Northwest High School

Cordova Middle School

Northwest High School
Justin, Texas

Jim Chadwell, principal of Northwest High School, has a hint for anyone who wants to excel at school leadership: Quit being a dispenser of wisdom. “My job is to build leadership capacity,” Chadwell says, “and I’m hoping that capacity goes all the way down to the students.”

Northwest uses a site-based management team as the locus of decision-making. The Educational Planning and Improvement Council (EPIC) consists of teachers, administrators, counselors, students, and parents. EPIC addresses all policies and procedures affecting the day-to-day routine. Recent issues have run the gamut from policies regarding tardiness and lunch to the quantity and quality of homework. Once a topic is outlined for review, it is delegated to a committee made up of members who will be affected by the issue, and in that way, all school stakeholders are involved in running this extraordinary school.