Today, we are honored to share the extraordinary story of Dr. Sundai Riggins, Head of School at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School.
Originally from New York City, Dr. Sundai Riggins began college with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. She earned degrees in English and journalism from the University of Maryland, imagining a future behind a microphone. Instead, she now jokes about using that “broadcast voice” during end-of-day announcements as a former principal.
“Good afternoon, boys and girls. Thank you for a wonderful day of being positive, polite, and productive,” she would say from the school speaker.
The pivot from journalism to education began while in college; Sundai volunteered through America Reads as a reading mentor for first- and second-grade students at an elementary school near the University of Maryland College Park.
“I realized that, while I liked certain aspects of journalism, talking to random people didn’t feel like it was doing it for me,” said Sundai. “But I really enjoyed my time as a reading mentor.”
Inspired by her mentoring experience, she began considering a career in teaching. After graduating, she secured a teaching job just a few days later.
“I just got locked into the profession,” she said.
Sundai began her career as a middle school English and math teacher at a small private school in Takoma Park, Maryland. She later moved into high school classrooms, determined to teach English at the secondary level. Alongside her day job, she worked part-time in an after-school program helping underserved students.
Teaching in two very different environments shaped her perspective on educational equity. During the day, she worked at a private school with abundant resources and a strong emphasis on college preparation. After school, she supported students who had far fewer resources and opportunities.
“I was doing a really good job supporting students in my classroom,” she said. “But I kept asking myself: How do we make sure everyone is getting what they need?”
This commitment to equity drove Sundai to pursue educational administration, not because she wanted to leave the classroom, but because she aimed to scale its impact.
“I felt like I was living the haves and the have-nots,” said Sundai. “I was at a school with strong systems, SAT and ACT prep, and clear pathways to college. I was doing a really good job supporting students, but I always had a heart for serving the students who needed more support.”
Sundai later served as principal of Hendley Elementary School in Southeast Washington, D.C., for six years. Under her leadership, the school improved academic outcomes, expanded extracurricular programming, and reimagined its curriculum to center on STEM and hands-on learning.
In 2019, Hendley Elementary received the Innovation for Excellence Award at the annual Standing Ovation for D.C. Public Schools awards and became the only OSSE-recognized STEM elementary school in Ward 8. In 2021, Sundai was also named one of three D.C. Public Schools principals to receive the Leading During a Year of Change award.
A School Built on Student Voice
Building on her experiences, Sundai became Head of School at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School (ITDS) in 2021, a pre-K3 through eighth-grade public charter school in Washington, D.C.
Born out of a partnership with the Center for Inspired Teaching, ITDS operates a demonstration school focused on best practices in inquiry-based teaching and active learning. At Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, student voice, choice, and agency are embedded into the school’s design.
If students want to start a club, they are encouraged to do so. From Pokémon clubs to recycling initiatives, ideas often begin with students noticing a problem, writing a petition, presenting it to the student government, and finding an adult adviser.
One of Sundai’s favorite examples came when a group of fourth graders successfully advocated for a schoolwide composting program.
“They identified an issue, researched it, organized, and made it happen,” she said. “That’s learning and leadership in action.”
Sundai believes elementary and middle years are foundational, not only academically but developmentally.
“People underestimate the power of strong elementary and middle school education,” she said. “This is where students build resilience, identity, and the belief that they can change things.”
Leadership as Stewardship
Sundai calls her leadership style mission-centered and adaptive.
“What’s important today may not be what’s most important tomorrow,” she said. “Leadership requires listening to the people closest to the work and constantly recalibrating.”
Over time, she has learned that even well-intentioned practices, like an open-door policy, don’t work for everyone.
“I realized some people are never going to walk into your office,” she said. “So I started asking myself, who did I not talk to? Who’s missing from this feedback?”
She balances openness with clarity, seeing herself as the steward of the mission.
“There are times I’ll say, ‘That’s counter to our mission. We can’t do that,’” she said. “But it’s important to bring people along and explain why.”
Change in Charter Schools
While ITDS consistently outperforms peers academically and maintains one of the city’s most competitive waitlists, Sundai resists defining success by numbers alone.
“People are looking for something different in education,” she said. “They want innovation, authentic learning, and schools where kids are seen as whole people— not reduced to a test score.”
For Sundai, the real measure of leadership shows up years later.
“When you’re leading a school community, you’re building a set of memories for kids,” she said. “How you show up matters.”
The moments she treasures most come unexpectedly: running into former students, receiving notes from families, and hearing stories of perseverance and growth.
“The thing I feel most proud of,” Sundai said, “Is when a former student comes back to volunteer for a school activity, a parent reaches out to invite me to a high school performance, or a student shares, ‘You were my principal, and now I graduated from college.’”
For Sundai, that lasting connection is the true marker of success. It isn’t about where students go next, but who they have become, knowing that they are thriving and that the school played a role in helping them get there.
“Kids stay connected with us, and it always feels like the highest compliment to educate students and for families to trust us,” she said.