BRADLEY LEON Candidate Dossier

Presented by: Jim Huge and Associates

Contents

Candidate Summary ......................................................................................... Section 1

Cover Letter ..................................................................................................... Section 2

Candidate Resume ........................................................................................... Section 3

Candidate Questionnaire ................................................................................. Section 4

Notes ............................................................................................................... Section 5

Candidate Summary

BRADLEY JAMES LEON � Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop and build highly effective, diverse team � Self-aware and consistently adapts to move organization forward � Able to mobilize support for program improvements (raised over $110 M in his

career) � Creates and articulates shared vision

� Uses data for continuous improvement

Current situation: Chief of Strategy and Innovation (2013-Present) Shelby County Public Schools, TN

Past leadership positions: Senior Vice-President (2010- 2013) Executive Director, Tennessee (2006 – 2010) Recruitment Director (2004 – 2006) Teach For America

Highest degree attained:

BA, Public Policy Occidental College

Evidence of MNPS Leadership Profile COMMUNITY-BUILDING AND VISION-CASTING CAPACITY • Led strategic planning in the community to

implement “Destination 2025” goals in Shelby

ORGANIZATIONAL/CULTURE CHANGE EXPERTISE • Led his department to establish values,

and leads by continually referencing those values.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO TALENT AND TURNAROUND • Developed two of the strongest teacher

development programs in TN. • iZone cohorts have consistently gained in

proficiency each year. EXPERTISE WITH SIMILAR STUDENT POPULATIONS • Shelby County, New Orleans

DISTRICT COMPARISON (most recent available data) District Shelby County, TN

Enrollment 149,832 # Schools 290 % Charter Schools 14.1% % Econ. Disadvantaged 68.5% % Minority 79.8% % ELL 5.1% % SPED 12.5% Pupil-Teacher Ratio 16.14 Total Budget ($M) $1,194 Per-Pupil Expenditure $10,732

Cover Letter

Bradley James Leon Memphis, Tennessee April 22, 2015 Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education 2601 Bransford Ave. Nashville, TN 37204 Dear Metropolitan Nashville Board of Public Education: It is with enthusiasm that I submit my application for the Metro Nashville Director of Schools position. The district's current theory of action, the level of engagement from stakeholders, the deep commitment of the board throughout the search process, and the chance to work with Nashville’s educators and children make this leadership role an exciting opportunity. Nashville's school system has made steady progress over the years, but I believe the board and the community are looking for transformational change and a stronger sense of urgency given the challenges facing our children and the aspirations the community has for itself. Throughout my career, I have consistently led teams that deliver significant impact for children guided by a firmly held belief that the team, the family, and the community are far more powerful than the efforts of any single individual. If we are to help make manifest the inherent greatness of our children, it will only be if we are united. I believe I have the right set of skills, experiences, and familiarity with the Tennessee educational landscape to enable our children to become fully empowered adults who can thrive as citizens and compete in a globally interconnected world. My career includes being named teacher of the year as an eighth grade language arts and social studies teacher; recruiting and coaching hundreds of teachers; and designing and building two of Tennessee's strongest teacher preparation programs. I currently serve as the chief of strategy and innovation for Shelby County Schools, Tennessee's largest school system. In this capacity, I lead seven divisions within the organization and am responsible for the achievement of more than 60 schools. During my tenure, I led our district strategic planning effort, "Destination 2025," designed a comprehensive performance management system, launched a blended learning pilot in 18 of our schools, raised more than $14 million from private philanthropy to support key district initiatives, and lead our turnaround work in the innovation zone where our incredible team of teachers, principals, and central office staff continue to prove the possible with children many people had counted out. Moreover, Nashville has served as home base for me for more than 20 years. My grandfather moved to Nashville 25 years ago and my mother followed him to middle Tennessee shortly thereafter. My family and I have spent ample time in Nashville over the years to enjoy all the city has to offer and so that my two boys can build relationships with their grandparents. I know that my history in, and love for,

Tennessee and my familiarity with its educational landscape will be a significant boon to Nashville’s long-running strategic efforts. All of my various experiences have provided a unique set of perspectives that allow me to lead as a collaborator with the ability to confound ideological expectations or assumptions. In the education world today, there is a sense that one must fit in one box in a complicated matrix. I reject that notion and my track record will prove to you that we can redefine what it means to be a district and community that works together with greater purpose, commitment, and impact for kids without the labels and the assumptions that envelop them and make true partnership difficult. Throughout my career, I have seen the inherent greatness in our children, I have seen their enormous potential and know that the only limits we have are self-imposed. In my classroom, in the classrooms of teachers I have coached, and in our innovation zone, I have seen the role expectations play and know our children can and will meet them. Nashville is poised to build a world class public education system to cultivate that greatness because of the deep engagement of the community. Given my skills, background, expertise, and leadership capacity to deliver significant impact, I am excited to engage further in the process and to be considered to lead that effort as the next Director of Metro Nashville Public Schools. Sincerely, Bradley Leon

