Superintendent,Marysville School District,Marysville, Washington
Nominee: Robert J. Marzano
Superintendent Larry Nyland is a long–time educator with a passion for building teams that improve student learning. Recently, Dr. Nyland was named Washington State Superintendent of the Year and National Finalist. He was recognized for leading the district work in literacy and improving students’ achievement while also establishing better relationships with employees and union leaders after a challenging teacher strike. Nyland’s leadership also helped the district rebound from financial difficulty and lower enrollment to see the voter approval of a $20 million bond to build two new schools.
Dr. Nyland’s passion is building teams of people who do great things for kids. He is personally invested in teaching and learning, leading professional development, and participating in hundreds of classroom walk-throughs each year. His focus is on learning how to learn and teaching others how to learn. Under Nyland’s direction, teachers have taken on the literacy work, watched each other teach, and challenged each other to grow professionally.
Nyland has been superintendent of the Marysville School District, serving 12,000 students, since 2004. He previously served as academic officer and human resources director at Highline School District near Seattle. Dr. Nyland additionally held superintendent roles in the Shoreline and Pasco School Districts and in Alaska. Outside of school districts, he formerly directed the superintendent preparation program at Seattle Pacific Univeristy and has been a consultant/advisor to many of the statewide instructional initiatives in Washington State. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Washington.