Jessica Buchan
Renton High School
Renton School District
Jessica Buchan, assistant principal at Renton High School in the Renton School District, was named this year’s Washington State Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Buchan will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), where she will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP’s National Assistant Principal of the Year award, announced in early April.
Buchan has been an assistant principal for six years, serving in that role for the past two years at Renton High School. She believes all teachers have the capability to be master teachers, which grounds her work in teacher observation, feedback cycles, and evaluation. With her International Baccalaureate and AVID background, she knows all students need access to rigorous instruction and the proper support to reach high expectations.
Taking pride in her instructional leadership, Buchan coaches teachers on a variety of pedological practices. This allows teachers to increase challenges for students and, at the same time, provide support and access for students furthest from educational justice. Buchan values all voices and makes an effort to seek out traditionally underrepresented groups when making decisions, from hourly staff not often present in meetings to parents working multiple jobs who might not be able to attend events or have a presence at the school.