Candidate Resume

Bradley James Leon

Chief of Strategy and Innovation, Shelby County Schools: July 2013 – Present (Promoted in January, 2014) Directly responsible for the performance of seven divisions within the district: Innovation Zone (iZone), Performance Management, Research, Student Information, Assessment, Virtual School, and Charter Schools. Manage a team of 7 direct reports; supervise 500+ employees; responsible for student learning in more than 60 schools. � Led strong student learning outcomes in Shelby County School’s turnaround initiative (iZone – 18 schools all

performing in the state’s bottom 5%); student proficiency in our first two cohorts more than doubled; cohort three included two high schools where gains in year one were above 9 points in proficiency gains. Results achieved by recruiting and developing a strong team, crafting and executing a strategic plan, implementing a school quality framework, and consistent management towards impact.

� Directed the district’s strategic planning process, “Destination 2025” by working with school board members, the superintendent, advocacy groups, key internal stakeholders, and by leading community meetings; resulted in the adoption of ambitious goals of college and career readiness, five strategic priorities, and clear dashboards to assess progress.

� Launched a blended learning pilot where students learn through a combination of teacher driven instruction and digital and online media in 18 schools in the district through stakeholder engagement, a robust application/selection process, clear goals, and strong cross-functional work.

� Raised $14m from partners in the private sector to support high profile district initiatives through ongoing donor cultivation, strong proposals, and by consistently delivering strong results.

� Designed and launched a comprehensive performance management system that led to a school performance framework, departmental goals being set for the first time in organizational history, dashboards to monitor progress, and a “stat” continuous improvement process over core domains of district work. Deliverables and processes achieved through engagement with key stakeholders, design of a comprehensive system, district training, and change management.

Senior Vice-President, Teach For America: April, 2010 – July, 2013 (Promoted in October, 2011) Directly responsible for student learning, leadership development, human resources, annual fundraising, and regional operations for seven Teach For America locations in Appalachia, Tennessee, and Texas. Managed a team of 11 direct reports, supervised 150 full-time employees, and responsible for the performance of more than 1,700 teachers. � Led student learning efforts through the development of strategy, management towards clear academic

outcomes, and the development of targeted innovations designed to accelerate impact; Teach For America teachers exceeded teacher performance averages in both Texas and Tennessee.

� Coordinated a $78m fundraising campaign over three years to recruit the largest teacher corps in the organization through the development of strategy, planning, execution, and ongoing management towards goals; cash collection results were strongest in the organization.

� Negotiated a partnership with the state of Tennessee for a 4-year, $10.9m scale-up investment in Teach For America through the coordination of strategy with state officials, enabling the organization to grow its presence in the state 175%.

� Managed a state campaign in the Texas legislature, resulting in an $8m biennial investment through the development of ongoing strategy, communications, stakeholder management, and direct engagement with state officials.

Executive Director, Teach For America Tennessee: April, 2006 – April, 2010 (Promoted in January, 2009) Directly responsible for building a force of leaders in Memphis and Nashville; managed a team of 15 employees and responsible for the performance of more than 150 teachers.

� Launched Teach For America Memphis in 2006 and Nashville in 2009 by raising the necessary investments, hiring/managing a strong team, creating systems, building new relationships, and negotiating professional services agreements with Memphis City Schools, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Lipscomb University.

� Led Teach For America in Memphis and Nashville to strongest student learning results in the state of Tennessee for teacher preparation institutions in 2009-2010 through the design and implementation of strategic priorities for teacher development, ongoing analysis of data, and intervention in teacher classrooms.

� Supervised a project that led to Teach For America’s authorization as a teacher certifying body in Tennessee by managing a team to develop a curriculum for teacher development.

� Partnered with Memphis City Schools and the Gates Foundation to double Teach For America’s presence in Memphis by collaborating on critical components of the Teacher Effectiveness Initiative (TEI).

Recruitment Director, Teach For America: July, 2004 – March, 2006 (University of Notre Dame, Chicago, Iowa, and Michigan State) Directly responsible for recruiting top future leaders to teach in our most challenging classrooms; managed a team of 8 employees. � Increased application numbers 42% during tenure through the development of strategic priorities and the

execution of more than 1,000 individual meetings with strong prospects. � Developed a marketing and communications plan that led to a 140% increase in attendance at information

sessions on my campuses.

