• Education
  • Professional Experience

     

    Superintendent, Barrow County School System

    March
    2010- Present
    • Chief Executive Officer of the 24th largest school system in Georgia. It is comprised of 13,000 students and sixteen schools and a nine member Board of Education.  Sixty percent of its student population has been identified as economically disadvantaged.
    • Serves as the Manager of 1702 employees with a budget of $133 million.
    • Provides guidance on the development and implementation of the conversion to a charter school system, continued district accreditation, and utilization of Barrow County School's designation as a research K-12 school system
    • Redirected the development and expansion of the Direct To Discovery (D2D) project. D2D pairs every middle and high school teacher in Barrow County Schools with a laboratory scientist and Mathematics professor at The Georgia Institute of Technology through HD video-conferencing and remote access to lab equipment to bring the excitement of discovery and the relevance of study into instruction. A Race to the Top Innovation grant was submitted in June 2011 to further enhance this program and the STEM initiative.
    • Expanded Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to identify high impact strategies targeting Feedback, Assessment, and Differentiated Instruction (FAD). The resulting professional development was provided to the district leadership team consisting of central office members, principals, assistant principals, and instructional coaches.  The professional learning further cascaded to the school, grade, and classroom levels.  These non-negotiable high impact strategies will remain the same for the 2011-2012 school year.
    • Facilitated a Pre-K through twelve systemic, data-driven process of improvement to increase student achievement to include:
      • High School spring summative data indicated a positive turn-around in results on the spring 2011 Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) by
        • 5% for Writing;
        • 2% for ELA;
        • 1.5% for Science;
        • 4% for Social Studies; 
        • Baseline scores for the spring 2011 Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) Mathematics GHSGT were 83%; 
        • Additionally, there was a considerable decrease in the dropout rate to 2.5% in 2011 as compared to 3.7% in 2010.
      • Middle School spring summative Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) indicated a continued upward trend at the system level in
        • Reading/English Language Arts by 2%;
        • Mathematics scores increased by 4.8%; 
        • Barrow County continued to significantly outperform their peers statewide on the 8th grade writing test, administered statewide during January 2011.  Overall, 90% of Barrow 8th graders met or exceeded standards on the assessment, an increase of 4% from 2010.   
      • Elementary School spring summative CRCT data indicated a continued upward trend at the system level in
        • Reading/English Language Arts with 95.6% of 3rd graders meeting or exceeding standards, an increase of 0.4% from 2010;
        • 96% of 5th graders meeting or exceeding standards in Reading/English Language Arts, virtually identical to 2010 results;
        • 94.9% of 5th graders meeting or exceeding standards in Mathematics, an increase of 3% from 2010;
        • Barrow County continued to significantly outperform their peers statewide on the 2011 5th grade writing test. Overall, 88% of Barrow 5th graders met or exceeded standards on the assessment, an increase of 12% from 2010.   
      • During the 2010-2011 school year the percentage of students at all levels missing more than 15 days hit a five year low with only 10.3% of students meeting this chronic absentee standard, down from 10.7% in 2009-2010.
      • Over the course of the 2011 school year Principals at all schools conducted walkthroughs of classrooms on a quarterly basis to gather data on practices taking place in the classroom. As a result of this monitoring
        • The percentage standards based classrooms increased by 7%;
        • The percentage of teachers utilizing feedback with students increased by 4%; and
        • The percentage of classrooms with students demonstrating higher-order thinking skills grew by 5%.
           

    2008-2010

    Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning

     

    Houston County Board of Education

     

    • Direct all facets of teaching and learning for core content areas, Career,  Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE), Fine Arts, Gifted, Assessment,  Instructional Technology, Pre-Kindergarten, and Federal Programs
    • Develop, interpret, and implement district, state, and national policies
    • Fiscal manager for all federal budgets including Title I, II, III, IV, ARRA,  Perkins, Consolidated Application, Professional Learning, 20-day funds, 21st  Century Learning Grant, DHR Grant, and the local Teaching and Learning  department funds
    • Implemented efficient processes, research-based practices, and coordinated  fiscal resources that saved the Houston County School System approximately $4.5  million dollars
    • Facilitated school improvement and leadership team best practices resulting  in building system capacity and all thirty-seven schools making AYP for 2009.  Served as the Leadership Team Central Office consultant for two high schools  that made AYP in 2009 that had previously not made AYP
    • Facilitate the development and utilization of the System Balanced Scorecard  accountability system, System Strategic Improvement Plan, and Strategic  Improvement Plan communication tool
    • Led all schools in developing school improvement plans aligned with the  system strategic plan to include formative and summative performance  measures
    • Led the multi-dimensional work for system-wide high school reform to include  the following: development of a hybrid seven-period day schedule that  encompasses academic opportunity learning time during the school day for  students that need enrichment and/or remediation; provides flexibility for  student to earn graduation credits; a review of policies and procedures to  reduce barriers to students success; increased credit recovery options;  converting semester courses to year-long courses; increasing Advanced Placement  opportunities for all students; providing a focus on vertical transitions; and  creating system common formative assessments for all content areas at each grade  level
    • Provide professional learning to administrators and teachers on  research-based curriculum, instruction, and school improvement processes through  system professional learning days, Leading Edge administrator training, system Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI) cohort, and annual  leadership summits
    • Guided the identification and implementation of system standards-based classroom non-negotiables and a monitoring process through eWalk software. Lead  system walkthroughs and Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards  (GAPSS) reviews to provide schools and individuals with feedback and next steps  based on the Georgia School Keys, a rubric that defines what schools should  know, do, and understand
    • Facilitated system accreditation through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS-CASI), October 2008

