Gregory Gardner, Ed.D

Experience

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  Sam's Club

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2007

  Operations Manager

  • Streamlined business operations by analyzing daily reports and performance quotas, and created individual department delegates to manage their individual teams.• Set performance goals and monitored progress through daily sales and comparisons with other regions and held weekly conference calls to help determine strength and growth areas for all departments.• Developed an employee merit performance system to help employees improve their ability to work in different areas, which led to 70% of employees being certified to work proficiently in three or more areas. • Reported performance trends to store manager and taught training courses for new managers and rising store leaders. Show less

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  Griffin-Spalding County Schools

  Jan 2007 - Jun 2018

  • Developed curriculum for Positive Behavior Instructional Support system to help teachers train students for school's campaign to improve character education.• Planned student incentives and Positive Behavior Support celebrations to recognize students who consistently had no behavior referrals. Led to consistent decreases in discipline referrals each year, with the highest being a 26% decrease in referrals for the 2012 school year.• Mentored and modeled best practices for classroom management for new teachers and helped improve classroom management for all mentors. Show less • Advocated for more technology in the classroom and volunteered to conduct professional development on technology for teachers, which led to the development of computer labs for each grade level, five iPad labs, two laptop lab carts, Apple TV integration, ELMO projectors for Language Arts and Science teachers, and Mimeo technologies in all classrooms.• Trained teachers to use Apple TV while using iPads in the class, which led to an increase in the use of technology throughout the school and a decrease in discipline referrals, which teachers attributed to improved student engagement through technology.• Conducted professional learning sessions to help teachers improve parent communication through Google Sites and Remind 101. Led to a 65% increase in school-wide parent communication.• Conducted research on effective grading software, which led to the implementation of GradeCam on all grade levels and an increase in formative instruction. Show less • Built relationships with students by establishing positive rapport while upholding professional expectations, which resulted in a decrease in overall discipline referrals for eighth-grade students.• Created a positive, safe learning environment for all students to ensure instructional time was optimized in the classroom through the use of well-thought-out policies and procedures.• Implemented the use of Kidblog, Wikispaces, and Blendspace as a technology resource for writing and grammar, which resulted in a school-wide initiative to incorporate these technology tools and promote competency in the use of technology as a teaching tool.• Promoted positive communications amongst all stakeholders in the organization by forming partnerships with business owners and inviting them to speak to the students about post-secondary options.• Helped students master performance standards through the use of differentiated instruction and flexible groups. • Incorporated rigor and relevance to prepare students for real world situations and created the annual “Back to the Roots of Savannah” three-day overnight trip for eighth grade students, which led to students being exposed to historical sites and events in Savannah, Georgia. • Handled and minimized the multitude of problems that involved students, their families, and the community and reacted quickly and responsibly in emergency situations. Show less

  • Postive Behavior Support (PBIS) & Teacher Mentor

    Jan 2008 - Jun 2018

  • Technology in Classrooms/ Media Committee

    Jan 2007 - Jun 2014

  • Language Arts/Social Studies/English 9/ Read 180 Instructor

    Jan 2007 - Jun 2014
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  Griffin- Spalding County Schools

