Eric Thomas, Phd Email & Phone Number

United States

Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Responsible for oversight of schools, supervision and development of principals, and partnering with district departments to align support to schools.  Conceptualized and implemented Cross Functional Support Teams to promote collaboration and alignment across district departments Led development of an instructional framework, aligned to teachers’ evaluation standards  Developed a strategic school visit model to support and hold principals accountable; including coaching toward targeted competencies Led professional learning activities for school leaders, with focus on data-driven instruction, observation/feedback, and assessment practices Partnering with schools to enhance execution of School Site Councils Collaborated with stakeholders to draft a strategic staffing model to recruit & retain highly effective teachers and leaders at targeted schools

United States

Providing nationwide consulting to schools and districts; with a focus on launching digital learning systems, talent management initiatives, leadership development, design thinking & innovation, and overall school/district improvement practices.

Providing strategic support to district leaders as they participate in the nationally recognized Partnership for Leadership in Education (PLE) Program. The program engages with school districts to build leadership capacity and improve student outcomes. The program is a partnership with the Curry School of Education and the Darden Business School.

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Reported directly to 14-member Georgia State Board of Education. Led a team of 20+ individuals responsible for developing and executing a state-wide, strategic support model to improve low-performing schools and to close achievement gaps. Provided guidance to eight school districts, representing over 100,000 students. Accomplishments included: 70% of schools achieved highest academic outcomes ever  Failing schools decreased by 47% when partnering with the CTO Partner schools’ Climate Star Ratings improved by 38% (best indicator for pending and sustained improvement) Provided training to school boards on their role in leading district transformation Led efforts to redesign teacher recruitment and retention strategy Implemented a Whole Child Initiative to support students’ non-academic needs, also included a focus on teacher wellness Partnered with state legislature to draft legislation for strategic talent management initiative and a State-wide Turnaround Collaborative to increase coherence amongst state agencies and non-profit organizations

Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) School Turnaround ProgramPartnership between the Darden Business School and the Curry School of Education. Led the redesign of the organization’s strategy on supporting schools and districts as they executed a transformation initiative. Organization partnered with rural, urban, and suburban school districts across the country, ranging from 500 - 350,000 students. Accomplishments included: Identified by the Rand Corporation as the most successful school improvement approach in the country  Increased overall reading and math outcomes by at least 20% over two years in 68% of partner schools Coached district leaders toward new practices in talent management, instructional infrastructure, leadership, and school support systems Provided training on 90-day action planning and progress monitoring strategies Developed and facilitated national Principal Supervisor Summit, focusing on school support strategies, while simultaneously implementing tools and structures to promote accountability  Led District Readiness Assessment process, a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis to identify strengths and opportunity areas Launched organizational emphasis on the role of school boards in leading transformation Received ongoing leadership development and organizational effectiveness training via the Darden Business School

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Leader of division that was responsible for identifying, developing, and executing district reform and improvement initiatives. Our team contributed to the district becoming the highest performing large urban district in Ohio, improving from an “F” rating to a “B” rating on our state report card.Accomplishments inlcuded:  Facilitated, as Superintendent’s designee, the Educational Initiatives Panel (EIP), ensuring shared decision making with teachers and building leaders  Represented the superintendent on the STRIVE Together community stakeholder partnership Teamed with the teachers’ union to create a new teacher development & evaluation system, including content innovation specialists  Developed and coordinated principal development academy  Led District of Choice model, with a portfolio of innovative new school options (e.g., Digital Academy, New Tech High School, Gifted Academy, district-sponsored charters); led to 5,000 student enrollment increase  Provided district training on Positive School Culture (i.e., PBIS) Oversaw a $50 million budget Facilitated district’s School Performance Team, a collaborative team that analyzed schools’ progress and explored needed support systems  Launched the district’s initial blended learning structure Led district’s Grants Department: secured local, state, and national grants and partnered with schools to support their grant solicitation efforts  Developed a district-wide program to support the unique needs of at-risk males; M.O.R.E. Program became a nationally recognized model

Post Graduate Course Work, Hr Administration And Social Justice Leadership

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Educational Leadership And Administration

Disseration focused on the district's role in leading school transformation. Findings highlighted the importance of Board/Superintendent.

Master'S, Educational Leadership And Administration