Steve Basnight

About Steve Basnight

A framed question has quietly hung in every office I have had since becoming an administrator; it says, “Is that what is best for students?” This a defining question for me. As a National Board Certified Teacher, I developed a form of instruction and learning in my classes that focused on each individual child, not the class as a whole. Thanks to authors like Dweck, Tomlinson, Collins, Couros, Novak, and others I found that my ideas were very much in line with what we today call personalized learning. This growth model of education takes students beyond proficiency and through relationships, relevance, and rigor prepares them for what comes next.I have continued to pursue that level of education in positions as a district and building level administrator by stressing data-driven instruction, formative assessment, targeted School Improvement Planning, and effective instructional technology use. As a result, I have been afforded the opportunity to lead professional development for educators on the local, regional, state, and national levels. Highly successful positions leading one school through the Transformation process and another to consecutive School Performance Grades of \"A\" and Exceeding Expected Growth for three consecutive years demonstrate the effectiveness of a Collaborative Team centered approach. Under my leadership, our school was recognized by U. S. News & World Report in 2015 and 2017 as “One of the Best High Schools in the Nation” and again recognized nationally in 2016 as a “School of Innovation and Excellence.” In 2015 and again in 2017, I was named District Principal of the Year. My feeling is if we are consistently doing what is best for students, then we are doing what is best for everyone: teachers, parents, and stakeholders at all levels of involvement in today’s educational system. Going beyond just academics and instructing the whole child by providing what they need, when they need it, how they need it works and the data overwhelmingly supports that! “If we move our focus to individual student growth, student proficiency happens.” Raise our expectations and set the bar high for students and staff, while always providing a safety net where needed. As Educational Administrators, we need to model with/for our district staff, building-level administration, instructional staff, parents, and community the same format for instruction that we expect to see in each of our classrooms. Develop learning-models which include interventions & remediation from the start, understanding that not everyone will get it on the first try.

Experience

1. Superintendent

   Dare County Schools

   Nov 2022 — Present · Nags Head, NC, US

Education

• East Carolina University

  Educational Specialist, Educational Administration and Supervision/Superintendent Certification

  2015 — 2017

• East Carolina University

  Bachelor of Science - BS, History/Teacher Certification

  1979 — 1985

• Manteo High School

  High School Diploma, General Studies

  1975 — 1979

• East Carolina University

  Master of School Administration, Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision/Principal Certification

  2004 — 2006