School Board Appoints Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning

At tonight’s meeting, the School Board approved the appointment of Bridget Loft as the new Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Loft is currently the Principal at Yorktown High School and will continue in that role during a period of transition as a replacement is hired.

“Bridget Loft brings to this position over 25 years of experience in education, most recently as the Principal of Yorktown High School,” said Interim Superintendent, Cintia Johnson. “As principal of Yorktown High School, Bridget’s reputation is that of an administrator who leads with transparency, consistency, and purpose.”

She continued, “Bridget is a talented administrator with a proven record of excellence, leadership, and cultural transformation. It is without a doubt that she will work well with the School Board members, Executive Leadership Team and Teaching and Learning staff, and continue to connect stakeholders and the entire Arlington community in the role of Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning.”

Loft began her career in APS as a well-respected and sought-after Social Studies teacher at Wakefield High School. In 2006, she was appointed as the assistant principal at Swanson Middle School and in 2011 as assistant principal at Wakefield High School.  In 2012, she was named principal of Swanson Middle School where she was recognized as APS Principal of the Year in 2017 before moving to Yorktown High School.

As principal of Swanson Middle School, Loft worked with faculty members to create the Swanson Equity Team (SET), which focused on cultural competency issues that impact student learning.  She supervised the development of personalized learning strategies and coordinated the rollout of over 1,000 iPads to Swanson students for use as part of APS’ 1:1 initiative.  She also shepherded the growth of Swanson’s enrollment from 800 students to 1,200 students over a period of six years.

At Yorktown, Loft is known among her staff as someone who believes that there are no challenges, just opportunities. As an instructional leader, she fostered the growth of Collaborative Learning Teams in which teachers work with colleagues to develop differentiated student enrichment and intervention opportunities. She actively engages staff and her leadership team in analyzing performance data to make sound decisions that guide instruction.

Loft has dedicated her tenure to making Yorktown a welcoming place for all staff, students and their families. Her leadership practices foster a culture of inclusion and acceptance of the whole child. She learns in tandem with her staff to ensure successful and sustainable change for the betterment of students. Her vision has led to the creation of equity teams within the school that focus on cultural competency challenges that impact student learning.  She has also supported the presence of student affinity and empowerment groups to help students have a strong sense of self-efficacy and support within their community. She has facilitated faculty book study groups as well as coordinated professional learning focused on building cultural competency skills.

Loft will transition into the role of assistant superintendent once the process to hire a new principal is completed. Over the next few months, APS will work with the Yorktown community to find a new leader.