Leadership Development and Executive Coaching
About Dr. Debra Cantú
My name is Debra Cantú, and have thirty years of experience as a solution-oriented leader, educator and executive coach. I am committed to recruiting, developing and retaining quality leaders and high functioning teams to positively impact student achievement, professional growth and school culture. It is an honor to serve as an Associate Professor of Practice and Co-Director of the Texas Principal Leadership Academy at the University of Texas in Austin.
District partnerships are very important to me, and provide district and campus wide leadership development and serve as an executive coach for school leaders. I lead sessions nationally and statewide, therefore I arrange for virtual and in person leadership development and coaching sessions. I am married to Robert Henning and we live in Lago Vista, Texas. We enjoy hiking, scuba diving and traveling.
Professional Support
District and Campus Leadership Development
I provide leadership development for school districts and teams on instructional leadership practices and strategic operations and effective school systems.
Executive Coaching
I have 15 years of experience serving as an executive coach for district and campus leaders both individually and as a team.
University Faculty Professional Development
I serve as a facilitator and coach, and currently chair a committee of the Texas Quality Measures Program Improvement Network for educator preparation programs. I have five years of experience of coaching and supporting university faculty to strengthen district partnerships, curriculum planning and program redesign.
Leadership Development
District Leaders
Principal Supervisors
Principal Supervisors
Leadership Development for Central Office Leadership may be customized to meet district needs:
District Improvement Planning'
Curriculum Planning and Redesign
Equity Centered Leadership
Recruitment, Hiring and Selection Practices
Progress Monitoring
Teacher Retention Planning
Principal Supervisors
Principal Supervisors
Principal Supervisors
Leadership Development for Principal Supervisors may be customized to meet district needs:
Principal Supervisor Action Plans
Campus Progress Monitoring
Coaching Principals
Equity Centered Leadership
*Participants in this session receive a copy of the Principal Supervisor Guide to School Improvement
Principals
Principal Supervisors
Assistant Principals
I provide leadership development for principals on the following areas:
Instructional Leadership
Improvement Systems
Progress Monitoring
Classroom Observations and Feedback
Equity Centered Leadership
and more!
Assistant Principals
Assistant Principals
Assistant Principals
I provide leadership development for assistant principals on instructional leadership, progress monitoring, designing tiered professional development, equity centered leadership and more!
Aspiring Principals
Assistant Principals
Aspiring Principals
I teach at the University of Texas at Austin and prepare teacher leaders to earn their M. Ed. to serve as principal interns and residents. I work collaboratively with district partners to support aspiring leaders.
University Faculty
Assistant Principals
Aspiring Principals
I enjoy working with faculty to support their curriculum planning, program redesign and develop district partnerships. I have had the opportunity to work with several university teams and find this collaboration very rewarding.
*Educator Preparation Program Director Guide
Grants
Austin Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
I am proud to lead a principal residency TEA grant with Austin ISD, in addition to the UT-AISD Collaborative that focuses on improvement strategies on building a principal pipeline, advancing research, supporting student teaching with a focus on Bilingual and Special Education strategies.
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
I am proud to lead a principal residency TEA grant with Harlingen CISD to build a principal pipeline of instructional leaders. This is a new partnership and excited UT and HCISD are invited to participate in a Principal Preparation Professional Learning Community with other district and university partners across Texas to strengthen district partnerships.
San Antonio Independent School District
Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
San Antonio Independent School District
UT is a proud partner with San Antonio ISD and UTSA, as we engage in a five year Equity Centered Pipeline Initiative through the Wallace Foundation Grant to focus on building a principal pipeline. Our curriculum and professional development is customized to meet the needs of San Antonio ISD.
School Improvement and Curriculum Redesign
I support university faculty and district partners on curriculum redesign and addressing problems of practice using data to determine design and implementation needs to drive improvement planning and project management to impact outcomes and student learning.
My experience with local and national standards at the district and university levels have equipped me to serve as an instructional leader and executive coach.
Virtual Workshops and Webinars
Evening and Saturday virtual workshops and webinars are facilitated to reach campus and district leaders across the state and nation. I will post upcoming events for the 2024-2025 school year soon.
Site Visits
I have enjoyed hosting two site visits bringing graduate students, assistant principals, principals, district leaders, university faculty, and partners to learn about our programs, share resources and receive feedback to drive improvement on my own professional leadership, as well as program design and implementation of our program.
Degrees and Professional Appointments:
I am a first-generation college graduate. I earned my Bachelors, Masters in Educational Administration and Doctorate in Educational Policy and Planning at the University of Texas at Austin.
In my thirty years of education, I served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, chief academic officer and regional director.
It is an honor to serve at the University of Texas as an associate professor of practice, program director and special assistant for district partnerships.
Local, State and National Service
UT High School Special Purpose District Advisory Board Member, President
UT Elementary School Management Board, Member
UT Hispanic Faculty and Staff Association, Former Chair
UCEA Plenum Session Representative
Texas Quality Measures PIN, Steering Committee Chair
Education Development Center, Quality Measures, Facilitator
Awards and Recognition
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
Servant Leadership Award
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
2023 Nominee for UT President's Associates Graduate Teaching Excellent Award
2024 Dean's Distinguished Maxine Foreman Zarrow Endowed Faculty Fellow
Excellence in Education Award
Dean's Distinguished Career Faculty Award
Excellence in Education Award
Resources for Leaders
I developed resources for participants in my sessions:
Leadership Guide for Improving Educator Preparation Programs
A Principal Supervisor's Guide to School Improvement
Leadership Testimonials
Johnathan Smith
Dr. Stacie Holiday
Dr. Angel Wilson
"Dr. Cantu provided great insight to through provoking questions regarding principal supervisors. As an executive director, on my fourth day on the job, I have a much better picture of the potential for me to impact principals growth".
Dr. Angel Wilson
Dr. Stacie Holiday
Dr. Angel Wilson
As a principal supervisor, there are a few opportunities to learn in systematic ways that truly support the work. I am appreciative of Dr. Cantu for streamlining this as a focus".
Dr. Stacie Holiday
Dr. Stacie Holiday
Dr. Stacie Holiday
"Thinking about leadership through a lens of equity allows me to prioritize the support needed to impact student growth and assessment. Thank you, Dr. Cantu."
A Collection of Dr. Debra Cantu's Educational Experiences
