Alex Kuiper
Grand Rapids,MI
Summary
Motivated leader with over ten years of teaching and leadership experience. Relationship-oriented and servant leader who excels in building and guiding teams. Passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion in education. Experience in elementary education, English as a second language, anti-racism and culturally responsive teaching, PBIS and classroom management, SEL, data-driven learning, the arts and cultivating relationships between school administration and faculty. Literate in Spanish.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Chief Operating Officer
Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities
04.2024 - Current
- Streamlined operations by implementing efficient processes and systems, leading to increased productivity and cost savings.
- Improved employee satisfaction and reduced turnover through the development of effective training programs and performance management systems.
- Oversaw seven different programs and two facilities, including program evaluation, budget, and facility needs and operations.
- Supervised and coached 6 direct managers and over 40 indirect employees.
- Managed a 1.1 million dollar budget, including negotiating staff pay.
- Oversaw day-to-day operations to keep organization running smoothly while meeting program goals.
- Cultivated strategic alliances, forging relationships with industry leaders that facilitated knowledge exchange and co-innovation. Including partnerships with ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Public Library, among others.
Assistant Principal
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
06.2022 - 04.2024
- Developed strategies to improve student behavior school-wide and help teachers better manage classroom environments.
- Spearheaded training initiatives for teachers by leading training on topics such as Non-Violent Crisis Intervention and Restorative Practices.
- Supervised and Evaluated over 30 staff members utilizing district-mandated evaluation tool.
- Participated in District Improvement Team and Led School Improvement Team to create both districtwide and schoolwide goals and strategic plan.
- Implemented effective communication channels between administrators, teachers, students, and parents to foster strong relationships within school community.
- Improved school performance by developing and implementing data-driven instructional strategies.
- Mentored new teachers in navigating their roles within school system effectively.
Founding Co-Chair, District Equity Committee
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
08.2020 - 08.2023
- Co-founded district equity steering committee, one of first in county, to insure district is aligned with equity policy.
- Led group of multiple stakeholders: superintendents, building leadership, teachers, support staff, parents, students, and community members.
- Chaired shareholder meetings, disseminating information and fielded questions
- Created committee vision and mission statement aligned with Board of Education's district equity policy.
- Facilitated and led discussions around equity in teacher recruitment and retention, curriculum and pedagogy, community engagement, and policies and procedures.
- Implemented and facilitated 4 workshops with teachers on Culturally Responsive Teaching practices.
- Analyzed data and led community discussion on student perception of equity and SEL in school district. Including discussions on race and LGBTQ+ topics within education.
- Trained as Equity Literacy Trainer with Dr. Paul Gorski.
Elementary School Teacher
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
01.2016 - 08.2022
- Taught grades 3rd, 4th, 5th and split-level 4th/5th.
- Worked as Multilingual Language Specialist; working with students and teachers to advance multilingual proficiency amongst students.
- Worked as part of MTSS-PBIS team as co-coach. Collected and analyzed school-wide behavior data. Created, trained, and implemented Tier 1 and Tier 2 behavior supports.
- Leader on School Improvement Team. Assisted in creation of Tiered Fidelity Inventory in order to assess progress towards school building goals.
- Trained other teachers on SEL program. Analyzed data on school-wide SEL for students and worked with team to implement anti-racist practices within SEL curriculum.
- Assisted with curriculum review and choosing new curriculum for both math and language arts. Analyzed school-wide data, assessed curriculums utilizing both curriculum-specific rubrics and anti-bias/equity rubrics.
Education
Master of Arts - Educational Leadership (K-12)
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI2021
Master of Arts - Curriculum And Instruction
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, IL2018
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI2015
Skills
- Group Facilitation and Presentations
- Instructional Leadership
- Relationship Building and Networking
- Goal Planning
- Team Building
- Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion
- Literate in Spanish
- Classroom and Behavioral Management
Certification
Michigan Administration Certifications
- Elementary & Secondary Administrator K-12 (ES)
Michigan Teaching Certifications
- K-5 All Subjects (ZG)
- English as a Second Language (NS)
- Mathematics (EX)
- Integrated Science (DI)
Timeline
Chief Operating Officer
Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities
04.2024 - Current
Assistant Principal
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
06.2022 - 04.2024
Founding Co-Chair, District Equity Committee
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
08.2020 - 08.2023
Elementary School Teacher
Godfrey-Lee Public Schools
01.2016 - 08.2022
Master of Arts - Educational Leadership (K-12)
Western Michigan University
Master of Arts - Curriculum And Instruction
Olivet Nazarene University
Bachelor of Science - Elementary Education
Ferris State University
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