Five Questions with Innovative Leaders
A Series by Dr. Yoon S. Choi, CEO
Featuring Dr. Rayyan Amine, Chief of School Improvement and Accountability, Alief ISD
One of the best parts of leading a national non-profit is getting to collaborate with brilliant leaders. To share their insights and experience, I’m excited to continue my Q&A series on LinkedIn: Five Questions With Innovative Leaders. My goal is to shine a spotlight on impactful and innovative leaders who are improving educational outcomes, breaking down barriers, and supporting students and families. It’s an honor to feature Dr. Rayyan Amine, who is instrumental to CollegeSpring’s multi-year partnership with Alief ISD and leads with her passion for equitable education.
1) Please share a little bit about your background and how you came to work in education.
My family knew I was destined to be a teacher long before I did. Growing up overseas, I’d gather the kids in our building to play school, and we all loved it! As an adult, I realize how much joy I find in helping others—it’s a passion that drives me and a belief in the transformative power of education.
Growing up, I was fortunate to attend a private school with my four siblings, which provided us with incredible access and opportunities. When I moved to the US, I saw that our public education system offers even broader access and opportunity. This is truly powerful, and I firmly believe our education system is the backbone of our success. Despite the areas we need to improve and the goals we aim to achieve—which are important—we should recognize that our current system can allow students to reach their fullest potential. We should always strive to do more, much more, and I believe we can.
2) You’ve been committed to ensuring that all students in your district are college and career ready. Why has that remained a priority for you?
To me, it’s straightforward: our job in K-12 is to create a learning environment that prepares students for life after graduation. We “exist” to get them ready for what’s beyond our doors. Success in the world beyond K-12 requires a variety of skills and competencies, including financial and emotional security, the ability to meet social and emotional needs, and the capacity to lead a fulfilling life. This is achieved through college and career readiness. So, our mission is to tailor the learning environment to help our students develop the skillsets needed for college and career success.
Ultimately, if we prepare students for college and career, then they will graduate with the skills, knowledge, and experiences necessary to succeed in higher education, the workforce, and other post-secondary pathways, ultimately becoming productive, adaptable, and engaged members of society.
3) You’ve spearheaded a lot of change across your district. What are some learnings you can share with other district leaders?
Change is tough, but it’s always worth it, especially when it leads to improvement. Here’s what I’ve learned over more than two decades:
#1 Keep Talking: Communication is everything. Keep everyone in the loop and make sure they feel included. Transparency builds trust. Engaging with others can shape and strengthen ideas too. I strive to name things, identify blind spots and possible solutions early, and often send quick messages just to keep everyone informed – it works.
Explain the Why: People need to understand why changes are happening. When they see the bigger picture, they’re more likely to get on board. Remember, people support what they help create.
Patience and Persistence: Change doesn’t happen overnight. Be ready for bumps and keep your eye on the long-term goal. Focus on what you can control. This mindset provides almost unlimited patience, as you work step by step towards your goal. I use short-term and long-term goals to help people maintain patience and persistence.
Empower Your Team: Give your team the support and tools they need. To do that, you have to get to know them well first. Trust them to take charge of their roles. My legacy isn’t just what I achieve while I’m here, but the strong team and system I leave behind. I surround myself with effective, independent thinkers who are passionate about transformation. I trust my team and work alongside them, ready to step in and help when needed, but also willing to cheer from the sidelines when they’ve got it. My job in a nutshell is to provide the vision, set the goals, and help remove the barriers – they are empowered to do the rest.
Celebrate the Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate progress, no matter how small. It keeps everyone motivated. I love identifying “low-hanging fruits” to highlight and create wins that fill people’s buckets. I love getting a pat on the back or some recognition after a long week. It feels great, and because of that, I make it a point to give that same encouragement to everyone I meet.
Welcome Feedback: Encourage and be open to feedback. Use it to make improvements and adjustments. When you genuinely embrace the mindset that “feedback is a gift and the breakfast of champions,” the solutions you develop are effective and long-lasting. Be ready to embrace the collective wisdom and understand that the final plan may evolve—and that’s OK, often even better.
Lead by Example: Show the behavior and attitude you want to see. Your team will follow your lead. Kindness, respect, and trust are paramount for me, no matter our differences.
I believe these approaches have genuinely helped me drive effective change. It’s all about creating a positive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, including myself. I will end by also saying that I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with people who were supportive of the change—after all, one hand can’t clap alone.
4) What do you see as some of the biggest challenges in our education system?
There are a lot of challenges we usually categorize so we can manage them effectively, but in my view, the biggest challenge really comes down to our workforce—it’s the root cause of great success or challenges. If we focus on our workforce, we can make real change. We need a shift in perspective to effectively recruit, reward, retain, grow, and develop the people we rely on to educate and nurture our kids, who are our most valuable asset. Good teachers can truly work wonders. They can inspire, uplift, and open up new worlds for their students. With the right support and resources, there’s no limit to the positive impact they can have. It’s why building a strong workforce and pipeline is so crucial. With great teachers in place, many of the challenges our education system faces can be overcome.
With the ongoing teacher shortage and high turnover in the profession, we’re constantly playing catch-up, and it feels like we’re stuck on a treadmill. Until we address this, our challenges will keep growing and snowballing.
5. What makes you most optimistic about the future of education?
I’m very optimistic about the potential and what we’ve got going on – just need to multiply and scale it. All around—there are all these incredible pockets of excellence everywhere, and it’s truly inspiring. Seriously, it fires me up! In our district alone, I can think of so many examples.
We have these amazing early learning centers that are so warm and engaging, filled with real-life learning experiences. Kids are eager to come and play while they learn. They thrive in the supportive learning environment we’ve created. Their learning has skyrocketed, and their growth in literacy and numeracy has surpassed all standards and expectations. It’s the kind of place that makes you think, “Man, I’d have more kids just so they could go here!” It’s that awesome, and I love it.
Our Career and Technical Education Center – It’s next level. Students can learn to do everything from registering a car to taking care of animals or cooking up a restaurant-quality meal—all in one place. Seeing it all come together is just incredible.
On top of that, our district was quick to jump on the state’s Teacher Incentive Allotment program, which actually pays teachers based on student growth. I’m really optimistic about this program because I think it’s exactly the kind of initiative that could spark real, meaningful change.
It’s the potential and the momentum we have right now that gets me excited about the future. There’s so much to look forward to!