Teacher, New Orleans Public Schools: August, 2002 – May, 2004 Directly responsible for student learning as an 8th grade language arts teacher for 100 students.

� Led 98% of students to pass the 8th-grade Language Arts section of the LEAP exam during both years of tenure,

the school’s strongest historical results and 20% above the district-wide average through the development of a clear goal, instructional priorities, backwards design, daily execution of lessons, ongoing data analysis, and deep partnership with parents.

� Voted Teacher of the Year by the faculty and staff in 2003.

EDUCATION The Broad Superintendents Academy In service to a life-long commitment to continuous improvement, selected to a fellowship that asks participants to pursue their own path to transformational change on behalf of children; completed this 18 month fellowship while doing a full-time job. Occidental College Graduated with a BA in Public Policy (cum laude); Captain of the baseball team.

Candidate Questionnaire

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 1

Question #1: The Board of Education unanimously approved a leadership profile that outlined four

core competencies intended to drive the recruitment/search process:

(a) Community-building and vision-casting capacity

Early in my career I embraced a fundamental truth – that the team, the family, and the community are far more

powerful than the efforts of any single individual and that, if we are to achieve excellence for our children, it can

only happen if we work together. Working together around a common vision requires both clarity on the eventual

outcomes to be achieved and openness on the means to achieve them. Throughout my career I have consistently

demonstrated the ability to build coalitions so that a community can move forward united around a common

vision despite the diversity of its views. In my experience, any leader that hopes to accomplish this difficult task

must bring to the table a number of characteristics that I continue to cultivate: I practice the discipline of active

listening; I consistently operate with a plan that enables flexibility; and I put myself into situations that require me

to build relationships in diverse settings.

My tenure at Shelby County Schools (SCS) has provided many opportunities to demonstrate these characteristics

during times of change and uncertainty. I was initially hired to be the chief of innovation, a role that was responsible

for leading and managing the work of our innovation zone (iZone), our virtual school, and our charter school sector.

Six months into my tenure, the superintendent asked me to take on an expanded, more complex role, after seeing

that I was able to build relationships with people from very different backgrounds and who held very different

beliefs. In a year where we were "de-merging" what we had just recently merged, he knew that the person

responsible for strategy and innovation had to be able to lead as a collaborator.

Toward that end, I promoted the development of a strategic plan that was built on a foundation of robust

community engagement and buy-in. Our first step in that effort was to establish incredibly ambitious district goals

that would demonstrate real progress for children with benchmarks along the way. Once the board approved our

“Destination 2025” goals, I led a process whereby the entire organization and community helped us formulate a

direction to reach those goals. To gather community input, we held several open community meetings that I

facilitated. In addition to community meetings, we established issue-specific working groups to collect the input of

stakeholders with expertise in key areas and conducted surveys and focus groups to ensure we heard a cross section

of community voices. From there, we established a working draft based on the input we had gathered, shared a

draft of the plan with the community, and solicited their feedback.

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 2

Destination 2025 was adopted by our school board in January, 2015 and has become the anchor of our school

system. I believe it has become that anchor because we set forth a compelling vision of the future and asked our

community to help us determine how to get there. Though this is one example, it represents how I lead – get clear

on what represents significant impact for children and work with a diverse group of people to figure out how to get

there.

(b) Organizational/culture change expertise

Developing and reinforcing a culture where both children and adults can thrive is a key strength I bring to this role.

As stated earlier, one of my core beliefs is that the team is far more powerful than the efforts of a single individual. I

also believe that for a team to help children achieve their own inherent greatness, its leader must purposefully

establish and reinforce the values and culture that will enable the organization to reach its potential.

Several examples in my current role speak to the level of importance I place on culture and my facility in moving a

team of people towards a culture where children and adults can thrive. Most importantly, my prioritization and

leadership in the strategic planning process was an exercise in culture change. Our board’s adoption of clear goals

was a step towards an accountability culture that is a prerequisite to student learning. Our embrace of the

community during the process was a step towards a more collaborative approach that guides us in our work today.

Coming out of the strategic plan, my team developed and publicized the district's first annual report which

illustrated the transparency necessary to build public trust. In that annual report, we both highlighted our strengths

and were honest about our areas of growth.

