Laura Schulz

2023 District Enrollment: 27,173 Students

2023 District 2023 Demographics: 26.1% White, 30.8% Black, 31.4% Hispanic, 3.9% Asian, . 2% American Indian, .1% Pacific Islander, 7.5% Two or More

• Effectively lead, coach, and supervise 24 Fine Arts teacher leaders and led 17 Physical Education and Health teacher leaders, fostering professional growth, collaboration, and program excellence to elevate educational outcomes
• Developed and enhanced capacity by providing comprehensive support and coaching to all K-12 Fine Arts teachers in areas such as instructional design, classroom management, and district processes.
• Co-led the Return to Learn Fine Arts Committee for the 2020-2021 school year, developing and implementing strategies to navigate the challenges of the pandemic and ensure a safe and effective return to arts education.
• Designed a comprehensive remote instructional plan for elementary specialists, fostering continued learning and engagement during a period of remote and hybrid instruction.
• Fostered strong professional relationships with colleagues to identify and leverage their strengths while providing guidance and support to develop areas of improvement, contributing to a collaborative and high-performing team.
• Utilized analytical and problem-solving abilities within the curriculum department to develop effective solutions for challenging situations, contributing to overall district success.
• Collaborated with staff to identify and address institutional challenges, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
• Designed and executed professional development programs for Fine Arts, Physical Education and Health educators, fostering continuous growth, innovation, and pedagogical best practices within the department.
• Led successful resource adoptions for Music, Art, Theatre, and Health programs, meticulously evaluating and selecting educational materials that enriched the curriculum and elevated the quality of instruction across diverse disciplines.
• Advocated for and obtained funding to send teachers to relevant professional learning conferences, enriching their expertise and building capacity within professional learning communities.
• Designed systems to simplify curricular material requests, guaranteeing equitable access to resources for all K-12 Fine Arts, Physical Education, and Health programs within the district.
• Collaborated with the Director of Fine Arts to identify co-curricular intersections, enhancing interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
• Successfully advocated for the creation and secured approval for a new central office administrative position dedicated to supporting Physical Education and Health, effectively enhancing the department's resources and administrative capacity.
• Initiated, recruited, and facilitated 7 new curriculum leadership teams for Elementary Specials, Secondary Health, and High School Art, promoting collaboration and curriculum development or enhancement.
• Guided and played a key role in the development and revision of district Type 2 Focus Skill Assessments for Band, Orchestra, Choir, and Theatre, ensuring they align with district educational goals and standards.
• Championed, designed, and successfully implemented a District PLC Charter, facilitating collaboration between elementary specialists and secondary Fine Arts teachers in content-based professional learning communities.
• Established and managed consulting contracts to bring specialized clinicians to the school district, delivering tailored and relevant professional learning opportunities for K-12 Fine Arts, Physical Education, and Health educators, elevating the overall quality of education in these areas.
• Effectively advocated for K-12 Fine Arts education, actively engaging in educational efforts to educate building and district leadership about the importance and benefits of Fine Arts programs, ultimately securing support and resources for the arts in the curriculum.

• Created, managed, and implemented a website of instructional resources to support music teachers with remote asynchronous and synchronous instruction during the pandemic.
• Guided music colleagues through common assessment development, Short Cycle Goals, SMART goals for evaluation, data driven instruction and district initiatives.
• Facilitated the District Secondary Instrumental Music Professional Learning Community.
• Collaborated with instrumental and vocal curriculum implementation leaders the redesign of district type 2 assessments for band, orchestra, and choir.
• Coached instrumental music colleagues in district curriculum implementation, best practice instructional and assessment strategies, and district instrumental music processes.

• Co-authored application that won Kennedy Middle School a $5.6 million school improvement grant.
• Analyzed and communicated tardy, attendance, and referral data for state reports over the life of the school improvement grant.
• Co-authored building proposals for stipends, committee design, and professional development calendars.
• Analyzed sight visit data and designed creative ways to disperse information to building staff.
• Designed, implemented, and served as committee lead for a Student Leadership Team (SLT Jr.) for Kennedy Middle School.
• Developed and analyzed system data to monitor behavior and academic data of student leaders on SLT Jr.
• Implemented proactive restorative practices for student leaders to stay on track academically and behaviorally.
• Designed, implemented, and monitored the success of The Wildcat Way, a building wide team competition between grade levels to help lower referrals, tardiness, and hallway behaviors.
• Presented The Wildcat Way competition data to key stakeholders.
• Designed student incentive lotto ticket for positive behavior and analyzed data surrounding the impact of the incentive on behavior.
• Instructed students in Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theatre, Guitar and General Music at Kennedy Middle School and the Creative and Performing Arts program at West Middle School.
• Revitalized the music programs through relationship building, creative routines and structures, and innovative lesson plans.
• Increased enrollment in Band at Kennedy Middle School from 20 to 115 students, growing the program from one band class to five.
• Mentored struggling students with individualized approach to enhance learning.
• Facilitated the Electives PLC at Kennedy and guided work on common assessment development, Short Cycle Goals, danielson evaluation SMART goals, data driven instruction and building/district initiatives.
• Member of the School Improvement Team at Kennedy Middle School for 6 years and acted in the roles of facilitator, norms monitor, and scribe.

• Revamped and improved the music classroom through relationship building, creatively innovative lesson plans, and capacity building in classroom routines and procedures.
• Designed, promoted, and directed two extra-curricular show choir programs for upper level elementary students that performed in the community.