Dr. Michael Prayor has served as the Superintendent of Brooklyn South High Schools since 2014, leading a diverse district of 31,000 students across 26 schools. A bold innovator and values-driven educator, he co-founded the Brooklyn S.T.E.A.M. Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and is the architect of the MCK Promise, a transformative framework grounded in Compassion, Integrity, Responsibility, and Forgiveness. This framework is redefining how districts cultivate both academic excellence and human character.

 

Under his leadership, place-based experiential learning has become a signature of the district, as students and educators engage in purpose-driven programs like HE3AT (Health Care, Energy, Education, Environment, Agriculture, and Technology) and the Freedom Riders program, connecting students to civic and career pathways with relevance and urgency.

 

Dr. Prayor served as a member of New York State’s Blue Ribbon Commission, helping shape the Portrait of a Graduate, now known as INSPIRE, and is a Google Educational Leadership Facilitator. He was also named a Finalist for National Superintendent of the Year by the Council of the Great City Schools in 2020.

 

Currently, Dr. Prayor is pioneering the launch of MCK Promise Credentialing, a student-centered recognition system that honors ethical growth and values-based decision-making using universally recognized digital symbols. His vision is to make the MCK Promise a national conversation, moving education away from transactional test prep and toward transformational humanity. He also serves on the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) with a focus on experiential learning and AI integration that centers ethics and student voice.

 

Effective leadership begins with knowing your business, understanding your craft, your people, your mission, your purpose, and your promise. It also means minding your business staying focused, disciplined, and committed to your role without distraction, ego, or excuse.

 

This isn’t about isolation or hierarchy; it’s about alignment, self-accountability, and purpose-driven leadership that inspires others to do the same. When leaders operate with clarity and conviction, they don’t just perform their duties, they become the promise. And in doing so, they advance others to become Promise Keepers.