  Jul 2007 - Jun 2018

  • Currently using results and conclusions from doctoral studies to launch the “What’s My Grade?” task force, which will improve inter-rater reliability and grading practices by ensuring teachers in the same departments use grading practices that consistently include formative feedback, rubrics, and clear directions for students and parents. • Trained teachers on the use of Performance Matters data collection systems to allow the use of data-driven instruction in all grade levels and departments, which helped teachers use common assessments to improve differentiated instruction. • Helped teachers develop goals for their students and worked to help design individualized learning plans to ensure students meet learning targets. which led to improvements in all content areas on the 2014 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test.• Modeled student performance analysis in classes to help determine performance trends, strengths, and weaknesses, which led to individual improvement plans for students and teachers throughout the school.• Maintained student performance progress plans and conferenced with teachers to highlight and suggest strategies in the classroom to help students meet end-of-the-year goals.• Assisted all staff and support members in dealing with personal, political, and educational challenges and changes, and worked closely with them to keep them well-informed.• Assisted staff with the creation and implementation of an effective curriculum for literacy and writing. Show less • Developed a school-based action plan for differentiated instruction by reflecting on current school practices, examining teacher competency levels through SurveyMonkey software, and identifying obstacles to change, which helped determine where to begin.• Helped to train teachers on differentiated processes of instruction, and pushed the Know, Understand, Do (KUDos) and Understanding by Design methods to help teachers improve collaborative planning for effective teaching and learning.• Organized training to unpack Common Core standards to help teachers understand the staircase of complexity.• Trained teachers to use Scholastic Achievement Manager and Scholastic Reading Inventory as part of the literacy and reading initiative to improve student Lexile levels on all grade levels. Helped 87% of students improve Lexile levels during first semester of 2014 school year.• Conducted research of best practices to determine most successful writing interventions, which resulted in a school-wide writing initiative and partnership with WriteScore, LLC. Helped school to exceed 85% of proficient writers in 8th grade consecutively, the highest in the Griffin-Spalding County school system for 2014 school year.• Conducted ongoing professional development for faculty to help teachers understand how to use the Seven Key Sentences technique and Write from the Beginning (Thinking Maps) to improve writing in all content areas.• Conducted conferences with Language Arts teachers to develop growth plans and conducted interviews with administration to select appropriate teachers for job vacancies in the school.• Conducted ongoing classroom visits and assisted teachers by providing feedback on instructional practices and by helping to develop learning targets and growth goals for individual students. Show less

  • Professional Learning Community Leader

    Jul 2007 - Jun 2018

  • Grade Level and Teacher Mentor Program Chair

    Jul 2007 - Jun 2014
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  Griffin-Spalding County

  Jun 2014 - May 2018

  Assistant Principal

  •Provided training on Teacher Keys Evaluation Systems (TKES) to ensure teachers fulfilled the requirements for Orientation and Familiarization. Also provided training on the components of the program to ensure teachers understood how they will be rated. Monitored teacher instruction and provided feedback that is evaluated through the Teacher Keys Evaluation System (TKES).•Created a form through Google Forms to enable the administrative team to maintain informal observations that provided data on teacher performance in all ten performance standards for TKES.•Provided Emergency Crisis training for the faculty to ensure teachers are aware of evacuation and emergency protocols throughout the school.•Worked with administrative staff and leadership team to analyze current academic achievement data and instructional strategies to improve departmental, grade level, and overall school effectiveness.•Developed documentation and facilitated the incorporation of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) for our school.•Assisted in the implementation of MasteryConnect performance software and ensured teachers used the program with fidelity as a tool to close the achievement gap between our highest performing subgroup and lowest performing subgroup.•Identified potential problems at the teacher and student level and addressed them in a timely manner by providing a solution, documenting the experience, and providing feedback and follow up to teachers and students.•Conducted face-to-face interviews and online interviews through Google Hangouts to recruit highly qualified staff who supported the mission and vision of our district and school.•Posted weekly blogs to keep stakeholders engaged in school affairs and to build community relations.•Implemented Edgenuity as a source for Grade Repair for students who failed courses.•Developed the Young Gents program to build positive relationships with stakeholders and expose young men to different opportunities within the community and state. Show less

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  Grand Canyon University

  Mar 2015 - May 2018

  Adjunct Professor

  Professor in the College of Education for GCU.Led and facilitated online learning in the Master's program of the college of education.Provided students with resources and support and incorporated best practices in andragogy to ensure students met the objectives of their weekly assignments.Facilitated weekly discussions on current and best practices in brain-based learning and how methods of teaching, evaluation, and feedback could improve student learning. Taught students concepts of standard academic writing and held them accountable for APA-style documents and submissions. Challenged students to conduct academic research to support their thoughts and beliefs and led them in discovering different peer-reviewed journals and articles in the schools online library.Provided specific and frequent feedback to students to help them improve teaching and learning in their classrooms and gave specific suggestions on how students could put theory feim class into practice immediately. Show less

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  Griffin-Spalding County School System

  Jun 2018 - Apr 2022

  School Principal
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  Ed Direction

  Apr 2022 - now

  Senior Improvement Coach