Dr. Fatima T. Lawson

Highwood Hills Elementary, A Polytechnic Program School
Saint Paul Public Schools
Saint Paul, Minnesota
[email protected]

Fatima Lawson traces her mission as an educator to her experience struggling to obtain a western education as a young girl in Northern Nigeria. Since entering education as a classroom teacher in the same building she now leads as principal, her skills and passion have consistently garnered attention from colleagues and mentors who have encouraged her to pursue leadership roles, from teaching transitional middle school math to newcomers to becoming an administrator now in her 23rd year as a principal. Lawson’s career is marked by innovations in teaching and learning, beginning with her successful launching of a language immersion school in 2002. In her current post, Lawson leads Highwood Hills, a high-poverty school that was one of the lowest performing in the district seven years ago. She worked with district administration to prevent Highwood’s closure and led collaborative listening sessions with families to rebrand the school, focusing on the unique needs of the school’s diverse cultural and ethnic groups. Today, the school is a thriving polytechnic institution where students learn practical and academic skills through hands-on tracks in technology, engineering, and agriculture. Under Lawson’s leadership, Highwood Hills has reestablished itself as a fixture of the community and exited corrective action status in 2022. Lawson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Languages/Linguistics from the University of Ife, Nigeria, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota.