PRN Alumni February 2026 Newsletter – Celebrating Your Leadership and Impact

Jeffrey Wright (Jeff) is the current principal of Vartan Gregorian Elementary School in the Providence Public School District. He graduated from PRN in 2022 and was recently featured in NAESP’s Principal magazine (Vol 105, Issue 3, Jan/Feb 2026). We caught up with Jeff to ask how his preparation in PRN has helped him thrive as a school leader.

PRN: What led you to pursue the principalship?

Jeff: I remember a few years ago, I worked at Blackstone Valley Prep [BVP]. I was interested in becoming a dean. I remember having a conversation with a good friend of mine, Jonathan Santos Silva. I believe he is a PRN alum. During our conversation, he said, Jeff “Do you want to become a dean solely to work at BVP or do you see yourself being an administrator anywhere?” And so I had to sit in that uncomfortable space for a bit and process it, and then, when I went through it more, I was just like, “Yes, I can.” I want to do it because I can see myself doing it anywhere, helping others, and continuing to grow my capacity. That’s what led me to begin this journey.

In terms of the principalship, sometimes you don’t choose the role; the role chooses you. I look at it like Harry Potter- they determine which house they would go to, and they would have to put on this hat. It was something with the hat- when you put the hat on, it would select the house for you. That’s how I feel this journey has been. In my mind, I might have had one thought, but then it turned out to be something else. So some of it is like, yes, I’m making a decision, this is what I want to pursue, but the other piece is about opportunities and just being open to possibilities beyond what you may see, think, or feel.

PRN: How did your PRN experience influence your readiness to step into the principal role?

Jeff: It helped me because it challenged me. It was very challenging. It helped me understand that you have to be prepared. You have to go in with the mindset that you’re prepared for anything. Anything could come at any given time. PRN did a really good job. There’s a lot of support in place, but PRN also puts you in an uncomfortable position. Being a leader in any leadership role that you serve in is going to be uncomfortable. And sometimes it might feel lonely, right? And so you have to navigate that space, because folks are looking to you to make decisions every day. 

I remember my mentor, principal Josh Falk, who’s also an alum of PRN. I remember one day we had a conversation. And it was something I was really excited about. I was like, “Oh, this is great. Look at this- it’s awesome. Look at what happened. This is great for the school.” And Josh looked at me and said, “Jeff, you don’t want to get too high or too low because it’s a roller coaster. You don’t know what’s coming. You don’t know what curve is coming.” And I thought a lot about that, and I still do. I still make it a point to reach out to Josh. Recently, I did because he’s an Eagles fan. I’m a Niners fan, so I had to let him know. But any chance I get, I go back and thank him for that perspective, because it’s helped a lot. PRN played a big role in helping me go through that experience. You’re in it. You’re in the role for a year, and you’re living the day-to-day life. That has been so invaluable and helped me so much. 

PRN: How did PRN shape your approach to instructional leadership and equity?

Jeff: PRN challenged me to think about leadership through an instructional lens. It was an area that I wasn’t comfortable with because of my own professional development and experiences. My pathway wasn’t necessarily the most traditional, as I moved towards becoming a principal, so PRN challenged me to focus on core leadership practices and really look at things through a data lens, saying, “Okay, let the data do the work.” Let the data lead the work- looking at instruction from a quantitative lens. That’s a big piece of instruction. Also, the qualitative side- how we talk about equity- there are stories beyond the numbers. So being able to merge that and then being able to communicate that clearly so that everyone knows what the plan is and that we’re working towards one goal- one specific purpose. That really helped me with being comfortable and being uncomfortable, stepping out of what I was used to, and really leaning into an area where leaders are expected to be. School leaders are expected to be instructional leaders. We have to make sure our teachers and team have what they need, because kids go to school to learn.

PRN: What advice would you give current PRN aspiring principles who are preparing for the role?

Jeff: Leverage your cohort. Relationships matter {This was a quote I heard from JWU Director of Education, Dr. Victor Mercurio]. The cohort that I had through PRN helped a lot. They’ve helped guide me. We were so supportive of each other and we still continue to support each other. I also am willing to ask questions. I seek out information all the time. Asking former leaders I worked alongside such as Kyle Quadros [Woonsocket Education Department, PRN Alum], Kelly Guglietti [Whiteknact Elementary School, PRN Mentor Principal], Dr. Nkoli Onye [Providence Public Schools District], Matt Brown [PRN Alum], and many others. You’re not going to have all the answers, right? You have to be humble and be willing to learn every day. I heard this on a podcast recently for school principals and district leaders- just own it. If things don’t happen the way they were intended and you make a mistake, just own it. Because at the end of the day, you set the tone. You set the tone as a principal. You are responsible for setting the tone for the building. You don’t have to accomplish everything in a day; take your time- take it one day at a time. And build those relationships- they are worth more than gold.

PRN: What are you most proud of in your leadership so far?

Jeff: What I’m most proud of in leadership so far has been the growth that I see. Being in a position to watch growth happening- our students and our adults. Seeing the growth of our teachers and staff has been awesome. Even through a very difficult situation that we had a few weeks ago and watching how we as a community came together and became even stronger and worked even harder. It’s just great to see- despite this challenging moment that as a leader I’m making a positive impact- doing little things like consistently communicating with everyone is something that has helped a lot especially during that really difficult time so that’s something I’m really proud of.

PRN: If you could describe the impact of PRN in one sentence, what would you say?

Jeff: Being able to see the impact of the following quote from the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in my daily practice, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ 

Connect with Jeff!
[jeffrey.wright@ppsd.org, LinkedIn Profile: Jeffrey C. Wright, Jr.]