Lauren Musial (Perez Pietruszka)

• Coach principals, assistant principals, instructional leadership team (ILT) leads, post-secondary leads, and 9th grade team leads, locally and nationally, to implement research-based strategies that center student voice, strengthen schoolwide systems, foster collaborative leadership, and drive measurable improvements in student outcomes and experiences through data-informed cycles of improvement
• Design and facilitate adult learning for the Midwest Regional Network by adapting Chicago-based coaching strategies, codified curriculum, and equity frameworks to local contexts, building foundational data systems and team routines that helped the network surpass its on-track goals through more focused, high-impact coaching
• Designed and led the annual 4-day Leading Professional Learning Communities institute, equipping educators nationwide with facilitative leadership and equity-focused tools to launch high-impact PLCs, while building a community of practice for sharing expertise, solving leadership challenges, and sustaining improvement, resulting in 100% model implementation in partner schools

• Cultivate high-impact partnerships with school leaders, driving significant improvements in student outcomes: increasing 9th-grade On-Track rates from 88% to 97% and 3.0+ GPA rates rose from 26% to 45% for Chicago's most vulnerable students (2018-2022)
• Design and facilitate a networked improvement community for 9th grade leaders, emphasizing sustainable systems for successful high school transitions, with 100% of participants reporting deepened capacity to improve outcomes for underserved students after each convening in 2023
• Spearheaded 9th grade measurement strategy that supported coaches in collecting and analyzing data for improvement, while collaborating with coaches to share best practices and refine coaching approaches, strengthening team performance and embedding data-driven decision-making across our networks
• Facilitate biweekly data huddles for 9th grade coaches, guiding collaborative analysis of coaching, improvement, and school outcome data to monitor progress, problem-solve challenges, and strategize effective coaching and implementation approaches, empowering fellow coaches to drive continuous improvement and advance student success
• Elevated the visibility and impact of local improvement work by presenting data-driven results and innovative coaching methods at major national forums-positioning the Freshman Success model as an exemplar for advancing equity, amplifying student voice, and building networked improvement communities in schools nationwide, in direct alignment with NCS’s mission to drive sustainable, transformative change
• Contributed to the Gates Foundation’s Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Community of Practice, collaborating with peer intermediaries at national convenings to share lessons learned, exchange resources, and co-design equity-driven improvement strategies, helping position our network as a leader in advancing student outcomes through collective learning and cross-network capacity-building

• Designed and implemented multifaceted support strategy to increase academic success, social-emotional development, and graduation rates aimed at retaining and advancing over 750 undergraduates, with a specific focus on first-year, first-generation, and male students, resulting in historic Foundation improvements in first-year retention and overall undergraduate GPAs
• Created robust data and knowledge management systems to track academic progress, milestones, interventions, and student feedback ensuring 100% accuracy of Scholar profiles
• Facilitated weekly Directors meetings to analyze Scholar data, identify trends, determine action steps, and communicate Scholar progress to Executive Board
• Established strategic partnerships with campus liaisons at 50+ universities, fostering student support initiatives and transparent communication, contributing to increased first-year college retention and graduation rates
• Designed and executed a new policy process that ensured 100% compliance for all undergraduates, streamlining $2.5+ million in fund distribution annually with campus and state coordinators and enhancing program integrity.
• Directed summer residential teaching institute for over 200 newly inducted Scholars and residential staff, including 20+ on-site placements and experiential learning partnerships with Lurie Children's Hospital, EMABRC, and LEAP Innovations

• Collaborated with school leaders to establish Freshman Academy - the first grade-level team at Thomas Kelly High School supporting 9th grade students to increase high school graduation and post-secondary success
• Cultivated highly efficacious team of over 60 adult learners leveraging Adult Learning Principles to enact supportive tier 1 and tier 2 systems and structures resulting in school record-high On-Track to graduation rating
• Developed data systems and organizational structures to facilitate grade-level team collaboration and decision-making regarding student supports, interventions, and access to post-secondary coursework
• Provided ongoing professional development aligned to targeted instructional areas utilizing key developmental and post-secondary research
• Executed workshops, assemblies, family nights, and freshman orientations designed to maximize family and community engagement

• Created integrated literacy curriculum using Understanding by Design for students below 50th percentile using metacognitive reading, writing, speaking, and listening techniques under Reading Apprenticeship framework
• Implemented AVID curriculum to develop students' college and career readiness including organization, time-management, critical thinking, close reading, writing, research, presentation, and inquiry skills
• Collaborated with AVID site team members to create programs, activities, and workshops that support students and families in exploring and navigating college-going processes, financial aid, and postsecondary career options beginning in 9th grade
• Aligned curricula with department members, ensuring students at Goode STEM Academy make progress towards obtaining associate degree before graduation
• Conducted professional development sessions for staff members on current instructional trends including CHAMPS classroom management, Social Emotional Learning, and adolescent development research