Angela Lundy Jackson poses for a photograph, September 2, 2015.

North Houston Early College High School Principal Angela Lundy-Jackson is among three finalists for the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals (TASSP) High School Principal of the Year award.

Committed to excellence in school administration, the TASSP recognizes outstanding principals and assistant principals from across the state each year. Nominations, bestowed by fellow school administrators, are based upon exemplary performance and outstanding leadership in secondary education.

Lundy-Jackson was named the Region 4 Secondary Principal of the Year in June, which made her eligible for consideration at the state level and led to her becoming one of three candidates for the High School Principal of the Year award.

“I am extremely honored to have been selected as a finalist among such an esteemed group of colleagues,” Lundy-Jackson said. “The work that my school staff and I do is vital to the future of the scholars we serve on a daily basis, and I do not take this assignment lightly.”

Lundy-Jackson, who has led North Houston Early since 2010, is a veteran educator with more than 20 years of experience. She began her education career with Teach for America and later went on to be an HISD teacher mentor, an English department chairperson, an instructional coordinator, a magnet coordinator, and a dean of instruction/assistant principal.

In September, she led North Houston Early to receive its first-ever 2015 National Blue Ribbons School Award from U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The school was recognized for making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap among disadvantaged and minority students.

In 2014 and 2015, North Houston Early was named one of America’s Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post. The school is also ranked by Children at Risk as one of the top 10 schools in the greater Houston area.

Lundy-Jackson attributes her school’s success to its commitment to high learning standards for underserved, first-generation college students. As one of five early college campuses in the Houston Independent School District, North Houston Early offers students the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from Houston Community College.

“HISD is extremely proud of Angela and the remarkable work she is doing to prepare students for a college academic setting and a 21^st century global economy,” said HISD Chief Secondary School Officer Esther Omogbehin. “Her commitment to bridging the achievement gap among economically disadvantaged students to ensure their success is changing lives and making an impact on her entire school community.”

Finalists for the TASSP High School and Middle School Principal of the Year awards as well as the Assistant Principal of the Year award will be interviewed by the Principal Image Committee in December in Austin. The committee will then select the administrator who will go on to represent Texas at the national level. The winners will be announced in December.