Another example of my experience leading culture change was the values exercise I asked the strategy and

innovation department to go through once we completed our department's strategic plan. I believe that in order to

have a strong culture, the team must guide the creation of its values. As a result, I led my team in a three-month

process where we collectively and organically developed the values we believed would help us achieve our mission

(Student-Centered, Courage, Leadership, Teamwork, Sense of Possibility). In reflecting upon our success in the

iZone, having clear values that the team rallies behind is a central component of our success. Beyond the values,

however, a team must have rituals, traditions, and opportunities to step back and assess the degree to which it is

living into its desired culture. In our monthly department meeting, we recognize a core values winner chosen by

peers and give that person an award; we read articles and engage in discussions that are specifically linked to our

values; and we have taken surveys to wrestle with where we are showing strength in our values and where we have

room for growth. As a result of the strategy and innovation team's dedication to this process, our department

served as a catalyst for the district which is now going through a values exercise and has adopted some of our

department's values.

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 3

Finally, after developing the strategic plan, I led a great team of people to design a comprehensive performance

management system whereby departments set quantitative goals and where we engaged in a continuous

improvement process called “stat.” The stat process is designed to be high leverage, cross functional, and where we

create a culture of continuous improvement rather than a culture of "gotcha." Over the past two years, we have

chosen stat domains that we believe will lead to student learning. For example, one of this year's domains was

around improving overall district attendance. My team and I led a process whereby our working group set goals,

articulated proactive strategies, and then met every 4 to 6 weeks to look at the data and focus on where we needed

to improve. In addition to our work with internal stakeholders, we partnered with outside community groups and

agencies to get the support needed to improve overall district attendance. Though we have some time to go, district

attendance is up and suspensions are down. Though this was most decidedly a team and community effort, I am

very proud of the work of my team to implement the stat process which I believe was at the heart of our

improvement.

(c) Innovative approaches to talent and turnaround

Great people are our most valuable asset and most strategic lever to achieving the aspirations we have for children.

Prior to my work with Shelby County Schools, I recruited and coached hundreds of teachers and built two of

Tennessee's strongest teacher preparation programs as measured by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

Furthermore, as part of the district de-merger, the superintendent asked me to lead our talent management team

given my background with teacher recruitment, selection, training, and support. During this time, I was responsible

for teacher professional development and teacher evaluation for Tennessee's largest school system.

One of the core beliefs that I would bring if selected as director is that the most consequential leadership roles in

any community are that of parent, teacher, and principal. Any school district that aspires to achieve excellence must

recognize the need for exceptional leaders at both the classroom and school level. This belief has served as the

foundation for our district-led turnaround effort, the iZone.

I have had the great and distinct honor to work with and lead amazing people who have made our iZone in Shelby

County Schools a national model for district led turn around. Our work in some of Tennessee’s lowest performing

schools proves the possible with children who many people have counted out. In our iZone schools, student learning

as demonstrated by proficiency on state exams has more than doubled in our first and second cohorts; in our third

cohort we took on the distinct challenge of transforming some of our lowest performing high schools; after one

year, all of our high schools made gains in student learning and two of our high schools made nearly double digit

gains.

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 4

Our strategic approach has been centered on the core belief above – to make manifest the inherent greatness of

our children, we require exceptional people who demonstrate extraordinary leadership on behalf of children. As

such, we have given our principals full empowerment over who they hire and their strategic approach; this has

enabled us to attract some of our district's top principals into our lowest performing schools. As many teacher

surveys reveal, the chance to work with a great principal is a major incentive and our iZone principals have, in turn,

attracted some of our district's very best teachers. Further incentivizing our work in the iZone, we have salary

enhancements such as signing/retention/performance bonuses and stipends for the additional hour our educators

and staff work.

(d) Expertise with similar student populations

Some of my earliest experiences as a child combined with my experiences in the classroom led to me make a choice:

that I would spend my life and career working for children, families, and communities where the odds were longest

and steepest; that I would work to ensure that our country lives up to its greatest aspirations for all children and not

just those born into better circumstances.

As such, my entire career has been spent serving our most economically disadvantaged students whether they be

my own students as a teacher in New Orleans, the students I served while working in Texas, students who faced

extreme poverty in rural Appalachia, or the students I serve today in Memphis.

I believe that our children can reach the highest expectations and that, as adults, our moral obligation is to ensure

we never lower the bar. That said, holding high expectations cannot mean operating without empathy or

understanding that our children often need much greater supports because of the massive obstacles they face. Each

day that I spend in classrooms in our iZone, I see the indomitable spirit of our children and it gives me inspiration

and hope. As the leader of the school district, I would work to reciprocate that spirit back to our students.

