Jan. 26, 2026
Episode 59: Leading as a Learner: Dr. Jess Quinter on MTSS, School Culture, and Principal Leadership
Send us a text What does it take to lead a single school so well that your influence reaches across a district, and into state and national conversations? We sat down with Dr. Jess Quinter, Principal of Park Forest Elementary in Pennsylvania and NAESP Zone 2 director, to unpack a career built on learning, trust, and steady systems that actually help kids. Jess shares how teaching across grades and serving as a Title I reading specialist shaped her leadership lens, and why becoming principal ...
What does it take to lead a single school so well that your influence reaches across a district, and into state and national conversations? We sat down with Dr. Jess Quinter, Principal of Park Forest Elementary in Pennsylvania and NAESP Zone 2 director, to unpack a career built on learning, trust, and steady systems that actually help kids.
Jess shares how teaching across grades and serving as a Title I reading specialist shaped her leadership lens, and why becoming principal in the same building where she taught demanded radical clarity and patience. We explore the daily habits that build credibility, modeling professional learning alongside teachers, helping with benchmark assessments, and narrating the why behind every change. Her “lead learner” mindset isn’t a slogan; it’s the backbone of culture.
We dig into MTSS and PBIS as the engine of equity across eight elementary schools: aligning Tier 1 instruction, defining entry and exit criteria, and creating common processes without silencing local voice. Jess explains how district teams move from siloed efforts to consistent support, and how data becomes a tool for compassion rather than compliance. Then the conversation widens to advocacy, why association membership matters, how NAESP elevates principal voices, and practical ways to work with legislators, from rapid-response feedback on bills to inviting them into classrooms to see programs in action.
Aspiring administrators will hear blunt, generous advice about timing opportunities, finding mentors, and staying human through change. Veteran leaders will recognize the power of small, visible acts that compound into trust. If you care about instructional leadership, literacy training, school culture, and real-world advocacy, this conversation offers a blueprint you can use tomorrow.
If you enjoyed this conversation, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a colleague who’s ready for their next step. What’s one move you’ll make this week to lead as a learner?
Connect with Dr. Jess Quinter:
LinkedIn: Jess Quinter
Email: jlq11@scasd.org
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00:00 - A Leader Who Shapes A Region
04:00 - Origin Story: Choosing Education
05:50 - Teaching Across Grades And Roles
09:40 - Strengths, Relationships, And Modeling
12:44 - Stepping Into Administration
14:56 - Becoming Principal Where She Taught
20:01 - Lessons From A Small Rural School
23:32 - Networks, State Associations, Growth
27:22 - Lead Learner Mindset And PD
30:26 - MTSS And PBIS As System Drivers
33:43 - Advice For Aspiring Principals
37:46 - Why Advocacy And Associations Matter
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Have you ever wondered what it looks like when an elementary principle leads in a way that not only transforms a single building, but also influences an entire region of the country?
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Today's conversation is kind of spotlight on the kind of thoughtful steady discovery-driven leadership that starts in a school hallway and structured all the way to the national state.
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My guest today is Dr.
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Jess Quinter.
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He is the principal of Park Forest Elementary and the State College School District in Pennsylvania.
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Dr.
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Quinter leads more than 80 staff members, and over 400 students.
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She serves as the district leader in MTS Dest and represents Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey as the NAESP's Zone 2 director of the National Board.
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He is also a passionate advocate, a dynamic presenter, and something I deeply admire and lifelong learning.
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Now let's get to the conversation with Dr.
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Jessica Quinter.
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Welcome back, everybody, to another exciting episode of the Educational Leadership Podcast.
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Today I'm excited to bring in Dr.
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Jessica Quinter.
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Jessica, welcome to the show.
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Thanks so much for having me.
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All right, Jessica.
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I'm going to ask you the same question I ask everybody on this show.
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What inspired you to become an educator?
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So I think that I kind of one of those classic people who always knew that schools were where I wanted to be.
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Specifically in high school, I had an opportunity.
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I went to a really small rural school called Meyersdale in Southwestern PA growing up.
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And in my junior and senior year, I had an opportunity to spend a class period or two each day in the elementary building and was able to help out in first grade with one of one of the teachers and the students there.
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And I think that really solidified that that was where I wanted to head.
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Whenever I started my bachelor's degree, my undergrad at Junietta College, the program there in terms of education, really gets students into the classroom right away.
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So I had a practicum my very first semester of my freshman year.
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And again, that just really sort of solidified that that was where I wanted to be.
