Superintendent Spotlight: Armand R. Pires, Ph.D.

Superintendent, Medway Public Schools

M.A.S.S. President emphasizes the importance of district leaders learning from one another.

After serving for nearly a decade as Superintendent of the Medway Public Schools, Dr. Armand Pires has learned a few important lessons about how to succeed in the role, and he is eager to share some of those lessons with new and aspiring Superintendents.

“You really have to be clear about who you are as a person and as a leader, because this job will challenge that on a regular basis,” he said. “In fact, this is not a job – it’s a lifestyle choice, a 24/7 kind of commitment. When I moved into school leadership, I had a long conversation with my wife about what sacrifices would likely be part of this.”

Armand did not set out to be a Superintendent, or even to work in public education. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in Community Health and began pursuing a career in that field. While studying for a Master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University, he took a job as a Grants Coordinator and Health and Physical Education Teacher in the Needham Public Schools which allowed him to complete his graduate program at night. Within a matter of weeks, Armand realized that his true calling was in K-12 public education, where he would devote his professional life for the next 28 years. 

From Teacher to Superintendent

Armand would later earn a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Rhode Island. His tenure has included administrative roles in various districts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In 2010, Armand began working in the Medway Public Schools as a middle school principal, which he said was “in many ways, the best job I ever had.”

“I loved and thrived in the chaos of that building-based leadership role – the need to shift gears very quickly, going from supporting a dysregulated student, to a parent meeting, to a discussion with the central office,” he said. “I remember that being a point in my career path that really held a lot of purpose and meaning – to make decisions on a daily basis that were going to have an immediate impact on the students and staff around me, to make sure that they could do their best work.”

When an opportunity arose to become the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Armand decided he was ready to take on a new challenge.

He said, “Part of what drove me to think about district-level leadership – which honestly didn’t include the Superintendency at the time – was the idea of being able to have an impact on the system, more students, more staff, more families. That’s been really important to me, to think about how I can lead in a way that’s going to have both short-term and long-term positive impacts.”

Armand became Superintendent of the Medway Public Schools in June of 2015. He is proud of the work that he and his team have accomplished since then, including adopting a strategic plan, establishing tuition-free, full-day kindergarten, expanding student access to mental health services, and initiating an equity assessment and a steering committee to guide the district’s equity work.

He said his previous background in the health sciences has served him well as Superintendent, particularly to leverage his experience in public health during the pandemic. Much of his early academic focus was on social-behavioral sciences, and he said, “A lot of what we do in education is trying to get people to change behavior – trying to help teachers adjust and adapt their instructional practices.”

Challenges and Opportunities in District Leadership

Reflecting on the Superintendency today, Armand noted that the job has become “a lot more political.” He is concerned about the “broad public narrative that is very anti-public education,” which he believes has contributed significantly to the shrinking pipeline of educators – as evidenced by a sharp decrease in the number of college students matriculating to education programs. 

He asked, “How are we going to continue to make sure that we put the very best educators in front of students each and every day? I’m really worried about our profession and how we’re going to overcome this gap.”

And then there is the tension between urgency and sustainability: “What keeps me up at night is the thought that the pace of improvement is not matching what our students need,” he said. “What we know about systems change is that while someone can dictate that people behave in a certain way and make a change, that might have an immediate impact, but to have really strong, long-lasting cultural change, we need to be more patient.”

Despite these and other challenges, Armand said he continues to love being a Superintendent and finding ways to encourage and empower those around him.

“I love being in the seat where I can say ‘yes.’ I can say yes to other administrators who have innovative ideas about how to improve the systems for kids. I can say yes to teachers when they are going out on a limb to try something different. I’m incredibly frustrated by the system in which we work, which often hampers creativity, limits our ability to think about how things could be or should be for students. So being in this seat affords me the opportunity to push thinking and to solicit creative ideas about how we do better for kids.”

Statewide Leadership and Learning through M.A.S.S.

Armand’s involvement in M.A.S.S. began when he participated in one of the first cohorts of professional development for Assistant Superintendents. He later completed the REDI (Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) foundation series and served as co-chair of the Tri-County Roundtable. This year, Armand serves as President of the statewide association. He has made learning, sharing, and networking among colleagues a top priority for his tenure. 

He said, “While our primary responsibility is certainly to lead our districts, we also have to think about our responsibility to support the broader profession – how we’re helping new Superintendents gain their sea legs, and how we’re reaching out to each other and sharing whatever wisdom we’ve gained over time.”

Armand described his work with M.A.S.S. as instrumental in his own growth and development as a district leader, noting that he continues to call upon his peers regularly for advice. He cited the critical role M.A.S.S. plays statewide in advocating for public schools, influencing education policy, training the next generation of Superintendents, and elevating public perception of the profession.

He said, “I think it’s the power of this organization that’s going to ensure that we have the very best people sitting in Superintendent’s offices and Assistant Superintendent’s offices across the Commonwealth.”

Personal Time and Priorities

When he’s not working, Armand said he enjoys traveling and spending time with his wife April and their 21-year-old twins, a son and a daughter who are seniors in college. Even on those rare days off, he said there’s still a fair amount of “shop talk” because April is a fourth grade teacher, and their daughter is studying to become an elementary educator.

Armand is also an avid cyclist, logging a few thousand miles on his bike each year. 

In recent years, Armand has invested more time writing about the profession, including contributing articles to various publications. Last year, he published From Surviving to Thriving: Resources and Practical Strategies for New, Aspiring, and Veteran Superintendents, a book he co-authored with Dr. Rich Drolet, Superintendent of King Philip Regional School District. Armand’s second book is scheduled to be published in February 2025.

Last month, Rhode Island College honored Armand with the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development Alumni Award.

With all of his years of experience, advanced degrees, and professional accomplishments, Armand emphasized that he continues to learn on the job and strives every day to become an even better leader. It is that commitment to lifelong learning that he recommends to new and aspiring Superintendents.

“When given the opportunity, surround yourself with people who are wiser, smarter, and more skilled than you, so that you can continue to learn from them and they from you,” he said. “Sometimes we think we need to have all the right answers. What you realize pretty quickly is that the breadth of knowledge required for this role is so great that you need to rely on the folks around you.”