School Board Appoints Carlin Springs Principal

The Arlington School Board appointed Carmen De La Cruz Scales as the new Principal of Carlin Springs Elementary School. She is currently an Assistant Principal at Washington-Liberty High School.

De La Cruz Scales earned a Bachelor of Arts Education and Spanish from Queens College, a master’s in Linguistics from George Washington University and a master’s in education leadership from George Mason University.

De La Cruz Scales is an Arlington Public Schools veteran educator with 29 years of experience. During her tenure, she has served in multiple roles including Spanish immersion and English Learner teacher, math coach, elementary mathematics specialist, and assistant principal at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Among her many responsibilities, De La Cruz Scales leads the World Languages and English Learners departments and works closely with the Bilingual Family Specialists to attend to the needs of the community. De La Cruz Scales works collaboratively with administrators and staff in utilizing data to improve instruction. Her ability to plan with teachers, model instructional strategies, co-teach lessons and work with parents are examples of the skills she brings that will benefit the Carlin Springs community in her role as principal. De La Cruz Scales is a bilingual, bicultural educator who understands and values the assets families bring to the school community and is ready to engage with them to maximize their children’s learning experiences.

Prior to her role as assistant principal at Washington-Liberty, she served as assistant principal and acting principal of Hoffman-Boston Elementary School. She also taught at Claremont Immersion School, Escuela Key and Kenmore Middle School.

Her appointment begins July 1.