left) Mitchell, MCSD Superintendent Charlotte Seals and MUES Assistant Principal Nicole Cockrell.

Houghton’s compassion for students extends beyond those in her school. She stressed the importance of networking with other administrators across the state. During her term as president of the Mississippi Association of Elementary School Principals, Houghton established a group of Jackson-area elementary principals that meets periodically to share ideas and best practices.

“We’re the state of Mississippi, and we need to work together as a state,” she said. “We don’t need to compete against each other; we need to help each other. It’s about helping every kid in the state, not just about helping my kids.”

Dr. Carey Wright, the state superintendent of education, congratulated Houghton and other Administrator of the Year finalists on their commitment, saying they “showed outstanding leadership and dedication throughout their careers, and the students benefit greatly from having these professionals working on their behalf.”

Bottom right: Houghton (left) is pictured in the MUES office during the spring 2020 semester with Cockrell (back right) and students Annika Tuggle, Walker Knight, Avery Trowbridge and Rylie Westbrooks.