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So I think that kind of a combination of everything, along with my parents and my family just being really supportive of education and really wanting us to do, my siblings and I to do all that we could to continue learning.
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I think that I also wanted to be able to be that person for the students with whom I would interact.
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Awesome.
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Great.
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That's awesome.
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A lot of people come as just a call-in, right?
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It's just like I've known since this, but for me, it wasn't that way.
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It took a little bit of time for me to figure out what that was.
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And it wasn't until like really coaching is when I kind of figured out education was for me.
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So with that said, you became a teacher.
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What kind of teacher did you become?
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What did you teach?
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What was your experience like as a teacher?
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And then in those experiences, how has those experiences helped you become the leader you are today?
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Sure.
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So my very first year, I had a unique opportunity again at a really small rural school.
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There were one, maybe two classrooms at each grade level, a K to five building.
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So in the morning, I had second graders that I did that kind of reading ELA block with.
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And in the afternoon, I had fifth graders because I released the head teacher and did science and social studies with fifth grade.
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And then following that, I really kind of found my niche.
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Kindergarten and first grade were definitely my place.
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And so I taught for actually nine years before becoming an educational leader, both in kindergarten and first grade, and then also served as the Title I reading specialist for several years.
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And I think really each of those opportunities allowed me to get to know students at different levels, you know, kind of what students are looking like at that fifth grade point where they're headed into middle school or to junior high or whatever that might look like.
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And then also for those kindergartners who are really just stepping foot in a school building for the very first time and kind of understanding those nerves and excitement and what all of that looked like too.
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So I think in terms of how that applies to being an educational leader, is that I have always been a learner.
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Whenever I think about, you know, kind of doing strengths finders and looking at all of those pieces, I'm like that wholeheartedly is where I am.
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I'm a learner, I'm a kind of careful thinker about everything.
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And so I think just really thinking about the kind of teacher that I was, I was really intentional about my words, my actions, my planning, how I was modeling what I wanted to see with my students.
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And I think as an educational leader, those are definitely qualities that have kind of stuck with me, definitely in terms of as I'm planning and interacting with the grown-ups in the building now.
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Awesome.
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Well, that's really exciting.
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Yeah, you kind of hit on something there where you know you had opportunities as a teacher to be a leader and to kind of work on some of those skills.
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And a lot of those traits do transition over in to the principalship or administration.
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So you talked about strength finders, right?
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So what are your strengths?
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Can you can you remember them and name them all?
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I know for sure that that that learner part was in there for sure.
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Just and and really for me, I think it is a combination of just really thinking about how to build relationships and then to be able to be authentic and honest and open in conversations.
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So I think that that was another part that had popped up for me within that too, is just kind of that relationship building piece.
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And and I think what what I really try to do is to be intentional about how I'm responsive and supportive to teachers and to staff members and to students in my building.
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And very similarly to what that looks like whenever you're differentiating in the classroom, it looks very similar whenever you're interacting with grown-ups in a building too.
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Some people are kind of ready for certain conversations at certain times or ready to try something new or take a new risk or to think about something in a different way.
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And so for me, being being kind of that lead learner and that lead teacher in a way within my building is really important for me to model.
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Awesome, awesome.
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You've been teaching for a while now.
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So, what inspires you to become an administrator?
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What got you going?
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Was it someone encouraging you?
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Was it like, you know what, this is my next step, or you know, an edge?
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Like, what was it that said, you know, it's time to step away from teaching and become an administrator?
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What was that like for you?
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So I think similarly to knowing that I always wanted to be a teacher, I kind of also knew that being a building leader was somewhere in my future.
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I love to see the big picture.
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I love to maximize the strengths and abilities of the people who are around me.
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Teachers are phenomenal people who do phenomenal work.
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And it really is a privilege to be able to support them in that important job that they do every day for sure.
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And then I think obviously just kind of the as you think about your next steps, you know, in Pennsylvania, you have to accrue so many credits within so many hours after what so many years after you start teaching.
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And I really wanted, I knew I wanted to do my master's, I knew I wanted to have a different career option within that.
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So educational administration seemed to be a good fit for that as well as being, you know, an area that I was passionate about.
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And I had taught for nine years before becoming a principal, and I was still very much in love with teaching.
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Um, I could have been a teacher a lot longer and it would have been fine with me.
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And it just really was the right opportunity at the right time with the right leaders who were around me.
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I was actually in the building where I had been teaching.
