Valeria Silva, one of the rising stars of Minnesota education for her work helping immigrant students get quickly up to speed in the St. Paul Schools, has won a prestigious fellowship by the Broad Foundation that trains urban schools superintendents.
Silva, who moved to the United States from Chile at the age of 24 speaking no English, has moved from aide to teacher to principal to director to chief academic officer. She will continue working in St. Paul during the 10-month Broad training and commute to various sites around the country on weekends.
Silva, 46, said she has the fire and commitment to tackle the challenges of leading urban schools.
"Superintendent is not a job. It is a passion. It's a lifestyle," she said Tuesday.
Only a handful of Broad applicants are awarded fellowships each year. Just 4 percent of this year's applicants were chosen.
Participants are expected to become superintendents or top school administrators within 18 months of completing the program. For Silva, that will probably mean leaving the school system where she learned leadership, innovation and collaboration.
She has been nationally praised for her work in quickly raising the achievement of students learning English. And she has helped the state shape its standards in special education and teaching English.
For the past year, as chief academic officer, she has helped lead St. Paul's efforts to improve its schools by replicating successful programs and remaking those that aren't.
