Sherrod D. Willaford, Ed. D.

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Sherrod D. Willaford, Ed. D.

EDUCATION

Doctor of Education Degree in School Improvement, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, 2011

Master of Arts Degree in Administration and Supervision, State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, 2002

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Middle Grades Education, Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA, 1997

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Executive Director for School Improvement, Office of School Turnaround and Improvement

7/2014 - Present Norfolk Public Schools

Norfolk, Virginia

Provides executive level leadership in an urban district for 12 schools in improvement (6 priority (5 elementary, 1 middle school), 2 focus (2 elementary schools), 1 conditionally accredited elementary school, and 1 accreditation denied high school. Responsibilities include: directing all school improvement staff and interdepartmental central office designees/representatives, internal lead partner for the system working with the Virginia Department of Education and other lead turnaround partners, evaluation of principal performance, reviewing and monitoring school improvement plans, responding to parent and community concerns, preparation and presentation of school board reports as requested by the Superintendent. Serves as a member of the

Superintendent’s cabinet. Accomplishments

 10 additional schools recognized by the Superintendent for “defying the norm” for school improvement efforts in an urban school division by experiencing double digit gains in Reading, Mathematics, Science, and/or Social Studies  Accreditation denied high school gained full accreditation

 Successfully established a professional learning community to support turnaround principals in their school improvement efforts (critical friends groups, book studies, etc).

 Assisted principals and school leadership teams in the interview and selection process for lead turnaround partners to support school improvement efforts  Worked with lead turnaround partners to develop scopes of work

 Developed and secured School Improvement Grant for priority schools (approximately $3 million)

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 Facilitated monthly shared governance data meetings with principals, their leadership teams, and central office administrators to implement and monitor the school improvement process

Executive Director of Elementary Schools

7/2013 – 6/2014 Norfolk Public Schools

Norfolk, Virginia

Provided executive level leadership in an urban school district for 16 elementary schools (12 schools accredited with warning, 2 focus schools, and 2 priority schools). Served as the internal lead partner for priority, focus, and warned schools. Responsibilities included: evaluation of principal performance, reviewing and monitoring school improvement plans, responding to parent and community concerns, preparation and presentation of school board reports as requested by the superintendent. Served as a member of the Superintendent’s cabinet.

Accomplishments

 Two school schools removed from the priority list (lowest performing 5%)  One school removed from the focus list (lowest performing 10%).

 10 schools recognized by the Superintendent for “defying the norm” (double digit increases in academic achievement)

Clinical Faculty Member (Internship Coach)

6/2012 – 6/2014 Columbia University Teachers College

New York, New York

Provided guidance, advice, and feedback to Master’s degree level students on their assignments prior to their submission to the university. Maintained on-going communication with students during the internship experience and conduct site visits.

Principal 6/2006 – 6/2013

CJ Hicks Elementary

Rockdale County Public School Conyers, GA

Lead teacher and learner in the largest elementary school in the district (950 students, 125 faculty and staff members). The student demographics were over 90% minority, 90% economically disadvantaged, and over 55% transient. Throughout my tenure, academic achievement

consistently soared as 90% of the student population routinely met and/or exceeded standards on state assessments.

Accomplishments

 Achieved adequate yearly progress (AYP) over consecutive years  Title I Distinguished over consecutive years

 Superintendent’s Academic Achievement Awards o Highest Aspirations

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 93% All students meeting and/or exceeding Reading/English Language Arts standards (2012)

 90 % All students meeting and/or exceeding Reading/English Language Arts standards (2008)

o Defying the Norm Award

 91% English Learners meeting and/or exceeding Reading/English Language Arts Standards (2012)

 93% Economically Disadvantaged meeting and/or exceeding Reading/English Language Arts standards (2012)

 18 point academic growth/increase in Reading/English Language Arts for Students With Disabilities (2012)

 35 point academic growth/increase in English/Language Arts for ELLs (2008)

 21 point academic growth/increase in Mathematics for ELLs (2008)  International Baccalaureate Candidate School (2010)

 American School Counselors Association (ASCA) Model School (2009-2012)  National Youth At-Risk Conference High Flying School Award (2009)

 Increased student achievement of students meeting or exceeding standards in reading from 83% (2006-07) to 93% (2011-12).

 Increased student achievement of students meeting or exceeding standards in mathematics from 79% (2006-07) to 89% (2010-11).

 Increased student achievement on the 5th_{grade writing assessment from 55% meeting} and exceeding standards (2007) to 90% meeting and exceeding standards (2012).  Developed standards-based safety-nets for struggling learners that were implemented

during the regular school day, after school hours, and Saturdays

 Facilitated the development of a master schedule to support implementation of the workshop model, acceleration and enrichment blocks, and professional learning communities.

