Danielle Petters

Cahn Fellow 2018

Principal, H. Grady Spruce High School

Dallas, Texas

Danielle Petters, NorthEast Elementary Schools Executive Director, has dedicated her professional career to transforming urban schools from within. She has experience at all levels of the K-12 continuum, serving as an ESL teacher at Woodrow Wilson High School, Assistant Principal at J.T. Saldivar Elementary, and Principal at F.P. Caillet Elementary, J. L. Long Middle School, and H. Grady Spruce High School. At each campus she has led, Danielle has significantly increased enrollment and brought in programs tailored to each community. She implemented 2-Way Dual Language at Caillet, led J. L. Long to be the first International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme World School in Dallas ISD, and has ushered in the first CTE Early College High School in North Texas at Spruce. She earned her BA in English from SMU, subsequently earning her ESL teaching certification through DISD’s Alternative Certification program. After teaching for 7 years, she earned her ME in Educational Administration through DISD’s Fast Track leadership development collaboration with the UT. Danielle has served as a campus administrator for 21 years, mentoring new principals and prospective principals, and serving on district-level advisory committees, including the Superintendent’s Focus Group, curriculum, technology, and budget. In 2017, she was honored as the Dallas ISD Principal of the Year. Danielle is a Dallas native and the oldest of 7 siblings who all graduated from Woodrow, where she later returned as a teacher. Both of her children attended Dallas ISD schools including the middle school she led and the high school she graduated from. Danielle enjoys digging in her garden, playing soccer, and reading.