Lashanda Mickens has been in education for the past 19 years as a Special Education Teacher, School Testing Coordinator, Lead Teacher, and currently an elementary school Principal in the Noxubee County School District. Lashanda began as a substitute teacher, and her passion for education grew from there. Lashanda believes that great educators produce great students. In 2006, she was selected to be on the Title I team at her school, and that is where she learned how to work with the school district to provide all children with an equitable and high-quality education to close the education achievement gap. During this time, students in grades four and five saw academic gains in ELA and Math. As an administrator, she has implemented several initiatives to help close the achievement gap. For example, restructuring the PLC, building teacher leaders, ensuring ongoing professional growth, and aligning instruction and assessments. As she works closely with the school district, school leadership team, and school improvement coach, she provides effective leadership to the faculty and staff. During the 2022-2023, Earl Nash moved from an "F" rating to a "D" rating. Earl Nash Elementary increased from 288 accountability points during the 2022-2023 school year to 312 accountability points during the 2023-2024 school year using strategies from the Four Domains of Rapid School Improvement. She is implementing the High Impact Instructional Strategies by the Comprehensive Center Network to improve teaching and learning to increase student achievement.