May 13, 2026
Provided Image/University of Pennsylvania
The School District of Philadelphia renamed its headquarters after the late superintendent Constance E. Clayton, pictured above during Penn's Constance E. Clayton Lecture Series in 2016.
The School District of Philadelphia’s North Broad Street headquarters has been formally dedicated to the late superintendent Constance E. Clayton, who is considered one of the most popular educational leaders in the city’s history.
A ceremony to mark the renaming of the building and a block on Buttonwood Street was held Wednesday — over two years after the commemoration was initially proposed. Political, educational and nonprofit leaders gathered outside the Center City facility to reflect on a legacy of advocacy that helped shape the city.
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“In naming the district’s central office the Dr. Constance E. Clayton Education Center, we submit her ‘children first’ philosophy as our standard of excellence, ensuring it remains the guiding principle of our leadership and a promise to every student,” Board of Education President Reginald Streater said at the event.
Superintendent Tony Watlington said Clayton acted as a mentor for him when he arrived in Philadelphia in 2022 and recalled receiving a phone call from the educator three days before her death to discuss the district’s new math curriculum.
“She embodied a true educator and humanitarian through her dedication to improving the lives of children in education,” he said after her death in 2023. “Her legacy of service to Philadelphia’s children and the school district will be memorialized.”
A mural inside the 440 North Broad St. building from artist Kelley Prevard was also displayed, showing portraits of Clayton in prominent moments of her life and career over the backdrop of the Philly skyline. One installation also includes the phrase, “the children come first,” as a nod to her leadership style.
Clayton was the first Black and female superintendent in the district’s history and held the position from 1982 to 1993.
She was raised by her mother and grandmother in North Philadelphia and attended Dunbar Elementary School, Philadelphia High School for Girls and Temple University before receiving her doctorate in education from Penn, which bestowed an endowed professorship in her honor in 1992.
Prior to her nomination as superintendent, Clayton worked as a fourth grade teacher and held several roles related to curriculum development. She spearheaded the restructuring of the district’s social studies curriculum, establishing the African American studies program. In 2005, Philadelphia became the first school district in the country to require African American courses for graduation.
The School District of Philadelphia's headquarters at 440 N. Broad St. was formally renamed the Dr. Constance E. Clayton Education Center during a ceremony Wednesday.
As superintendent, Clayton was lauded for addressing the district’s budget deficit without removing student services and collaborating with local businesses and organizations to support the city’s schools. She also tackled patterns of segregation by implementing voluntary transfer initiatives and adding lessons on race relations and cultural diversity.
“I did not accept the job of superintendent to preside over a segregated school system,” she wrote in a 1983 letter to the school board. “And I will not do so.”
Throughout her tenure, she standardized curriculum criteria and saw test scores rise citywide. The district did not run into any labor strikes or budget deficits during the 11-year span, the Inquirer reported in her obituary.
“Dr. Clayton was a friend and mentor, but more importantly, she was the best superintendent who has ever served Philadelphia,” Jerry Jordan, former president of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said after her death at age 89 in 2023. “She was also committed to empowering everyone in the field of education, including school-based staff, teachers, administrators and central office staff, ensuring we all had the opportunity to succeed.”
Just three days after her death, the Philadelphia Board of Education motioned to rename its headquarters in her honor.
In March, Philadelphia City Council approved a resolution to name the street adjacent to the district building after her. On Wednesday, Clayton's admirable leadership was remembered in the context of the looming budget deficit and school closures that are facing the district.
“We knew she cared about us,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said. “And she wouldn’t be closing all these schools, either.”
