Seattle-based Alliance for Education announced the winners of its 2026 Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence last week, an annual award recognizing two Seattle Public Schools principals who have promoted educational justice and racial equity at their schools. This year’s recipients are Principal Carrie Wheeler at Viewlands Elementary School and Principal Mary McDaniel at Highland Park Elementary School.
Wheeler and McDaniel have each been awarded $25,000 grants to be used at their school.
“They are both incredible principals who have done so many amazing things for our schools, our children, and our faculty,” said Ben Shuldiner, Superintendent at Seattle Public Schools said. “These awards are a partnership with the Alliance, and we are so appreciative of their support of SPS.
“It is important to honor our principals for the great work they do. The job is incredibly rewarding but also very difficult,” Shuldiner said. “They don’t always get the praise they deserve.”
At Viewlands, Principal Wheeler — now in her eighth year leading the school — has built a community around inclusion in concrete, visible ways, according to the Alliance. She launched CoGen, a student advisory group made up of Black and Latinx 4th and 5th graders, and wove cultural celebrations like Día de los Muertos, Lunar New Year, and Ramadan into the fabric of school life. She has prioritized multilingual learner families in communications and family engagement nights, and partnered with the PTSA to expand access to arts and music. Nominations from parents pointed to a school where diversity isn’t just acknowledged — it’s treated as a core strength.
“Being a principal at Viewlands keeps me going is this community,” Wheeler said at her awards ceremony, where a former staff member led a circus act presentation. “There is a feeling that we are all in it together and that we love our community of students, parents, teachers and partners.
“Education is tricky and there’s a lot going on right now: we’re serving students and families with all kinds of needs,” she added. “The partnerships we have, like with the Alliance, help us serve our community of diverse learners and fulfill diverse family needs. A school can’t do it alone. It’s an honor to lead Viewlands and I hope this award shows everyone the great work that we’re all doing together.”
At Highland Park, Principal McDaniel is described by her community as a “warm demander” — someone whose equity work shows up not just in policy but in presence. She has grown the school’s Extended Resource program, supported the creation of a Rainbow Alliance for LGBTQIA+ students and allies, and developed Mustang Blocks, a flexible scheduling model that gives students learning experiences beyond a traditional classroom. When substitutes don’t show up, she steps in to teach. When students need breakfast, she helps serve it. Every morning, she’s outside greeting families by name — and stopping to really listen when a parent needs to talk.
“We all need to remember why we work in education. For me, these students represent me when I grew up down South and my home life wasn’t great,” said McDaniel in a celebration at her school. “I was in fourth grade, and I remember I would finish my work so early and I would go to the office and help out. The principal sat me in his chair and said, ‘McDaniel, you’re going to be a principal one day.’ He saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself years ago, and that’s what we’re here for at Highland Park.” Students at Highland Park put on a music performance to honor McDaniel.
“We see greatness in our students. We know their potential,” McDaniel added. “They know that we love them and that we care about them. We’re here to tell them you will be successful and we will not let you fall through the cracks here at Highland Park. That’s why we’re here.“
Foster Award recipients are selected through a combination of community and colleague nominations and measurable school-level data, including equity and antiracism climate surveys, college and career readiness metrics, and standardized test proficiency in math and English language arts.
“Every time we honor community voice and choice through the Foster Award, we are reminded of what’s possible when school leaders truly center students and families,” Yonas Fikak, Vice President of Impact, Alliance for Education. “Both principals lead with intention and care to support students who have too often been pushed to the margins, underserved or failed by our systems.”
