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BRES Alumni Spotlight: Sheila Peragine

Sheila Peragine

Executive Director of PK-12, Irving ISD

Finding Her Path to Education
Sheila Peragine’s path to education wasn’t a straight line. She initially envisioned becoming a doctor, working in an emergency room before moving into business. But a love for education ultimately led her to the classroom, where she taught kindergarten and third grade before moving into school leadership. Today, after 13 years in Irving ISD, Sheila serves as Executive Director of PK–12, supporting principals across the district.

Her role touches nearly every aspect of school leadership, from instruction and operations to leadership development and principal coaching. Right now, her focus is ensuring principals can effectively coach teachers toward strong Tier 1 instruction. With high-needs campuses and many new teachers, Sheila sees intensive principal coaching as critical to ensuring educators have the tools and support they need to serve students well.

Leading With Greater Intention
Throughout her own development as a leader, Sheila has become especially intentional about bringing clarity and consistency to her coaching. Her experience with BRES reinforced the value of knowing exactly what needs to be accomplished in each interaction and ensuring the leader on the other side understands how to move the work forward.

One practice she continues to carry with her is simple: pause and slow down. Before a meeting, Sheila considers what needs to be accomplished and how she will check for understanding. It’s a shift that helps the leaders she coaches leave not only knowing what to do, but feeling confident in how to execute it.

For Sheila, that work has never been about developing one principal in isolation. Lasting progress requires entire leadership teams to be aligned, invested, and equipped to carry the work forward.

The Work Ahead
Now, Sheila and her team are working toward an ambitious goal: no D- or F-rated campuses this year. After measurable progress across Irving’s middle schools and with only one campus currently below a C, she’s energized by seeing leaders recognize that their hard work is paying off and take ownership of the instructional and culture systems they’ve built.