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And so that came with a lot of advantages and a lot of struggles along the way for sure.
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But it just again just kind of seemed like the right time with the leaders that were around me.
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It was a good time for me to kind of get get my feet wet in that administrative world and to have some amazing support around me.
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So you talked about becoming a principal in the building you were teaching.
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That's not easy to do.
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Can you tell me some experiences you had with that?
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Because you go from, hey, I am, you know, a teacher, I'm a colleague with now, I'm your boss.
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So, what was that transition like?
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Could you kind of talk about that?
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What did you learn when you stepped into that administrative role in the school that you were teaching at prior to that?
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I mean, uh to me, that's fascinating because I I got away from the school I taught at and became a principal.
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And so I think it would be harder to do it in the school you actually taught in.
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So, can you kind of talk to us about that?
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As I had mentioned, there were definitely a lot of advantages and some struggles with that as well.
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So, advantages being right, I had taught kindergarten, so I learned every single student as soon as they came in the door and just had like that next class to learn every year.
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So I had been there long enough that I knew our students and our families.
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Also, I had been my last couple of years, had been a Title I reading teacher.
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And so that really allowed me the opportunity to work with grade level teachers in terms of supporting students with interventions and kind of broadening that scope a little bit for me, as well as at that point, you know how it goes it in a small rural space.
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You get a lot, you get to do all of the things.
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Um, so at that point in time, I was also our federal programs coordinator.
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So I was able to learn about what that grant process looked like, all of the monitoring, all of the documentation.
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So there were some pieces of administration that I kind of had the opportunity to kind of develop or experience before stepping, you know, before stepping foot in that office.
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I think again, I it was really important to me as a teacher that I was modeling my values, that I was, you know, professional, that I was constantly learning, that I was treating others with respect and care.
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And so I think those skills kind of transitioned well to a new position for sure.
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And there were, right, there are people that were were friends of mine, like collegial friends, that now all of a sudden I was in this different position.
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And they were they were all wonderful, like just all really fantastic about like tell us what else you need, tell us how else we can help you.
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We really don't want to disappoint you, you know, those sorts of things.
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And then there are there definitely were some steps too that were really tricky in terms of kind of wanting to take some initial changes, some steps for some initial change.
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That part took a little bit longer.
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And of course, your first year, you you know, like your first year of teaching, you don't know what you don't know.
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Um and so it just kind of I think there were there was a little bit of kind of scrutiny in terms of of decisions, and it it just took a little while to figure all of that out, how those relationships shifted a little bit.
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But again, I had an incredible support staff.
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My superintendent was amazing.
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I worked really closely with our high school principal, who still is a really great professional and personal colleague.
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And so, again, I think I just had that support structure that was really helpful in those first years of learning how to be a principal.
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Awesome.
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Well, that's good to hear.
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You know, it wasn't too bad and had a lot of support, a lot of people there to help you out with that.
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So that's awesome.
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So you've been kind of serving as a in a principal leadership role since 2009.
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And so, what are some stories or experiences you have at the different levels?
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It looks like you know, you've been building district level, you know, even doing national level things.
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What are some experiences that you know help grow you as a leader in in your principalship?
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So at the first school where I was a principal, Juniata Valley, again, we were a pretty small rural school.
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The benefit of that being that I learned a lot about a lot of different areas.
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So, you know, it kind of all falls on you to plan professional learning, to adopt new resources, to create the schedule, to do the evaluations, to do the safety plan, you know, all of the things.
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So I feel like that was an important lesson for me in that I really was able to learn a lot about a lot of different areas of educational leadership for sure.
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And then in about 200, probably 16, 17, I had kind of been a principal for a while in my former district and was really just looking for some different opportunities to stretch and grow.
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And that's really whenever I became involved with the Pennsylvania Principals Association.
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And so I automatically had this larger network of colleagues and friends who were just a great resource to be able to learn from, to be able to ask questions to, to kind of work through problems if they ever came up, someone that wasn't kind of personally attached to your building or district, but had a wider perspective.
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And so that really for me was really life-changing in terms of being able to grow as a professional and as a person.
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So one lesson that I definitely have learned has been to be involved and to kind of broaden your perspective from just to the building or the district where you're currently working.
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I think too, in terms of in terms of thinking about, you know, important lessons that I've learned, certainly, certainly patience, um, certainly the value of establishing relationships and truly listening to people and what is important to them, how they work through change, challenges, you know, progress, what all what all of those pieces are.
