Leading a school system requires tenacity and commitment. But for Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, former Superintendent and CEO of Hartford Public Schools (HPS), there’s one element of the role many often overlook: community engagement.

In the latest installment of our 20th anniversary Q&A series, Torres-Rodriguez shares why walking alongside the community is so critical to the success of any system transformation effort—and how working with ERS inspired change for HPS.

What do you remember about working with ERS on Hartford’s Model for Excellence back in 2018-19?

In 2018, HPS was grappling with a fiscal crisis, declining enrollment, and, of course, the backdrop of systemic inequities that had persisted for decades. It felt then, and still feels now, like a courageous decision to surface hard truths. We needed a clear-eyed understanding of where—but more importantly why—these inequities existed. 

ERS helped us build a comprehensive fact base that made those systemic issues visible. That was the foundational work that then allowed us to design and ultimately launch the District Model for Excellence. It was rooted in community voice and values. 

Our work with ERS has never been transactional—and that matters deeply to me as a leader. I’ve always centered proximity to our students, parents, and educators, and to the root causes of lack of access and opportunity. So, I needed a partner that was willing to go there with me. I invited ERS team members to come into the community with me to understand what the hopes and aspirations were. And they did.

I think that’s why the partnership has endured. It was grounded early on in shared purpose, mutual respect, and a willingness to stay in it, especially when it got hard. 

What are you most proud of from that work?

I’m really proud of how we tackled our state’s very complex school choice and funding ecosystem—probably one of the most complex across this country.

Once we understood the root causes, we faced some of the hard truths about getting a vote to consolidate and reimagine our district. Really, it’s the hard decisions around school consolidation that meant we could finally begin the deep work of transforming the system itself. 

Too often, school closures are treated as a technical exercise: enrollment declines, performance suffers, and the district closes the school. We went deeper. We explored why schools were underperforming and why they were unenrolled or under-resourced—then we addressed those issues.

We designed better learning experiences, reconfigured grade spans, and added community schools. We developed holistic planning to support the whole child, and we made our choice system more transparent and equitable. That’s what I’m most proud of.

We have inspiring photos of HPS families in “Equity for All” shirts at a Hartford board meeting. Can you talk more about the story behind that moment and what it meant for you?

I remember unveiling our recommendations to a packed auditorium. It was standing-room only, which had never happened before—not even for graduations. We engaged the community from the beginning, so they were there through it all. That’s truly when the transformation happened, when we were alongside educators, students, and community, co-creating and implementing the strategy.

They wore their “Equity for All” shirts because it was their plan, not mine or the school system’s. People wear the same kind of shirts every year, whether we’re working on budget development or career pathways or anything else. The shirts represent the same thing to the community: This plan belongs to all of us, and we’re going to see it through.

What did you learn from your work developing new teacher pipelines, increasing teacher salaries, and creating a more sustainable workday?

System change is often slow and complex. How do you stay patient and keep momentum going when progress feels incremental?

You’ve got to keep pulling the thread and telling the story. It’s part of how you sustain complex work that’s hard to understand. Leadership matters, and someone has to hold onto the complexity and stay true to the story that comes with it against the backdrop of all the other things that are moving in and around in the system. 

I was fortunate that I had ERS alongside us as thought partners. Your team helped me make sure people understood where we were going. Bringing that knowledge along required deep partnership, which I find to be beautiful work. It’s hard, and these are prickly problems, but it’s important because the people matter.

How do you think the superintendent role has changed since you began in 2017?

The role has always been complex. But today it sits at this intersection of political leadership, social transformation, and deep operational stewardship. And in some situations, you have to also consider the layering of race and gender and culture and language.

What hasn’t changed enough, though, is how some communities view the role. Yes, we have a responsibility to lead, but we also have a responsibility to bring the community along in understanding the purpose, the mission, the how, and the why of the school system. 

That’s always been important to me—building our educators’ and families’ capacity to understand the nuances of funding formulas, school design, staffing allocation, and everything else. When they understand, they can step into their voice and advocate for their children. Building partnerships with the community isn’t optional like it maybe was in the past. It’s essential. As superintendents, the job is to make that collaboration possible.

The kind of change you’re describing takes time. How do you sustain that work and the leadership it requires long term?

Networks and support systems are crucial. The Leading Now network, is an example–spaces that truly understand the superintendent experience. They help create space to think and feel. We’re humans, too, which is why I went all in with my head, heart, and hands as a superintendent. We need space to be held if we’re going to do that work.

Once you get close to transformative change, you can’t stay silent. Challenge the policies and structures that perpetuate barriers to access and opportunity. Invite others into the complexity.

It never will be easy, and it comes at a cost, but if you’re committed to dismantling the systems that deny access, you must press on.

We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. What would you share with our team about the importance of our work right now?

First, I want to congratulate ERS on courageous, responsive, and principled work. Your role in this work has never been as important as it is at this moment. When so many leaders are navigating polarization, constrained budgets, and widening opportunity gaps, your work offers clarity. It offers strategy and hope.

ERS doesn’t just diagnose. Your team stays and iterates and partners with integrity. You’ve helped us and other districts like HPS make better choices with the limitations we have. So, what am I saying to your team? I want to say thank you for staying in the work with us, for honoring the complexity, and for doing that with humility and purpose. 

You’re deeply connected and invested, and you’re respectful of the complexity, the root of the challenges, and the people. Plenty of partners talk the walk, but don’t walk it. ERS went beyond the walk; you danced the dance–you honored our context. Thank you for that.

How are you staying hopeful and optimistic amid these uncertain, challenging times?

I try to stay grounded in my story while learning the stories of others. I stay grounded in the truth that I’ve had the privilege of leading in service on behalf of the most beautiful and capable students. They remind me and everyone else that there’s potential. Just like our students, communities can do hard things when given the right conditions.

That belief sustains me. And honoring the voices and experiences of those who are unheard gives me hope. I hear all the time that hope isn’t a strategy, yes, and I believe it’s an act of leadership. It’s an act of choosing to believe, even when the odds are stacked against us, that transformation is possible.

Learn how we partner with education leaders like Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez to create high-performing school systems.