Seattle Public Schools' principals were the students last week as the new superintendent, who pulled out names on Popsicle sticks, quizzed them on best practices at the Summer Leadership Institute, a two week professional development session.

Maria Goodloe-Johnson began her tenure as Seattle's new superintendent of public schools last month and has been moving forward with her entry plan, which includes sharing her "strategic vision" with district staff and faculty.

"Our work is about teaching and learning. Bottom line. Period," Goodloe-Johnson told a cafeteria packed with principals and other staff at West Seattle High.

The superintendent reviewed her priorities for the district and expectations for high academic standards and achievements for leadership and teachers. She emphasized frequent and cohesive assessment of programs and ensuring that measures are in place for improvement opportunities.

The district must have a clear rubric, said Goodloe-Johnson, 49. She left her position as Superintendent for the Charleston County, S.C., school district in April to become Seattle's new school chief after Raj Manhas announced last fall that he would resign this month.

"I want to know how to get to the top and how to stay there," she said.

Some of her priorities include audits that test for equitable and efficient distribution of curriculum and finances district wide.

"I know funding in Washington and across the nation in inefficient, but what I don't know is if we can spend our dollars differently to get a better result," Goodloe-Johnson said.

Rebuilding community confidence in Seattle schools and creating a "climate of trust and accountability" are also her aim. The district has taken a lot of criticism during the last two years for deciding to close some elementary schools this fall.

"You don't know me, so you shouldn't trust me," Goodloe-Johnson said candidly. "That's just human nature. We'll build trust by working together."

Another major focus will be to find examples of successful leadership and academic progress and then collaboratively replicate it.

"It's not rocket science," said Goodloe-Johnson. "It's about us doing it collectively and not in competition with each other."

She cited research from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, a Denver- based education research group. After studying nearly 3,000 districts, it found that effective superintendents focus on teaching and learning. It's a particularly significant statistic for Seattle because Goodloe-Johnson marks Seattle's first leader with a professional educational background in more than a decade.

Goodloe-Johnson holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Colorado, Denver. Prior to her superintendency in Charleston, she was director of secondary instruction in Colorado where she was also a high school principal.

She told the professional educators that they must know more than just that students aren't performing well, but also the root cause. No one had an answer when asked why math scores were poor in Seattle and across the state.

"If you don't know what the problem is you can't fix it," said Goodloe-Johnson, who plans to implement data driven kindergarten-through-12th-grade common curriculum in the 46,000-student district. She said it's a critical factor in increasing academic scores.

"We need a coherent core curriculum," she said. "We can go way above that, but that has to be in place."

Goodloe-Johnson's tenure in Charleston was marked with controversy, mostly due to some unpopular decisions she made meant to boost consistently poor performing schools. She said she wasn't afraid to make those kinds of choices in Seattle for the sake of the students.

"You cannot continue to do something that doesn't work," the superintendent said. "I cannot fight for failure. I will fight for things worth fighting for."

But for her to be truly successful with Seattle schools, the School Board and the superintendent must share a common and clear vision, she said,

"The board and the superintendent have to be a strong team all about the same vision - teaching and learning," said Goodloe-Johnson. "We don't change direction mid-course."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebakahs@robinsonnews.com