Years of professional experience
Zaharah Valentine
Parkville,MD
Summary
Extensive practical knowledge in continuous improvement management and specialized skills in urban education, successfully leading efforts to bring about measurable improvements in Baltimore City Public Schools as an award-winning principal and senior-level district administrator. Strategic leadership, policy development, executive coaching, and effective stakeholder collaboration have been critical in supporting state reform initiatives in DC Public Schools, Maryland State Department of Education, and Rhode Island Department of Education. Driven by an unwavering commitment to creating inclusive, safe learning environments that facilitate student and teacher success by promoting academic excellence through equity-driven innovative approaches.
Overview
16
16
8
8
years of professional experience
Skills
- Educational Leadership: Directed and led successful initiatives to improve secondary school support, resulting in measurable academic advancements and enhanced student engagement
- Policy Development: Demonstrated expertise in policy development and evaluation, driving organizational improvements and ensuring compliance with educational standards
- Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaborated effectively with teachers, administrators, and parents to build strong partnerships and implement programs that support diverse student needs
- Executive Coaching: Empowered educational leaders through executive coaching, enabling them to achieve exceptional results
- Equity and Inclusion: Championed equity-centered education practices to ensure fair and accessible learning opportunities for all students
- System-Wide Impact: Achieved transformative outcomes at district and state levels, advancing educational excellence
Work History
Director – Secondary School Support
Baltimore City Public School System
02.2023 - Current
- Project Managed district-wide graduation logistics and communication for 21 high schools by collaborating with staff and stakeholders to effectively plan and implement ceremonies, supporting the validation of over 3,500 scholars.
- Increased formal partnerships with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) by 300% by creating a solid infrastructure to effectively implement Kirwan-aligned initiatives to facilitate equity-driven dual enrollment programs for sustainable growth.
- Led SAT exam implementation for all high schools in the district, which affected more than 23,000 students, by providing tailored training, guidance, and support to adult learners.
- Collaborated with school board officials and stakeholders to identify areas for improvement in curricula and student enrichment activities.
Startup Founder & CEO
Valentine's Alliance
01.2022 - Current
- Cultivated forward-thinking, inclusive, and performance-oriented school culture to lead in transformational school innovation and push progress for diverse scholars in urban school communities.
- Collaborated with school board officials to assess areas for improvement in curricula, classrooms, testing, student enrichment activities, parent engagement, and school facilities.
- Delivered and facilitated targeted training and reflective support to adult learners in various fields on leadership development, student achievement, stakeholder access, strategic scheduling, and equity-centered decision-making, with clients reporting 4.5 out of 5-star ratings in highly effective facilitation.
- Evaluated and monitored school systems' usage of nationally research-validated best practices at each level to create and implement corrective actions to bring districts, schools, leaders, and teachers into data-driven compliance.
Director - Educator Pipelines & Induction
Baltimore City Public School System
10.2020 - 02.2023
- Envisioned and led the efforts to develop City Schools' equity-centered three-year Professional Development Continuum for early-career Teachers, Mentor Teachers, Assistant Principals, and Principals grounded in national standards, evaluation indicators, and research-validated best practices.
- Coached, managed, and evaluated staff members who served as professional developers for over 3,000 stakeholders, ranging from Early-career Teachers, School-based Mentors, newly appointed Assistant Principals, and Principals.
- Researched, evaluated, and drafted initiatives to strengthen and sustain principal pipelines contributing to City Schools securing $8.2 million in grant funding.
- Program managed, supervised, evaluated, and made recommendations for third-party partners, including long-standing partners such as New Leaders and New Teacher Center.
Appointed Transformational Principal
Baltimore Design School
05.2016 - 10.2020
- Served as highest-ranking administrator, levering an annual budget of $5 million to develop and expand equity-center initiatives aligned to student wholeness, achievement, and staff recruitment & professional development, resulting in yearly high school graduation rates of 95% or higher.
- Built legacy structures while leading and coaching diverse Instructional Leadership team members using results from standards-aligned formative, interim, and summative assessments to develop corrective action plans for continuous instructional improvement, leading to double-digit gains in high school literacy rates (13.3% to 51.9%).
- Utilized assessment results, staff individualized career goals, and culturally responsive indicators to design and implement equity-centered professional development and training to encourage staff to seek personal leadership awareness and growth, leading to annual retention rates of 85% or higher.
- Researched and secured over $2 million in technology enhancement funding from Verizon's Digital Promise Innovative Learning Program, providing 1:1 computer devices for every scholar and teacher, data connectivity, and access to training and coaching.
New Leaders - Principal Resident
Baltimore City College High School
06.2015 - 05.2016
- Mentored and led instructional leadership team members, intentionally aligning each member's career and School Performance Plan goals and objectives to meet or exceed expectations.
- Managed oversight of faculty evaluations and observations based on standards-aligned planning processes, City Schools' Instructional Framework Rubric, and Danielson Evaluation Framework.
- Analyzed and triangulated multiple data points to provide targeted feedback for growth on teacher-created Student Learning Objectives (SLOs).
- Assisted with managing school-wide celebrations for scholars and teachers while enforcing student-developed restorative discipline initiatives for 1,300 high school scholars.
Education
ICF-Accredited Associate Certified Coach Training - Associate Certified Coach
Montgomery College
Rockville, MD12.2023
Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management
Google
Mountain View, CA10.2023
Master of Arts - Teaching & Learning
National University
La Jolla, CA06.2010
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science and International Studies
Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD05.2007
MSDE Admin II - Equity Driven Principal Leadership Training
New Leaders
Baltimore, MD05.2016
MSDE Admin I - Equity Driven Instructional Leadership Training
New Leaders
Baltimore, MD06.2015
Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) - Special Education & Elementary & Middle School
Maryland State Department of Education
Baltimore, MD05.2008
Timeline
Director – Secondary School Support
Baltimore City Public School System
02.2023 - Current
Startup Founder & CEO
Valentine's Alliance
01.2022 - Current
Director - Educator Pipelines & Induction
Baltimore City Public School System
10.2020 - 02.2023
Appointed Transformational Principal
Baltimore Design School
05.2016 - 10.2020
New Leaders - Principal Resident
Baltimore City College High School
06.2015 - 05.2016
ICF-Accredited Associate Certified Coach Training - Associate Certified Coach
Montgomery College
Project Management Professional (PMP) - Project Management
Google
Master of Arts - Teaching & Learning
National University
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science and International Studies
Morgan State University
MSDE Admin II - Equity Driven Principal Leadership Training
New Leaders
MSDE Admin I - Equity Driven Instructional Leadership Training
New Leaders
Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) - Special Education & Elementary & Middle School
Maryland State Department of Education
Consulting Partners
- ABL Schools - Pathways to Equity & Access for Students
- Kelefors Education Reform - Practice, Policy, and Research
- Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Expert Review Team - Statewide School Effectiveness of 1,427 Schools
- XQ Super Schools - Racial Equity-Centered High School Redesign (DC Public Schools & Rhode Island Department of Education)
Consulting Partners
ABL Schools - Pathways to Equity & Access for Students
Kelefors Education Reform - Practice, Policy, and Research
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) - Expert Review Team Member
XQ Super Schools - Racial Equity-Centered High School Redesign
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