    2007-2008

    Associate State Superintendent, School Improvement  Services

     

    Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE)

     
    • Executive administrator for Georgia's School Improvement Services  encompassing the Divisions of Learning Support, School and Leader Quality, and Teacher Quality providing services to Georgia's one hundred eighty-three  districts and over twenty-two hundred schools
    • Managed 136 state employees and multiple federal and state budgets totaling  $279 million
    • Cabinet member for Georgia's State School Superintendent
    • Member of Governor Perdue's Alliance of Education Agency Heads Implementation Team
    • Legislative advisor on the Education Legislative Team for the 2007 and 2008 Legislative sessions
    • Co-Chaired the 2008 National Dropout Prevention Network Conference
    • Developed, interpreted, and implemented state and national policy to include Georgia's Graduation Coach initiative, the school reform contract between the  State of Georgia and districts for schools at the highest level of needs improvement, and the implementation of the NCLB Single Statewide Accountability  System and AYP Workbooks
    • Led the development, implementation, and monitoring of GaDOE strategic action plans, State Board rules, State Board items, contracts, grants, project  management, and school and system improvement plans for state programs
    • Led the development, distribution, and training on the Keys to Quality boxed sets to each superintendent, district office, twenty-two hundred schools, external support agencies, and colleges and universities
    • Ensured alignment of school improvement resources and support with Regional  Educational Service Agency (RESAs), Educational Technology Training Center (ETTCs), Georgia Learning Resource Services (GLRSs), and colleges and universities
    • Led the development and implementation of the Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) rubric and monitoring instrument
    • Coordinated the initial revisions to the CLASS Keys, Georgia's new teacher  evaluation
    • Served as advisor/liaison with state and national professional organizations
    • Led the development, implementation, and monitoring of GaDOE Strategic Action Plans containing leading and lagging indicators tracked through a Balanced Scorecard and Superintendent's Dashboard for the following GaDOE Goals:  Goal 1: Increasing the Graduation Rate, Decreasing the Dropout Rate, and  increasing the number of students post-secondary and/or work ready, Goal 2:  Strengthen teacher quality, recruitment, and retention, Goal 3: Develop strong  education leaders, particularly at the building level, and Goal 9: Decrease the  number of schools on the No Child Left Behind Needs Improvement list.

    2005-2007

    Director, Division of School Improvement Georgia Department of  Education (GaDOE)

     
    • Implemented a coherent and sustained statewide infrastructure of support, process, and accountability for increased student achievement while managing 114  state employees and multiple federal and state budgets totaling $46 million
    • Developed and implemented a comprehensive plan of intensive support for all  schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), 354 K-12 schools for the  2005-2006 school year and 308 schools for the 2006-2007 school year. One hundred and ninety of the 354 schools in 2005-2006 made AYP with the assistance of  School Improvement Specialists and School Improvement Leadership Facilitators.  One hundred and one of the 190 schools were able to have the needs improvement status removed after making AYP two consecutive years
    • Created and implemented Georgia's Graduation Coach program for middle and  high schools with a budget of $31 million focused on increasing graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates
    • Established criteria for Senate Bill 468 to identify and recognize Georgia's High Performance Principals
    • Chaired the Consolidated Application Plan Development Committee to create a  statewide, comprehensive plan to include federal and state regulations
    • Originated the request and gained State Board of Education approval for Finance/Budget and Policy board items. Developed and initiated contracts with external vendors
    • Initiated a validation study conducted by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) on the Georgia School Standards. This study resulted in national affirmation of the Georgia School Standards and revisions to the Standards addressing the request for clarity of language
    • Facilitated a positive Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts Division of School Improvement audit of services and fiscal management
    • Organized and managed documentation and information provided to U.S. Department of Education resulting in the Division of School Improvement receiving a finding of No Recommendations for Improvement.
    • Established and implemented a Memorandum of Agreement between Georgia  Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities (SACS/CASI) to provide the opportunity for schools to utilize the Georgia School Standards and Georgia Assessment of Performance on School Standards (GAPSS Analysis)
    • Led the cross-divisional development of Georgia's Student Achievement Pyramid of Intervention
    • Initiated and co-chaired the GaDOE Student Achievement Roundtable to facilitate a seamless system of data-driven support and services for the purpose  of assisting all schools in meeting the goal of improving student achievement.  The Roundtable further provided an opportunity to collaborate and coordinate the support and services being provided by the various divisions within the Georgia  Department of Education
    • Strengthened the implementation of the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)  through the development of Learning Frameworks. Additionally, four comprehensive benchmarks were created for all GPS implemented content to serve as formative,  diagnostic assessments for teachers to adjust instruction based on student achievement of the GPS
    • Enhanced the coordination, communication, and collaboration among external agencies providing support to LEAs and schools. The collaborative efforts  included: Division of School Improvement, Science Implementation Specialists,  GDOE Title I and Title III Specialists, Career and Technical Agriculture  Education (CTAE), Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA), Georgia Learning  and Resource Services (GLRS), Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTC), Georgia Leadership Institute for School Improvement (GLISI), Colleges and Universities, and Southern Association of Colleges and Universities  (SACS/CASI)

