Meet the Principal: DuVall Principal Will Focus on Improving Scores, Connectedness With Students

Name: Daniel Hartley

Age: 31

School: Principal at

Background: When Daniel Hartley walked the halls of as a preteen, he never imagined he’s one day come back to that school as an assistant principal.

“It was a really great experience to come back to Dearborn,” said Hartley. “There were some teachers that I had that we’re still at the school; and it was nice to work with the staff.”

But beginning next month, Hartley will take on a new challenge as the principal of DuVall, one of the Dearborn Public School district’s most technologically-advanced schools. He does so after earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and a master’s of public administration at the University of Michigan-Flint.

But Hartley said his greatest preparation for the role was teaching for the Goodrich Public Schools, where he taught before coming back to Dearborn three years ago to serve as an assistant principal at . A year later, Hartley moved to Bryant.

“At both schools, I had the benefit of working under two excellent principals, who prepared me for this next challenge,” he said.

So why go to DuVall now?

“I just felt ready to lead my own school, and I was ready to take this step,” he said. “And DuVall is a smaller school that has great programs and technology–the kind of programs I support, (and) a very involved community and parent group.” 

Goals and aspirations: At DuVall, continuing to maintain programs and increasing test scores will be job No. 1 for Hartley.

“DuVall is already successful in terms of test scores, but the state seeks improvements each year,” he said. “And, we get fewer resources. That’s going to be my biggest challenge.”

Hartley said he will not miss working directly with students, but that’s because he plans on getting into the classrooms himself.

“I will try to get into the classrooms because I enjoy working with students,” he said. “I’m going to any opportunity for that.”

He said one thing he intends to do from the get-go is make sure he’s available to students. “Being there to listen is important,” he said.

Personal: Hartley is a resident of Dearborn, and when he’s not in the classroom, he enjoys several of the citiy's spoils, including being a member of the .

Additionally, he plays soccer and kickball, and is an avid fan of all sports, including University of Michigan Football. He is a graduate of .

Principals are often the unsung heroes at school, but each Monday, the Dearborn Patch will profile incoming administrators at several of Dearborn’s public and private schools that have agreed to take on the awesome responsibility of setting the tone at individual facilities.

If you know of a new principal embarking on this challenge, please let us know by emailing editor Jessica Carreras at Jessica.carreras@patch.com.