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And really being able to, I found that in a lot of situations, whenever we're trying to move forward in some way, it's really important for me to know where everyone is and then how and when I can take those steps to kind of move forward.
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And so even in my current building now, there are times where I'll say, because I've heard you say this, this is why we're taking this next step.
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I've heard you say we need more professional learning and reading, for example.
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So the next step we're going to do is like this.
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And so it's been really important to kind of frame that context.
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And I think too, it's really important for me to be like the lead learner.
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And this is something actually I talked with our friend and colleague Tony Katani about as well.
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It's important for me to participate in that professional learning.
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There are opportunities provided in our district now, letters training, literacy training being one of them.
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And I've participated in that with our teachers.
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I had done it back when I was a Title I teacher, you know, 16 years ago.
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Um, but then also right now, it's important for me to be fresh with that.
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So I dive in.
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It's important for me to learn with teachers.
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Just today, I helped to do some of our benchmark testing.
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It's important for me to like to be a part of that, both with students and to show teachers that I I love that role.
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I love what we do and I find it to be really important.
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And I think one of the most important things that all leaders can do is just to be vulnerable.
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And so, whenever I transitioned to my new district, I had the opportunity to meet our staff.
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I said, these are all of my experiences, and I know that this is a very different district and a very different building.
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And so what I have done before might not work here.
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Like I will try my hardest to provide context.
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I hope that you will find me to be kind in my interactions, and I'm going to make some mistakes.
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So I'm just kind of being vulnerable about what that looks like and being willing to accept it and move forward, I think is another important lesson that goes a long way with the people with whom you work.
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Yeah, you made a lot of great points there.
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Uh, you talked about letters training at the secondary level.
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We have a spire training.
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And so we got this big grant money because in Nebraska, it is we're gonna get better at reading.
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So it's like a state initiative, like it's a state law.
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Now it's federal, it's been legislated.
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And so we got this grant money.
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So I'm actually doing the uh Lexia Spire training with my team.
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So I have an understanding of what they're doing, but also gives me some idea, you know, gives me an understanding of what I'll need to be looking for down the road because we'll have to go in and do fidelity checks and things like that down the road when it gets going.
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So now we have that going on too.
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So I can I can, you know, right there with you when you do some of the training with your teachers as well.
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So I really appreciate you mentioning that as well.
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You've done a lot of leadership like teams surrounding like MTSS and instruction.
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How has that approach shaped you as a as a building principal?
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A lot of that, again, honestly, just really thinking about my my experience as a as a teacher and being at like that kindergarten first grade grade level, a lot of those pieces really come into place.
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And then as well with my experience in terms of being a Title I reading teacher, we were doing a lot of those kind of MTSS sorts of pieces in terms of thinking about using data for instruction and identifying interventions and what does instruction look like, tier one, two, and three.
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And then also really looking at launching our PBIS program, both in my former building and in my current building.
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So, what do those supports look like for social emotional learning and behavior for students as well?
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And I think right now we're doing a lot of work with a district level team in our district.
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I'm working kind of co-leading that with another principal and a school psychologist, and really just thinking about you know, consistency from building to building across our district.
00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:26.879
We have eight elementaries within our district and ensuring that we're using similar processes and just ensuring that students who need that additional support are able to get it or need kind of that stretch are accessing that as well.
00:19:26.879 --> 00:19:37.919
And so, really, I think it comes down to like consistency and equity, making sure that that all kids everywhere are getting that instruction that is really tailored to their need.
00:19:37.919 --> 00:19:57.119
And again, just kind of you know, similar to being involved at the state level or the national level, just really having a broader understanding of how systems can work and improve a building, instruction and achievement within a building, I think obviously just kind of naturally relates to what we do in a building day-to-day.
00:19:57.439 --> 00:19:58.159
Awesome.
00:19:58.159 --> 00:20:00.879
So you've been kind of a principal for a while.
00:20:00.879 --> 00:20:07.599
We have a lot of people that will listen to this episode, and we have a lot of people out there that are aspiring administrators.
00:20:07.599 --> 00:20:14.079
So, what advice would you give someone that's thinking about taking that next step and becoming a principal?
00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:20.639
It could be assistant principal or even maybe a lead in some sort of capacity in the educational leadership.
00:20:20.639 --> 00:20:22.399
What advice would you give them?
00:20:23.439 --> 00:20:31.519
I think that one piece of advice would be whenever the right opportunity presents itself to really just take advantage of it.
