Curriculum Associates Welcomes New Class of School Leaders to Extraordinary Educators™ Leadership Collaborative
Image File
Original HTML

Fifteen school leaders from 12 states were selected for their commitment to student achievement, schoolwide innovation, and strong outcomes for students

BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates today announced the newest class of the Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative (EELC), marking the fourth year of the national program supporting the professional growth of school leaders. The Class of 2027 includes 15 principals and school leaders from 12 states who will connect with peers and participate in professional learning designed to strengthen leadership and instructional practices.

Throughout the program, members of the collaborative will have dedicated opportunities to learn alongside fellow school leaders, build their leadership skills, and share strategies for creating school communities where educators are supported and students can thrive.

"These 15 leaders are already making a meaningful difference in their school communities, from strengthening school culture and empowering teachers to using data in ways that improve instruction and close learning gaps," said Kelly Sia, chief executive officer at Curriculum Associates. "We're proud to bring together this thoughtful and ambitious group of leaders so they can learn from one another, we can learn from them, and they can extend their impact on educators and students."

Members of the Class of 2027 are in their first through fifth years in their current leadership roles and have experience using Curriculum Associates' i-Ready and/or Ready programs. Selected leaders demonstrate student growth and achievement through formal assessments, schoolwide innovation and student engagement practices, a commitment to high standards and student achievement, and a focus on strong outcomes for all students.

Building on previous years of the EELC, the program creates a community in which school leaders can learn from one another while strengthening practices that support their educators and students. Professional learning through the collaborative has addressed areas including school culture, data-informed instruction, learning partnerships, educator wellness, and celebrating student and teacher success.

Members will also have opportunities to share their experiences and leadership with the broader Extraordinary Educators community through professional learning events.

To learn more about the Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/Extraordinary-Educators.

Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative Class of 2027

Dawn Batts, Principal, Chestnut Grove Elementary, AL

Brooke Dunham, Principal, Inverness Elementary School, AL

Annie Diaz, Principal, Julian Harris Elementary, AL

Julie Alderete, Principal, La Mesa, CA

Jamie Lockwood, Principal, Ponderosa Elementary, CO

Adam Kohn, Principal, Turner Middle School, CO

Jaimie Fisco, Principal, KT Murphy Elementary School, CT

Lisa Newman, Principal, Lafayette Elementary School, FL

Crystal Beach, Principal, Towns County Elementary School, GA

Thomas Houlihan, Principal, Queen of Angels School, IL

Taneka L. Lett, Principal, Hawkins Elementary School, MS

Lisa Wilson, Elementary Principal, Tombaugh Elementary, NM

Brittany Mairena, Principal of Curriculum and Instruction, Dayton City School, TN

Heather Fitzgibbons, Principal, Orange Center School, VT

Karrie Lowe, Principal, Ashford-Rumble Elementary School, WV

About Curriculum Associates

Curriculum Associates is a mission-driven company dedicated to making Grades K–12 classrooms better for more than 17 million students and one million educators nationwide. Our connected suite of solutions unites adaptive assessment, personalized instruction, and core curriculum in English language arts and mathematics—supported by expert professional learning and service teams—alongside Ellevation® for multilingual learners and Stile for middle school science. Our teams continue to innovate across print and digital products and services to support educators and strengthen teacher-led instruction. We measure success by our impact on student outcomes and are honored to support the extraordinary work of teachers every day.

Media Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC

Share this article

Class (B2B/B2C)
B2B
Ingest Status
Need Review
Dedupe hash
prn_302896627
Press Eligible
Yes
Press Eligible Reason
QA FAIL (need review): TARGET introduces an unsupported factual detail: it says leadership selections were based on 'student engagement metrics,' but the SOURCE says 'student engagement practices' and never mentions metrics.
Source Name
Unknown Company
Original Summary

<p>Fifteen school leaders from 12 states were selected for their commitment to student achievement, schoolwide innovation, and strong outcomes for students BILLERICA, Mass., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates today announced the newest class of the Extraordinary Educators...</p>

Original Link
Original Source
Image URL
https://mmx.prnewswire.com/media/MS1240070/Curriculum-Associates-LLC-Logo.jpg?id=OA2983654&p=facebook
Generated Article_json
{"target_audience": "b2b", "is_medical": false, "ai_generated_title": "Curriculum Associates Names 15 Principals to 2027 Leadership Cohort", "body_html": "<p><strong>Billerica, Mass. -- [CURRENT_DATE] --</strong> Curriculum Associates has selected 15 principals from 12 states for the fourth class of its Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative (EELC), a national program tied to use of its i-Ready and Ready instructional platforms.</p><h5>Program targets early-career school leaders across 12 states</h5><p>The Class of 2027 includes school leaders in their first through fifth years in current leadership roles, drawn from states including Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia. All selected members have experience deploying Curriculum Associates' i-Ready and/or Ready programs in their schools.</p><h5>Selection criteria center on measurable student outcomes</h5><p>Curriculum Associates based selections on formal assessment data showing student growth and achievement, schoolwide innovation practices, student engagement metrics, and documented commitment to high academic standards. CEO Kelly Sia said the cohort was chosen for demonstrated impact on school culture, teacher support, and data-driven efforts to close learning gaps.</p><h5>Collaborative builds on three prior program cycles</h5><p>The EELC, now in its fourth year, structures peer learning sessions covering school culture, data-informed instruction, learning partnerships, and educator wellness. Members will also present their practices to the broader Extraordinary Educators community through scheduled professional learning events during the program year.</p>", "meta_description": "Curriculum Associates names 15 principals from 12 states to its fourth Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative class, tied to i-Ready and Ready program use.", "seo_keywords": "Curriculum Associates, EELC, school leadership, i-Ready, Ready program, principals, K-12 education, professional development", "companies": ["Curriculum Associates"], "industries": ["Education, Research & Public Sector"], "markets_regions": ["United States"], "news_type": ["general_news"], "products": ["i-Ready"], "themes": ["professional_development", "education_technology"], "events": ["Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative"], "cta_text": "Learn more about the Extraordinary Educators Leadership Collaborative and its school leader selection criteria.", "learn_more": "https://www.CurriculumAssociates.com/Extraordinary-Educators", "fact_check": {"accuracy_score": 100, "legal_risk": "low", "corrections_made": [], "recommendation": "publish"}}
Content Hash (SHA-256, erste 32 hex)
8f4f8ede9e4292aafbe2da1affbad875