Dr. Michael J. Barnes is Superintendent of Mayfield City Schools (Mayfield Heights, Ohio) and President of BASA, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.
A member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Barnes has redesigned Mayfield’s entire learning system around personalized pathways and student agency, implementing the four-track model (Traditional, Cross-Curricular, Self-Paced, The Option) that fundamentally inverts the time/learning equation.
His leadership has driven dramatic increases in student engagement and attendance by centering the superintendent’s role as chief advocate for all children. Barnes is author of “Winning Lessons on Life, Learning and Leadership” and “The Modern Superintendent: A Guide to Instructional Leadership.”
He hosts an annual Innovation Summit at Mayfield (September 29th is the upcoming date) and regularly speaks on instructional leadership, systemic innovation, and the Creative Staircase framework for educational transformation.
