Marsha L. Sears

EDUCATIONAL VISION: All students and staff can learn when the curriculum, instruction, and job-embedded learning is designed to meet all learners at their readiness level. A successful working environment can be achieved through high expectations, high emotional intelligence, clear goals, effective communication both verbal and written, effective organizational management, and systems approach for growth and sustainability.. A culture of consistency and collaboration with district level, school level and community levels working in concert to improve teaching and learning in Georgia schools.

Knowledgeable educational leader with proven track record of leading organizations to growth and success through strategic planning and innovative problem-solving. Successfully managed diverse teams, driving operational efficiency, and fostering collaborative environments. Demonstrated excellence in financial oversight and stakeholder engagement.

• Office of Executive Director of Professional Development, Dekalb County School District, Stone Mountain, GA, 02/01/25, Present, Partner with all students focused departments at the district office level to support new teachers at the beginning of the school year and throughout the school year., Review and revise the Principal’s Tool Kit for new principals., Provide feedback to the Professional Learning Facilitators., Partnered with various departments for the district-wide initiative of Professional Learning Communities.
• Principal, Murphey Candler Elementary, Stonecrest, GA, 08/01/17, 01/31/25, Met all 2024 CCRPI targets and received stars in the economically disadvantage and SWD subgroups., Increased CCRPI Student Literacy by double digit gains (+22.45) from 2022-2024., Led staff to implement instructional practices to improve student achievement, resulting in the removal from any state identified lists (2022)., Motivated the staff to apply for grants and both the music and art department received grants., Reorganized a strategic plan to reengage and increase community partners, post COVID, by mid-year 2022, we increased our partnerships by 50%., Demonstrated strong curriculum management, as evidence of double-digit gains for the 2019 CCRPI administration, which removed our school from the Ga DOE Comprehensive School Improvement List., Partnered with GA DOE Office of School Improvement in the 'Growing Readers Program' to strengthen K-3rd reading teachers., Featured in the GA DOE Office of Improvement December 2019 Newsletter- 'Murphey Candler Elementary is Serious about Literacy!', Partnered with AARP/United Way Afterschool Tutorial program that focus on supporting students in reading grades K-3rd Grade.
• Assistant Principal, Wynbrooke Theme School, Stone Mountain, GA, 08/01/16, 06/30/17, Co-Chairperson of the Strategic Academic Committee that targeted high performing students., Spearheaded a safety net committee for the lowest 25% performing students in reading and math., Mentored teacher-leaders to build building and district level capacity., Modeled expectations for a standard-based classroom., Facilitated professional learning in best practices for a three-part-lesson.
• Summer Administrator, Jolly Elementary, 06/01/17, 08/31/17, Supported teachers with the iReady program and various instructional best practices for the Georgia Milestones re-test., Ensure all standard operating procedures were implemented for the arrival and return home for all the students.
• Assistant Principal, Dunaire Elementary, Stone Mountain, GA, 12/01/12, 06/30/16, Improved dismissal accuracy by 99% due to various and strategic standard operating procedures., Provided curriculum coaching, restorative practices and parent engagement that led to a 15% decrease in student incidences., Trained and strengthen effective lesson planning which resulted in an increase in Level 3 students in Science by an average of 6% and Social Studies by 4%., Supervised the Safe School Committee that created standard operating procedures that led to consistently meeting or exceeding audit expectations.
• Success For All Facilitator (SFA), Columbia Elementary, Decatur, GA, 08/01/12, 11/30/12, Provided job embedded, standards-based professional learning to assist teachers., Assisted the Principal and leadership team in the classification of student performance data.

• CCRPI Double Digit Gains 2024
• Turnaround Principal 2022
• CCRPI Double Digit Gains 2019
• Teacher of the Year-Glen Haven Elementary 2010-2011

• P-12 Educational Leadership
• Crucial Conversation Certificate
• P-5 Early Childhood Education
• 4-8 Middle Grades: Concentration-Social Science
• Teacher Leader Endorsement-MRESA 05/01/12
• District Summer Leadership Conference presenter (Cooking up Effective Teams)-2010
• Presenter at the National Staff Development Council 42nd Annual Conference. (Peer Observations Lead to Collegial Conversations)-2011