Question #2: Provide at least two concrete examples, with supporting data, of efforts you were involved in that

resulted in improved student achievement.

Though there are many accomplishments for which I am proud as a leader, the two accomplishments I will review

are the work we have done in the iZone to turn around our lowest performing schools and the work we did during

my tenure with Teach For America in Tennessee where we designed and built two of the strongest teacher

preparation programs in the state. These accomplishments were true team efforts, but I am proud of the leadership

role I played in both.

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 5

iZone

Each cohort of schools in the iZone has shown remarkable achievement and this is my third school year leading the

team. The data below reflects a composite of proficiency along math, reading, and science. The source of the data is

the Tennessee Department of Education.

� Cohort 1: nearly five point gains in student proficiency since 2013

� Cohort 2: nineteen point gains in student proficiency since 2013

� Cohort 3: nearly five point gains in student proficiency since joining the innovation zone in 2014

My most important responsibility in this work is similar to what a director of schools would do: recruit, select,

develop an incredibly strong team; set expectations on everything from teaching and learning to how we have to

operate in order to get to the top 25%; set the strategic direction and culture; and, most importantly, coach the

team. I spend several hours in schools each week to observe teaching and learning and to develop a strong bench

for more senior leadership roles within our iZone structure. Further, I have cultivated relationships in the

community such that we have been able to secure $10 million from local philanthropy to support our efforts.

Teacher Prep Program: Teach For America

I launched Teach For America in Memphis in 2006 and Teach For America Nashville in 2009; one of my immediate

goals was to establish Teach For America as a certifying body in the state. I believed pursuing this designation would

help keep us accountable to our district partners and, most importantly, to the students that we served. I managed

and then supervised both locations until I left to join the cabinet in Shelby County Schools in July of 2013.

During my tenure, we established Teach For America as one of the top teacher preparation programs in the state of

Tennessee, showing a statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of traditionally and alternatively

licensed teachers with one to three years of experience in the areas below. All data comes from the Tennessee

Higher Education Commission's Report Card on Effectiveness of Teacher Training Programs.

� 2010: Math, Reading Language Arts, Science, Social Studies

� 2011: Reading Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Algebra I

� 2012: Science, Social Studies

� 2013: Math, Reading Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Algebra I, Biology, English II, English III

METRO NASHVILLE DIRECTOR OF SCHOOLS CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

BRADLEY LEON · P 6

Overall, when teachers illustrate a statistically significant positive impact, it means that children are learning at a

comparatively high level. Designing and building both of these programs demonstrates my ability to align curriculum

to meaningful standards, coach teachers, and work across subjects to achieve strong impact for children.

Question #3: Why are you uniquely qualified to serve as Nashville’s next Director of Schools? What do

you bring to the table others might not offer?

Though I am confident there are other very impressive candidates, I believe I have the right set of skills,

experiences, and familiarity with the Tennessee educational landscape that make me a strong candidate for this

position.

My career includes being named teacher of the year as an eighth grade language arts and social studies teacher,

recruiting and coaching hundreds of teachers, and designing and building two of Tennessee's strongest teacher

preparation programs. In my current role as the chief of strategy and innovation for Shelby County Schools,

Tennessee's largest school system, I work with children who face severe challenges and that mirror the challenges

faced by students in Nashville. In this capacity, I lead seven divisions within the organization as diverse as the iZone

to our performance management team and was asked to take on this broader portfolio of work after having been

hired for a different cabinet role because of my ability to build relationships with people from very different

backgrounds and who have very different beliefs. Further, in this role I led our district strategic planning effort,

"Destination 2025," launched a blended learning pilot in 18 schools, designed a comprehensive performance

management system, raised more than $14 million from private philanthropy to support district initiatives, and lead

our turnaround efforts in the iZone.

Furthermore, my familiarity with the Tennessee educational landscape will be a boon to Nashville’s long-running

strategic efforts. Nashville has been home base for me for more than two decades; my grandfather moved to

Nashville 25 years ago, my mother came to middle Tennessee shortly thereafter. Though I have much to learn, I

have come to know this community and believe in its potential.

Most importantly, however, what makes me a strong fit for this position is the way that I have led. Throughout my

career, I have demonstrated the ability to deliver significant impact for children because I have consistently built

and coached diverse, high-performing teams; I have consistently built coalitions so that a community can move

forward united despite the diversity of its views; I have consistently built relationships with people from very

different backgrounds and who have very different beliefs about our work; and I have consistently developed and

reinforced culture so that adults and children thrive and reach their highest potential.

Notes