Asst. Superintendent Latanya Daniels Receives Champion of Equity - District Leadership Award

Congratulations to Assistant Superintendent Latanya Daniels, who received the Champion of Equity - District Leadership award from the American Consortium for Equity in Education. In total, 21 leaders and educators from across the country were honored for their contributions to educational equity in K-12 education. 

Dr. Daniels is a former paraprofessional, math teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal, high school principal and is currently the Assistant Superintendent here in Richfield Public Schools. Dr. Daniels is dedicated to raising achievement and proving that all students – especially students of color – can achieve at high levels.

From 2010-15, as principal at Henry High School in Minneapolis, Dr. Daniels took an underperforming school and transformed it into the third best high school in Minnesota according to U.S. News and World Report. When she became the principal at Richfield High School in 2015, she implemented a similar series of transformational changes that put student voice and equity at the center. The result? In 2020, Richfield High School eliminated the graduation gap between white students and students of color.

What Dr. Daniels has learned during her tenure as principal and through her doctoral work has not only proven to be effective in these high schools but is also replicable. She has presented at multiple conferences to inspire and empower others to do the work that is necessary to close achievement and graduation gaps for students while giving students the tools they need to succeed both in high school and beyond.

“I have never met an educator as passionate, committed and authentic as she is,” said Superintendent Steven Unowsky. “She is not afraid to take on challenges or to disrupt the status quo — especially if it doesn't benefit students. She genuinely believes that all students can achieve at high levels and works tirelessly to identify and remove barriers to student success. She listens to and values the thoughts of students and educators and will make whatever changes are necessary to support positive outcomes for students. Words cannot express how deeply I (and others) admire her.”

As the Assistant Superintendent, she is leading districtwide changes to increase access, rigor and achievement for all Richfield Public School District students. Outcomes include an increase in attendance rates, graduation rates and course credits earned. In addition, her changes have increased the proportionality of students of color successfully challenging themselves in advanced and rigorous courses.

“I am honored to receive this award,” exclaimed Dr. Daniels. “It means so much to me that people value and support this critical work around equity and student achievement. There were a lot of great nominees from across the country and I am humbled to have been one of the winners of the 2022 Excellence in Equity Awards.”

About the Excellence in Equity Awards

The 2022 Excellence in Equity Awards program was created to acknowledge, spotlight and celebrate high-impact work across K-12 education, as well as expand and enhance the discussion around educational equity. After the judges’ review, the winning nominees were selected based on outstanding achievement in supporting equitable opportunity and outcomes for all learners.

KARE 11 Report

Dr. Daniels joined Dave Highington, the principal at Exploration High School, for an interview with Kiya Edwards on KARE 11. Mr. Highington received the Champion of Equity - School Leadership award. He and Dr. Daniels were the only two award recipients from Minnesota. View the story on the KARE 11 website.