Photo by Kathy Tran.
Substitute teacher. Teacher’s assistant. Teacher. Campus instructional specialist. Curriculum and assessment writer. Workplace learning coordinator. Assistant Principal. Lead assistant principal.
Sarah Foster-Arbaiza has held many titles in education. Now she’s the new principal at Bryan Adams High School.
She started her career in education as a substitute teacher in Corpus Christi at a school designated “improvement required,” meaning the majority of the school’s staff would have to reapply for their jobs. After substituting in an algebra class for a year, Foster-Arbaiza was approached by the principal and offered a teacher’s assistant position.
Foster-Arbaiza worked as a teacher’s assistant for two years before returning to Dallas, where she was born and her dad still lived.
“I didn’t have a job, so I just walked into the DISD building and was like ‘I was a TA for the last two years in Corpus Christi ISD. I’m great with kids. And I’m really looking to make a difference here in Dallas ISD,’” Foster-Arbaiza says. “They gave me a list of schools that were hiring, and I just drove to every single one of those schools with my resume.”
Eventually, Foster-Arbaiza was hired as a teacher’s assistant at Anne Frank Elementary while she got her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Dallas. When one of her professors opened Ann Richards Middle School in Pleasant Grove, she was hired for her first official teaching job.
Foster-Arbaiza didn’t stop there. She worked toward her master’s degree and spent her summers writing curriculum and school year teaching at Richards Middle School.
“I really got a good taste and opportunity for writing curriculum and using curriculum as a way to create equitable space for kids,” Foster-Arbaiza says. “The number one factor in front of any kid is a great teacher, but the number two factor is a great curriculum. And I knew I could write a great curriculum and create assessments for kids to really evaluate where they are and where they need to go and how to get them there.”
Foster-Arbaiza moved on to Pinkston High School, where she worked as an instructional specialist before helping establish Pinkston’s pilot rollout of the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program as a Workplace Learning Coordinator.
“I’m so thankful to have been a part of that pilot program because it taught me so much about the kids being college-and career- or military-ready and really going beyond secondary school and making sure that kids are ready for life outside,” Foster-Arbaiza says. “I’ve been able to see these amazing things that administrators do behind the scenes every single day for kids.”
Foster-Arbaiza didn’t stop climbing. She went back to school to earn her principal certification and started as an assistant principal at Bryan Adams.
Bryan Adams is the first comprehensive high school in DISD to be an AVID National Demonstration campus, had the number one English 1 and English 2 teams for two years, had a distinguished assistant principal and Assistant Principal of the Year.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for this school, this community and these kids,” Foster-Arbaiza says. “I’ve never seen a community rally and come together behind so many traditions and values. At Bryan Adams, we say we’re tenacious, collaborative and reflective. And we really are.”
Looking toward her first year as principal, Foster-Arbaiza aims to ensure that 100% of students graduate college, career or military ready (CCMR). The Texas Education Agency reports that 88% graduated CCMR in 2022.
“We consistently perform right behind Woodrow, so my goal is to beat Woodrow,” Foster-Arbaiza says. “It’s not just about kids going to college or about them getting a job. It’s about them being able to get a workable, liveable wage when they graduate or to be able to graduate with a set of skills that will allow them to be successful.”