 Fostered the coordination and development of the school’s strategic plan for school improvement which involved representation of all stakeholders to include parents, faculty/staff, and students

 Implemented Single Gender Classes in grades K-5 to meet the unique needs of all learners

 Led staff in the utilization of a systematic and detailed data analysis process to increase student achievement and ensure student success

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Assistant Principal 12/2004 – 5/2006

Conyers Middle School

Rockdale County Public Schools Conyers, GA

Eighth Grade Science Teacher 7/2004 – 11/2004

Conyers Middle School

Rockdale County Public Schools Conyers, GA

Remedial Education Program Teacher 7/2003 – 6/2004

Rockdale County High School Rockdale County Public Schools Conyers, GA

Middle School Math Specialist 8/2002 – 6/2003

Stephenson Middle School Dekalb County School System Stone Mountain, GA

Middle School Math Teacher 12/1997 – 6/2002

Stephenson Middle School Dekalb County School System Stone Mountain, GA

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Urban Superintendents Academy, American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the School Superintendents Association, and Howard University, School of Education,

Arlington, VA 2015

Aspiring Superintendents Program, School Leaders Institute, Virginia Tech School of Education and the Virginia Tech Center for Organizational and Technological Advancement (COTA), Roanoke, VA, 2014

The College of William and Mary

School Leadership Institute: SURN Visible Leading Institute for Central Office Williamsburg, VA (9/2014)

American Montessori Society Annual Conference Dallas, TX (3/2014)

Council of the Great City Schools Annual Conference Albuquerque, NM (10/2013)

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National Principal Mentor/Coaching K-12 Training and Certification, Facilitator: Dr. Willie Jackson

National Association of Elementary School Principals (3/2013)

Facilities and Capital Outlay Institute, Facilitator: Mr. Jim Steele

Superintendent Professional Learning Program (10/2012-3/2013)

Critical Friends Group Training MRESA (2012)

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Category II Training (Assessment) The CASIE Center

Atlanta, Georgia (6/2012)

National Board Certification for Elementary School Principals - pilot (8/2011-12/2012)

Summer Principals Academy New Orleans, LA (6/2012)

National Association of Elementary School Principals Mentoring Institute Seattle, WA (3/2012)

Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Facilitator: Dr. Eric Jensen Conyers, GA (2/2012)

Common Core Georgia Performance Training for Administrators Atlanta, GA (6/2011)

Transforming School Culture: How to Overcome Staff Division Workshop Facilitator: Dr. Anthony Muhammad

Conyers, GA (2/2011)

Grading Exceptional Learners

Facilitators: Lee Ann Jung and Tom Guskey Conyers, GA (11/2010)

National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE) Las Vegas, NV (10/2010)

Helping Boys Succeed In School, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) On-Site Capacity Building

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Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Orlando, FL (6/2010)

International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program Category I Training (IBPYP) Chicago, IL (2/2010)

International Center for Leadership in Education, Leadership Academy New Orleans, LA (1/2010)

Standards-based Grading and Reporting

Facilitator/ASCD Faculty Member: Deborah Childs-Bowen Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conyers, GA (2009-2011)

National Association for Single Sex Public Education (NASSPE) Atlanta, GA (10/2009)

International Center for Leadership in Education Summer Conference Atlanta, GA (6/2009)

Cultural Competency Training Anti-Defamation League of Atlanta Conyers, GA (2008-2009)

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) New Orleans, LA (3/2008)

Strategic Planning Training, The Cambridge Group

Athens, GA (7/2006)

PRESENTATIONS

“Year One Implementation at C. J. Hicks Elementary School: A professional learning plan for teachers, students, and the community”

National Association for Single Sex Public Education Presenter (10/2010)

“High Flying Schools” Showcase

National Youth At-Risk Conference at Georgia Southern University Presenter (3/2009) “Process Improvement”

The Principals Center at Georgia State University Presenter (1/2008)

“An Examination of School Culture and Climate”

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Page 7 PUBLICATIONS

“An Examination of Lesson Preparation and Delivery of Elementary Mathematics for English Language Learners”

“Emerging Leader: Turning around schools and futures”

A departmental interview/article published in Phi Delta Kappan, March 2013 issue, Greg Patterson author

Boys from the ‘hood – often misunderstood”

A departmental interview/article published in Phi Delta Kappan, October 2014 issue, Greg Patterson author

AWARDS

Emerging Leader Award (2012) Phi Delta Kappa

COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS Member, Phi Delta Kappa International

Member, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Member, Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals Member, National Association of Elementary School Principals Member, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

REFERENCES