00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:36.559
You know, like like you're never gonna fully be ready or feel like you're fully ready.
00:20:36.559 --> 00:20:42.559
Um, so it just has to kind of be like whenever that opportunity is right to really jump in and take advantage of that.
00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:46.319
And I think really a lot of it comes in terms of, right?
00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.879
Like you have all of your coursework and you start to learn.
00:20:48.879 --> 00:20:53.919
But I would also give people the advice of continuing to learn or to get involved in whatever way that is.
00:20:53.919 --> 00:21:12.960
So whether it's committee work within your building or an opportunity to serve on a leadership team or a strategic planning team, an MTSS team, whatever that might look like, to really just start to gain information and not necessarily in terms of just specifically the system, but watching truly how are the leaders leading this?
00:21:12.960 --> 00:21:15.439
How are the people who are participating responding?
00:21:15.439 --> 00:21:19.839
What are the opportunities for collaboration and really being reflective about?
00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:26.879
How do I want to do this whenever I am, you know, whenever I am a building leader, whenever I have the opportunity to lead.
00:21:26.879 --> 00:21:29.519
So I think that that definitely is one piece.
00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:38.879
And then as well as just really knowing, knowing yourself, like knowing what your non-negotiables are, knowing who you want to be as a leader.
00:21:38.879 --> 00:21:41.279
And that takes a lot of self-reflection.
00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:46.240
And it obviously, you know, kind of changes throughout time too.
00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:51.919
So, you know, to be completely honest, I had been a principal in my former district for 12 years.
00:21:51.919 --> 00:21:53.200
Again, I had taught there.
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:54.079
I knew the community.
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I knew the school.
00:21:54.879 --> 00:21:55.599
I knew the kids.
00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:56.559
I knew the families.
00:21:56.559 --> 00:22:02.240
I, you know, had a had a long history there and had had 12 years of experience as a principal.
00:22:02.240 --> 00:22:05.919
And when I came to my new district, I felt like I was brand new all over again.
00:22:05.919 --> 00:22:15.839
And so it really took, you know, kind of like, okay, I need to use all of these things that I know and come back and figure out like how am I going to approach it this time.
00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:18.960
And it was a brand new big challenge.
00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:22.480
And this is year five in that building, and it feels great now.
00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:29.200
Um, but it just really took, you know, it there, there's always something new and changing that is going to happen.
00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:32.079
And the reality is that we need great leaders.
00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:38.879
We need great people to do the good work of being building leaders and leaders within within our schools.
00:22:38.879 --> 00:23:03.859
So I think that if there is, you know, if there's someone who is thinking about becoming a principal to really again kind of reach out, right?
00:23:03.859 --> 00:23:11.219
There are so many opportunities from, you know, people like you, people like Tony, people like Laura, Laura Tobias, who also works in my district.
00:23:11.219 --> 00:23:16.019
So there are so many people who have done this job and have had a variety of experiences.
00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:27.459
And so just kind of taking advantage of their experience and kind of picking their brains, asking the hard questions and then using that too as well to kind of frame who you want to be as a leader.
00:23:27.779 --> 00:23:30.659
Yeah, I kind of said a couple of things that are really important.
00:23:30.659 --> 00:23:42.819
You know, continue to learn, be reflective, but find somebody to maybe help you mentor you or something to where you can pick their brain and try to figure out, like, you know, you know, how to do the job.
00:23:42.819 --> 00:23:50.419
Because I know when I got stepped into the role, I didn't have a lot of people to communicate with besides the administrators in my district.
00:23:50.419 --> 00:23:56.259
And I was at a small rural school for four years before coming to the bigger district that I'm in now.
00:23:56.259 --> 00:24:05.619
But it is nice to network and get out and get to know other administrators because they understand what you're going through and don't put yourself in a silo.
00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:08.419
So I really appreciate you sharing that.
00:24:08.419 --> 00:24:15.219
So, Jess, you know, what gets you excited about the future of education?
00:24:17.619 --> 00:24:44.259
I think what really gets me excited is just really thinking about how what we know in terms of the field of education, in terms of research, leadership development, culture, all of those pieces, how we're, you know, and and that information is so is is is much more readily available, you know, through podcasts and social media.
00:24:44.259 --> 00:24:47.779
Like it's just all right there, ready for us to soak in.
00:24:47.779 --> 00:25:00.019
And so I think one of the things that really excites me is that there is so much information and it's readily accessible, and how I'm really seeing teachers and leaders just being hungry for that.
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