Preston Weaver
Antioch,TN
Summary
Innovative and equity-driven Social Studies Content Lead, Instructional Coach, and AP/EL Specialist with 12+ years of experience transforming instructional practice and student outcomes across diverse school communities. Excels at designing culturally responsive curricula, leading professional development, mentoring educators, and implementing high-impact, data-driven systems. Recognized districtwide for raising achievement, advancing equity initiatives, empowering English Learners, and creating rigorous, joyful, identity-affirming classrooms. Adept at bridging pedagogy, leadership, and community partnerships to build schools where all students thrive as critical thinkers and global citizens.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Department Chair • High School History Teacher • Instructional Leadership Team
Cane Ridge High School
08.2023 - Current
- Serve as Department Chair, leading curriculum alignment, assessment practices, and instructional support for the Social Studies department.
- Earned Level 4 LOE, demonstrating strong instructional effectiveness and growth.
- Co-created the school’s first sheltered U.S. History course in partnership with the EL Department, expanding multilingual learner access to grade-level content.
- Active member of the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), contributing to schoolwide equity planning, data reviews, and teacher capacity-building initiatives.
- Develop and facilitate professional learning on culturally responsive teaching, AP scaffolding, historical inquiry, assessment strategies, and AI integration.
- Selected for the district’s Inaugural AI Implementation Team; collaborated on districtwide design of EL scaffolds for U.S. History.
- Mentor and coach new teachers; support vertical alignment across World History, U.S. Government, APUSH, and African American Studies.
- Participate in key school and district committees: AVID Team, ILT, Advanced Academics Committee, Health Academy Committee, and Assessment Task Force.
- Implement innovative, student-centered learning structures such as station rotations, seminar cycles, document analysis labs, and civic-action projects.
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher • Grade-Level Team Lead • Teacher of the Year
Antioch Middle School
08.2020 - 05.2023
- Provided instructional and organizational leadership as 8th Grade Team Lead, coordinating interdisciplinary planning, schoolwide initiatives, data cycles, and family-engagement events that strengthened school culture, collaboration, and academic alignment.
- Achieved Overall Effectiveness Level 5 for two consecutive years, demonstrating transformational impact by moving large cohorts of students from Level 1 → Level 5 proficiency, including significant gains during post-pandemic recovery.
- Awarded Antioch Middle School Teacher of the Year (2022–2023) and placed as a Top 3 District Finalist for outstanding pedagogy, leadership, and commitment to equity and student empowerment.
- Completed the Lipscomb University EL Certification Cohort, implementing high-impact scaffolds that increased multilingual learner access to grade-level standards and improved assessment performance.
- Designed and facilitated targeted after-school interventions, writing labs, and tutoring programs that boosted mastery, filled learning gaps, and increased high school readiness.
- Mentored and coached first-year educators, supporting them in lesson design, classroom management, assessment literacy, and culturally responsive instructional practices.
- Led grade-level data conversations, strategic planning sessions, and instructional adjustments, contributing to measurable schoolwide improvement and consistent academic growth.
High School Social Studies Teacher
Clinton High School
08.2016 - 05.2020
- Designed and delivered engaging, standards-aligned curriculum for World History and U.S. History, emphasizing civic literacy, global competency, and real-world application of historical concepts.
- Led instruction integrating primary-source analysis, document-based investigations, and comparative world studies, strengthening student critical thinking and historical reasoning.
- Collaborated with district leaders to revise pacing guides, update curriculum maps, and align common assessments, ensuring rigor, consistency, and vertical alignment across the department.
- Built an inclusive, identity-affirming classroom culture that fostered curiosity, respectful discourse, and increased student confidence in civic expression and participation.
- Partnered with colleagues to analyze data, design interventions, and adjust instruction, contributing to improved proficiency and growth across the social studies team.
- Sponsored and supported student extracurricular and civic activities, encouraging leadership development, collaboration, and community engagement.
- Integrated technology and multimedia tools to deepen understanding of complex historical, geographic, and political ideas while supporting diverse learning styles.
- Served as an administrative substitute during leadership absences and actively shadowed administrators as part of Educational Leadership master’s program preparation.
- Contributed at the district level by helping revise policies and procedures, supporting systemwide clarity, alignment, and operational improvement.
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher • School Leadership & Culture Committees
Clinton Middle School
08.2013 - 05.2016
- Implemented data-driven instructional interventions that raised state assessment performance and closed achievement gaps for underperforming students through targeted reteaching, small-group instruction, and mastery checks.
- Designed thematic, inquiry-based learning units—replacing a traditional chronological sequence in U.S. History—to deepen conceptual understanding, build historical thinking skills, and increase student ownership of learning.
- Created highly engaging learning experiences, including simulation-based lessons, interactive map explorations, primary-source analysis labs, structured debates, and collaborative group investigations, resulting in increased participation and academic mastery.
- Served on the school’s Leadership and Culture Committees, contributing to schoolwide climate initiatives, engagement strategies, restorative approaches, and positive behavior systems.
- Collaborated with colleagues to implement consistent schoolwide expectations and restorative practices, strengthening classroom culture, reducing disruptions, and improving student accountability.
- Led grade-level planning sessions and shared best practices in lesson design, differentiation, and formative assessment strategies, supporting instructional improvement across the team.
- Built strong, trust-based relationships with students and families through clear communication, culturally responsive instruction, and community-building activities.
- Integrated emerging technology, multimedia resources, and digital tools to enhance historical understanding, support diverse learners, and increase instructional accessibility.
Education
Certificate - English-as-a-Second-Language Education
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN05-2023
Master of Science - Educational Administration
Carson Newman University
Jefferson City, TN05-2019
Bachelor of Science - Secondary Education
Tennessee Technological University
Cookeville, TN05-2013
Skills
- Instructional Leadership & Systems Design
- Curriculum Architecture & Vertical Alignment
- Department & Grade-Level Team Leadership
- Instructional Coaching & Teacher Development
- English Learner (EL) Program Design & Access
- AP US History & AP African American Studies Leadership
- Data-Driven School Improvement & Growth Acceleration
- Equity-Centered, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Professional Learning Design & Facilitation
- Change Management in Complex School Environments
Timeline
Department Chair • High School History Teacher • Instructional Leadership Team
Cane Ridge High School
08.2023 - Current
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher • Grade-Level Team Lead • Teacher of the Year
Antioch Middle School
08.2020 - 05.2023
High School Social Studies Teacher
Clinton High School
08.2016 - 05.2020
8th Grade Social Studies Teacher • School Leadership & Culture Committees
Clinton Middle School
08.2013 - 05.2016
Certificate - English-as-a-Second-Language Education
Lipscomb University
Master of Science - Educational Administration
Carson Newman University
Bachelor of Science - Secondary Education
Tennessee Technological University