    2004-2006

    Graduate School Adjunct Professor, Troy State University &  Georgia State University

     
    • Instructor for Communications and Problem Solving and Supervision in Education courses
    • Collaborative Instructor for Advanced Curriculum Design and Emergency School Planning
    • Supervised practicum experience for university student teachers

    2003-2005

    Director, Elementary Curriculum & Instruction
    Coweta County  School System, Newnan, Georgia

     
    • Provided leadership to enhance the elementary curriculum and instructional program which led Coweta County students to achieve unprecedented academic success by facilitating the implementation and training to all elementary administrators and teachers on the Georgia Performance Standards
    • Established and led the district Reading Steering Committee and the development of a Coweta County Balanced Literacy program
    • Developed and coordinated countywide implementation of networked curriculum alignment and content area benchmarks for grades 1-5
    • Chaired the county SACS accreditation process for elementary and middle schools
    • Budgeted, administered, and disbursed funds totaling $20 million for state and local instructional programs
    • Reorganized and implemented system level Early Intervention Program (EIP)
    • Established system policy for grading, promotion and retention, instructional materials, and an elementary electronic report card
    • Authored and published the first Coweta County School System Elementary Student Handbook
    • Led the development of an intranet resource for administrators and teachers housing curriculum maps, lesson plans, student tasks, system level developed benchmarks, diagnostic data analysis documents, benchmark reporting forms, and  internet resources. Additionally all system level forms, handbooks, reports, and informational documents could be updated and accessed from the intranet site
    • Chaired the district committee to develop a shared vision, mission, and beliefs
    • Co-Chaired the district Strategic Planning Committee
    • Co-Chaired the Baldridge/Oglethorpe Award Committee. Compiled and analyzed data and authored the Georgia Oglethorpe Focus Award application. Coweta County Schools received the Georgia Oglethorpe Focus Award in 2005
    • Chaired the Center for Leadership of School Reform (CLRS) Assessment Team for Developing Structures for Participatory Leadership and served as a member of the Executive Assessment Team for CLSR Working on the Work initiative
    • Provided leadership and guidance in the development of a Teacher Appraisal System
    • Developed and implemented an elementary and middle school keyboarding (typing) program in each of the seventeen elementary and five middle schools in Coweta County

    2001-2003

    Principal, Canongate Elementary School, Sharpsburg,  Georgia

     

    Coweta County School System,  Newnan, Georgia

     
    • Instructional leader for an elementary school serving 780 students and 103 personnel focused on increasing student achievement. The fourth grade Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) increased from 88% of students meeting or exceeding standards to 93% of students meeting or exceeding standards in one year
    • Developed elementary curriculum maps K-5 aligned to QCC, CRCT, and Learning Focused Strategies
    • Authored the Student Support Team Policies and Procedures handbook for Coweta County Schools
    • Developed Canongate Elementary as a county leader in school technology with the establishment of the first school-wide television station

     

     

    1998-2001

    Assistant Principal, Madras Middle School, Newnan, Georgia

     

    Coweta County School System,  Newnan, Georgia

     
    • Provided administrative and instructional leadership in the opening and  establishment of a new middle school serving 750 students and 95 personnel.
    • Developed academic goals and provided guidance in implementing procedures for instruction, student performance, and staff development.
    • Chaired the development of its first comprehensive school improvement plan and first SACS Review.

     

     

    1996-1998

    Choral Director, East Coweta High School, Sharpsburg,  Georgia

     

    Coweta County School System,  Newnan, Georgia

     
    • Served as Fine Arts and Foreign Language Department Chair
    • Implemented a program of study designed to meet the diverse needs of five choral groups consisting of 216 students.
    • Taught a music therapy class for special needs children

     

     

    1994-1996

    Associate Choral Director, McIntosh High School, Peachtree City,  Georgia

     

    Fayette County Board of Education,  Fayetteville, Georgia

     
    • Collaboratively taught and managed the organizational and financial aspects  of a high school choral department consisting of 280 students.

     

     

    1988-1994

    Private Voice and Piano Teacher

     

     

    1986-1988 

    Choral Director, Pointe South Jr. High, Jonesboro,  Georgia

     

    Clayton County School System,  Jonesboro, Georgia

     

     

    1985-1986

    Choral Director and General Music Teacher, O.P. Evans Middle School

     

    Coweta County School System


          
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