Dr. David I. Steinberg, principal of Col. Zadok Magruder High School, has been selected to receive the 2004 Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award for Montgomery County.

In his four years at Magruder, Steinberg has been recognized, among other things, for his dedication to Magruder students' success, both in and out of class, for his open-door policy and efforts to involve all stakeholders in a collaborative decision-making process, and for improving communication between school and parents.

The award, for promoting an excellent educational program and creating an exceptional educational environment, is presented each fall to one principal in each Washington metropolitan area school district and to one principal of an area private school.

The winners will be honored November 15 at a recognition dinner at Washington Post headquarters and will participate in a seminar to examine educational issues.

Steinberg came to Magruder in 2000, following seven years as principal of Gaithersburg Middle School. In Montgomery County, he also served as principal at Rosemont Elementary School, principal intern at Lakewood Elementary School, Title I specialist, and sixth grade teacher at Brown Station Elementary School.

Steinberg has initiated several small academic communities at Magruder. The Science Academy, Engineering Academy, and Academy of Finance are among the school system's outstanding and emerging school-based programs. He also leads his cluster colleagues to identify instructional priorities and develop plans to improve student performance across the cluster.

Steinberg also has an outstanding reputation for involving students, parents, and community members in the decision-making process. Over the past two years, he has increased the number of minority students in advanced-level courses by engaging minority students and parents in the recruitment process. In an effort to encourage support for school policies from all stakeholders, Steinberg sends policies through parent, teacher, and student teams before implementing them at the school.

Communication between school and parents has improved over the past few years, as Steinberg has set expectations for staff to keep parents informed of their students' academic progress on a regular basis. Parents participate in the development of the school management plan objectives and goals and are active on school committees.

The inclusion of staff, students, and parents in the decision-making process led to Magruder High School being selected to implement the Baldrige model of collaboration for school improvement.

"It's hard to explain how one man's leadership and dedication can affect a school," student Board of Education member Sagar Sanghvi, a senior at Magruder this year, said in his letter of support for Steinberg's nomination. "He comes to work every day looking to make a difference in someone's life, and he does that every day."