It should come as no surprise that Deborah Brown, a pioneer of the “flipped” classroom model in North Carolina, shook things up at The Exploris School when she was hired to be the director of middle grades in 2019.
She embarked on a mission to change the school’s leadership structure, in her words, “from a ‘throne room’ to a ‘round table’ approach.” Today, the school is overseen by a collaborative, five-person team – including two elected teacher leaders – that is responsible for decision-making.
That sense of shared ownership is reflected in her approach to professional development for teachers.
“Contemporary principals have to be experts not just in student learning, but in adult learning, too, to make sure staff stays inspired, equipped and connected to growth and skill development that can be the rising tide to lift all the educational boats in the school,” Brown said.
In addition to providing professional development for her own staff, Brown has designed and led seminars for the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching for more than a decade. She was also a founding team member and director of professional development at Research Triangle High School, a charter school that opened in 2012 as the state's first fully flipped high school.
During Gov. Roy Cooper’s eight years in office, Brown served on the Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee. This year, she was chosen to be part of the 2026 cohort of the Public School Forum's North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship.
At Exploris, she played a pivotal role in the school’s transition to becoming a Title I school. With its student population going from 9% to 30% economically disadvantaged, she made changes to meet student needs including doubling exceptional children’s staffing and adding a full-time social worker position to help support students and families.
“Deb leads through turbulence by cultivating both face-to-face and digital connection,” Steven Darroch, former chair of the Board of Directors for The Exploris School, wrote in a letter of recommendation supporting Brown’s Principal of the Year application. “That work isn't easy, and it doesn't always make everyone comfortable, but she understands that authentic academic and institutional growth depend on trust and belonging.”