TASSP President Profile
Middle school Principal Barbara Paris’ passion to improve education started with her own.

Born and raised in London, England, Barbara Paris dropped out of high school when she was 16 years old. Little did she know that about three decades later, she would be principal of a middle school in the United States and president of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

Having served more than 20 years in education, Paris has a bachelor’s degree in education and French; a master’s equivalent in deaf education from Oxford, England; and a master’s degree in education administration. She is certified to teach in three states and three countries, and her career spans from early childhood to adult education. For her work in public education, Paris has received numerous accolades, including a U.S. Commander’s Award for Public Service, a CBS affiliate Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching and Region XII Outstanding Principal of the Year.

How did a former high school dropout climb to such heights in the field of education? Some might call her story ironic; others might call it destiny. Paris calls it a lifelong journey to improve education — beginning with her own.

Paris explains that as a teenager she became “disillusioned” with the United Kingdom’s education system, so — with her parents’ permission — she dropped out and took some classes at a junior college. It was during this time that a friend sent her on a job interview as a prank. Paris was told where to show up, but was given no information about the job. After fumbling her way through the interview, Paris — who could speak some French — landed the job. The British Royal Family hired her as a bilingual administrator to the royal furnishers, a division responsible for decorating the royal houses.

Not long after she was hired, Paris’ supervisor saw her potential and insisted that the teen go back to school to earn a college degree.

“I wanted to be a better teacher than the ones I had in high school, so I went on and got my bachelor’s degree in education,” Paris says.

While earning her degree, she did her practice teaching at a school for the deaf; one particular student’s tenacity to learn inspired Paris to get certified in sign language and teach at Lady Spencer Churchill College of Education at Oxford. She also pursued a master’s equivalent in deaf education in Oxford.

Paris’ life took another major turn when she married a U.S. military officer and came to the States in 1984. The newlyweds were transferred to Kentucky. Paris recalls that American Sign Language seemed like a foreign language to her, and the students couldn’t read her lips because of her accent.

“They say the United States and Great Britain are two great nations separated by a single language,” Paris quips. “That’s been one of my largest realizations since I got here.”

Determined to stay in education, Paris taught math and English to soldiers in Kentucky. When Paris and her husband moved to California, she again worked with deaf children. Four years later, the couple and their two children moved to Round Rock, where Paris now serves as principal at Canyon Vista Middle School. She says she loves working for Round Rock ISD because “they get it.”

“They get that notion that every student who walks through our doors is valuable. There are three rules for any student to be successful: show up, pay attention, and make a contribution. That’s it,” Paris says. “Especially with middle school students who get wrapped up with so many things, if you can sit them down and show them how to succeed, they understand. It’s exciting to be part of that process here.”

Paris jokes that she never thought she would “cross over to the dark side” and go into administration. What changed her mind was watching how a principal in Copperas Cove ISD empowered teachers in the classroom. That principal gave teachers freedom to try new things, to make mistakes and to grow.

Paris’ leadership style of empowering others has paid off at Canyon Vista. As TASSP president, she travels frequently, which means her faculty and staff sometimes have to make executive decisions while she is away. The results speak for themselves: After a year and a half with Paris at the helm, Canyon Vista ranks as an “exemplary” school, and it has received The University of Texas’ Center for Performance Excellence Award.

“We have been looking at the notion of how to get from good to great.,” she said. “That’s the journey we are on. Courageous principals are the ones who accept there is no status quo in education. We are either a growing, living organization, or we are dying.”