On March 22, Dr. Nyah Hamlett, the new superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, rode on a bus with elementary and middle school students as they returned to school for the first time in over a year. She noted the “smiling eyes” of the students—as well as those of their parents at the bus stop—as students headed to school, inching ever closer to normalcy.
“The most meaningful aspect of my job is connecting with students and seeing the impact education can have on young lives,” Hamlett said.
Hamlett hopes to bring constructive changes to the district in the coming years. Such changes include reforms in racial inequity, increasing mental health resources for students and families, and emphasizing high-quality education within the district.
In an interview, Hamlett shared that connecting with as many students, families and faculty as possible has been her major focus over the past few months.
“Many are familiar with my acronym LOL, meaning Listen, Observe, and Learn,” Hamlett explained. “An important step to creating beneficial changes is listening and learning about what is important to the community.”
Though many students have returned to in-person learning four days a week, Hamlett aspires to get all students—pre-kindergarten and K-12—into school buildings five days a week by the fall. Additionally, by the end of the year, she hopes to implement extended learning opportunities for students over the summer or through the school curriculum.
Hamlett emphasized the importance of data when it comes to making decisions, particularly racial equity.
“There are two things you can’t argue with: student voices, and data,” she said. “It is important for us to allow student voices to be heard about issues concerning them and to have accurate data to help the district make informed decisions about addressing areas of need.”
She added that using Racial Equity Impact Assessments can help gauge the impact executive decisions will have on different racial and ethnic groups. The data, according to the racial justice organization Race Forward, will help to “reduce, eliminate, and prevent racial discrimination and inequalities.”
Furthermore, Hamlett hopes to provide comprehensive learning for staff to ensure there is an understanding of how race correlates with education and accordingly develop solutions that will improve the academic and life outcomes of minority students.
Hamlett also aims to expand mental health services in pre-kindergarten and K-12 learning environments.
“We need to provide the maximum amount of mental health resources so that students and families can have quick access to help,” she said.
One component to expanding mental health resources is for district staff and faculty to be professionally educated on ways to approach mental health issues and crises.
To ensure students and families are college ready, Hamlett believes that high-quality education, where teachers engage with students using learning strategies and a curriculum suited for each student, should be readily applied and available.
Specifically, she highlights the importance of using Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes to expand the traditional routes of college and career choices.
“Whether or not a student has plans to go to college after high school, we want them to have the knowledge and resources to be successful,” Hamlett said.
