Madeline Negrón TBF 2024-25

When New Haven Public Schools superintendent Madeline Negrón learned that not every school in her district had a staff member dedicated to handling behavioral issues, she wanted to take steps to eliminate the disparity.

But she also wanted to change how her district handles such issues. Historically, students who behaved disruptively in class have received in-school suspensions that function as “babysitting,” says Negrón, who assumed her current role in 2023. She envisioned a framework in which educators provide support and resources to students with behavioral issues, so that they can return to class equipped to learn and grow.

At the time, Negrón was participating in The Broad Center’s Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, a 10-month, tuition-free program for senior-level public education leaders at Yale SOM. As a fellow, she engaged in discussions about using school budgets not just to stretch limited resources, but also to promote positive student outcomes.

With those conversations in mind, Negrón set out to address these problems in tandem while advancing the district’s values of equity and student engagement. She allocated funds to create behavioral staff positions in each building—but she’s working to change the district’s behavioral policy before filling those roles.

“I like to look at behavior as being more proactive—how are we supporting our students through restorative practices?” Negrón said. “I’ve put the money aside, but I’m not spending one dollar until I get the position revised.”

That mode of holistic thinking, honed at The Broad Center, is central to Negrón’s outlook. The Puerto Rican-born educator has spent her career working to expand educational opportunities for children: first as a bilingual teacher, then as a principal and administrator, and now as superintendent. She feels a personal connection to her work as the leader of a school system where most students are children of color, and where many identify as low-income or English language learners: When her family moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico seeking better opportunities, she was 10 and only knew the English words for colors and numbers. She went on to become the first in her family to graduate from college, earn a master’s degree, and complete a doctorate—but not before overcoming major obstacles along the way, including the biases of some teachers.

“That drove me into education,” she says. “In my head, I thought, ‘This should be easier for kids.’”

In New Haven, she has spearheaded the creation of a new Yale Teaching Fellowship that will fund graduate study for teachers and support staff in her district, instituted phone-free policies in middle and high schools, made a commitment to reducing chronic absenteeism that has proved successful so far, and stood up to recent federal immigration enforcement efforts.

She also continues to educate herself, including through professional development opportunities such as the Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, which she first encountered through her manager in a previous role.

“I’m always seeking to learn—not just with local people but with national people, so I can be exposed to the ways people approach challenges in different parts of the country,” she says.

She says she appreciated how “intentional” The Broad Center was about creating a cohort of fellows occupying different leadership roles at different types of educational institutions from across the nation.

“You’re with these amazing, thought-provoking individuals who come with rich experiences and work they’ve done,” Negrón says. “What brings us all together is that we all aspire to ensure that students get a better education than what we’ve seen before.”

At SOM, Negrón benefited from feedback from William Hite, who previously led Philadelphia’s public school system and served as The Broad Center’s superintendent in residence; and her mentor in the program, Sharon L. Contreras, chief executive officer of the Innovation Project in North Carolina and a two-time former superintendent in that state.

Negrón also continues to rely on lessons she learned from SOM lecturer David C. Tate, a psychologist. In his book Conscious Accountability: Deepen Connections, Elevate Results, Tate proposes a model based on clear communication and mutual trust between leaders and their teams.

“I ended up bringing that work to my executive leadership team,” Negrón says. “That’s the beauty of the fellowship—you can immediately bring back what you’re learning and apply it to your practice.”

Negrón says the fellowship helped strengthen her sense of self in her work.

“I am very cognizant that I’m a female leader of color” in a role that has historically been held by white men, Negrón says. “The fellowship reassured me that I have to continue to lead as me, no matter what’s around me.”

No amount of professional development can eliminate the significant obstacles Negrón faces in her third year as New Haven superintendent, including a shrinking budget. But Negrón has embraced the challenge to conceive of creative solutions—like “right-sizing” classrooms, or combining smaller classes to free up teachers for other assignments. Despite the pressures, she’s emphatic about her love for her job.

“I’m on a mission,” she says. “If I can impact anything that’s going to open up doors for kids so they can realize their hopes and dreams, that means I’ve done my job.”