Eileen McLaughlin G’03: Leadership, Equity, and Invitations That Transform

“These three words keep showing up,” McLaughlin told the audience of students, faculty, staff, Alumni, and community members. “They’re not just abstract ideas—they’re the framework that’s carried me from the classroom to the superintendency.”

A Calling Rooted in Community and Agency

Growing up in a close-knit Catholic family in Brighton, Mass., McLaughlin’s education with the Sisters of Notre Dame instilled in her a deep connection to faith-based schooling. “Catholic education is in my DNA,” she said. But her path into teaching wasn’t straightforward. After graduating from Boston College in 1998 with a degree in secondary education, she struggled to find a job in public schools. A chance encounter with Sister Marie Patrice Power led her to an opening at St. Ann’s School in Somerville.

That first year, McLaughlin was handed what many would consider an overwhelming schedule—teaching English, history, religion, and even the occasional gym class. But what could have been paralyzing became formative. “I had guidelines, but also the freedom to innovate,” she said. That early sense of agency—having the authority to shape her teaching—set the tone for everything that followed.

At St. Ann’s, she and a fellow teacher quietly reworked the curriculum. Later, as an English teacher at Mount Alvernia High School, an all-girls’ school, she replaced Huck Finn—a book her students had a difficult time engaging—with Their Eyes Were Watching God, thanks to a principal who encouraged critical thinking and engagement. “She didn’t just say yes—she asked me to justify the change. That engagement made me think deeper about why I was teaching what I was teaching,” McLaughlin said.

From the Classroom to Leadership: The Power of Invitation

Despite her growing expertise and reputation, McLaughlin initially resisted moving into leadership when she was offered the role of principal at Mount Alvernia. “I didn’t want to leave the classroom,” she said. But a mentor reframed the opportunity, asking her, “Could you be a teacher to the adults?” That invitation shifted her perspective: “It turned ‘I can’t’ into ‘I’ll try.’” 

McLaughlin’s transition to leadership had its ups and downs. “The first three years as principal were the hardest of my life,” she recalled, describing the isolation and self-doubt that often accompany school leadership. A turning point came when a mentor observed her running a faculty meeting and asked, “Is this what your classroom felt like?” The question helped her reimagine leadership not as a departure from teaching, but as a deeper extension of it.

Now, as superintendent, McLaughlin focuses on strengthening three pillars of Catholic education: academic excellence, faith formation, and executive support for school leaders. She acknowledges systemic challenges—including low teacher pay and limited resources for students with disabilities—but remains optimistic. “We’ve always served students with diverse needs,” she said. “We just haven’t always named it.”

Overseeing more than 100 schools, McLaughlin likens systemic change to “rolling a boulder uphill.” Still, she finds energy in small moments: a teacher’s lesson plan, a principal’s nudge, a student’s breakthrough. “The invitations I’ve received—to lead, to rethink, to stay—weren’t about my title. They said, ‘Your voice matters.’”

Centering Equity, Compassion, and Community

During the Q&A, students pressed McLaughlin on the challenges schools face today—from immigration raids to supporting English language learners and students with disabilities. She didn’t shy away from the tough conversations.

“I don’t want teachers getting arrested,” she said of ICE-related fears. “But we can engage and collaborate with Catholic Charities. We can make our classrooms spaces of routine and compassion.” Catholic schools, she said, have long served vulnerable populations, even if they haven’t always named it.

On equity, she criticized what she called the “beads on a string” approach to learning gaps—adding new programs without a coherent strategy or proper scaffolding. “Lowering expectations tells kids they’re incapable,” she said, while encouraging educators to teach with “rigor and support.” McLaughlin called on schools to recognize and formalize what they already do well: “We’ve always served students with diverse needs. We just haven’t always said it out loud.”

"This Is My Purpose"

When asked how she stays connected to students in a system-wide role, McLaughlin laughed about occasionally “hijacking” a class to talk about literature. More seriously, she stressed the importance of supporting teachers. “If we support teachers, they’ll support students,” she said.

Her closing advice to aspiring educators? “Say yes when someone sees more in you than you do. And create spaces where others can do the same.” For McLaughlin, that’s what education—and leadership—has always been about.

“Work is labor, and labor is hard,” she said. “But it’s also an invitation—and I keep saying yes.”