Thad’s journey in education began in 1996 as a middle school math teacher and coach in Galena Park ISD. During his eleven-year tenure within the district, he served as math department chair and was promoted to assistant principal and then principal. As principal, he successfully led the campus to earn a TEA ‘Recognized’ rating in 2005. Two years later, he assumed the role of principal in Spring ISD, where he was introduced to the work of one of the most renowned advocates for school transformation, the late Phil Schlechty, who believed that in order to create the most optimal classroom environments and realize students’ fullest potential, public school institutions must morph themselves from ‘teaching bureaucracies’ to learning organizations. Later, he worked with coaches at e2L to successfully implement Discovery Approach Learning, which was an instructional methodology in which students were engaged in standards-based projects and were in more control of how they learned & exhibited mastery of their learning, and teachers served as facilitators of learning, at Dr. Edward Roberson Middle School.
In 2015, Thad took on the task of opening a school, Dr. T.C. McCormick Middle School, in Hays CISD, where he was able to use his previous experience to aid in the successful implementation of a non-traditional instructional environment in which teachers were referred to as ‘facilitators’, students were ‘learners’, staff members were ‘educators’, and parents were ‘family partners’. Facilitators used various methods and strategies to promote learner collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving in an effort to increase their engagement & achievement levels.
Thad is committed to using the expertise gained during his 22-year career in education, including 19 years in both campus and district leadership, to support educators in their quest to create and foster an exemplary learning organization. He aims to work closely with them to help empower learners, create engaging lessons and develop their ‘future-ready’ skills to enhance their ability to be competitive in a global marketplace.