Candidate Profile: Robin Fleming, PhD, RN, NCSN, Running for Superintendent of Public Instruction

In her 17 years working in school nursing and public education leadership, Robin Fleming has worked to advance the support services she views as essential to supporting learning and eliminating achievement gaps.

“As [Superintendent of Public Instruction], one of my chief priorities will be to greatly enhance student support services (including nursing) that have demonstrable, evidence-based effects on student attendance, health, academic achievement, graduation, and life opportunities,” Fleming said in her WSNA-PAC questionnaire.

Since March of 2014, Fleming has served as the Health Services Program Administrator for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. She works to improve student attendance, learning and graduation by overseeing school nursing, health and related student support services in Washington state schools. In that position, she has championed the role of school nurses and the services they provide in multiple ways.

In addition to being a Registered Nurse, Dr. Fleming in 2008 received her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Washington, with emphases in school finance and multicultural studies.

For two years, she worked for the Washington State Nurses Association conducting policy work and creating educational programs for nurses throughout the state.

In 1999, she began her 13 years of service in public education to students in Seattle Public Schools as a school nurse and leader. While there, Fleming developed a public health education and career pathway program for immigrant students, and a peer health education program for low-income students. Her doctoral research focused on health and academic disparities, and won Best Research Award of 2012 by the National Association of School Nurses. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Teacher Education and Practice, the Journal of School Nursing and Public Health Nursing.

As Superintendent of Public Instruction, Fleming would give school nursing significantly more prominence in planning and decision-making within the state’s education system.