Casey Smith

Results-driven K–12 educational leader and school administrator with over 20 years of experience driving school improvement, instructional excellence, and equitable student outcomes across Louisiana public and charter school settings. Demonstrated success leading campuses as principal across multiple districts — Track record of elevating campus academic performance, reducing discipline infractions, and developing high-performing instructional teams through data-driven leadership. Deep expertise in the Louisiana LEADS evaluation system and Educator Rubric (LER), High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) implementation, including Eureka Math Squared, teacher observation and coaching, PLC facilitation, and school culture transformation.

Skilled at translating complex data into actionable school improvement strategies and cultivating trust-based relationships with teachers, staff, parents, and district leadership. Available for school, district, and organizational partnerships seeking sustainable instructional improvement, equitable student outcomes, and leadership capacity-building.

Associate Principal at Park Ridge Achievement Academy (2025-07 – Present)

• Lead instructional oversight, educator evaluation, and school improvement for a diverse PreK–8 campus using the 4-domain, 23-indicator Louisiana LEADS / LER framework across all grade levels and content areas, including general education, Special Education (self-contained and resource), CTE/FinTECH, Music, and PE.
• Serve as campus KITE Test Coordinator, overseeing all aspects of state assessment administration, including test security, student data verification, staff training, and compliance with Louisiana Department of Education testing protocols to ensure a valid and equitable testing environment.
• Spearhead campus-wide school improvement planning, setting measurable academic goals aligned to SPS and letter-grade targets, coordinating multi-tiered intervention strategies, and leading structured data review cycles with the instructional leadership team to ensure sustained, measurable progress.
• Facilitate weekly data meetings with math and content-area teachers using student characteristic sheets to disaggregate performance data by subgroup, identify instructional gaps, and drive targeted next steps aligned to LEAP 2025 accountability standards.
• Drove measurable gains in student achievement through literacy data monitoring: DIBELS benchmark performance increased from 43% at or above benchmark at the beginning of the year to 45% at mid-year, culminating in 62% of students performing at or above benchmark by the end of the year — a 19-percentage-point increase across the school year.
• Coach the math department on deep lesson internalization and annotation of Eureka Math Squared Tier 1 curriculum resources, ensuring teachers understand the mathematical progression, anticipate misconceptions, and deliver grade-level instruction with fidelity before entering the classroom.
• Designed and implemented school-wide PBIS activities throughout the entire school year, utilizing Class Dojo as a primary platform to track student behavior, recognize positive conduct, communicate with families in real time, and build a consistent campus culture of accountability, engagement, and student belonging across all grade levels.
• Lead implementation and fidelity monitoring of HQIM, including iReady Classroom Mathematics, Eureka Math Squared, Wit & Wisdom, ZEARN, and Amira; oversee PreK–8 Special Education programming using Louisiana Connector Standards, CRA methodology, and evidence-based literacy and math intervention strategies.

Principal at Baker Middle School / Park Ridge Academic Magnet (2024-07 – 2025-06)

• Led all aspects of campus administration for a 6th–8th grade academic magnet school, overseeing instructional quality, staff performance, school culture, student discipline, and community engagement across a diverse student population.
• Directed HQIM-aligned instructional best practices across all content areas, ensuring teaching strategies aligned with Louisiana state standards and produced measurable improvements in student achievement and academic outcomes across all grade levels.
• Conducted formal and informal LER classroom observations across all 23 indicators in four domains — Instruction, Planning, Environment, and Professionalism — and designed individualized PGPs connecting indicator deficits to targeted coaching strategies and structured follow-up support.
• Cultivated a high-performance instructional culture through structured PLCs and utilized iReady data dashboards to identify campus-wide trends, implement targeted interventions, and monitor progress toward LEAP and SPS improvement goals.

Assistant Principal at Opelousas Junior High School (2022-07 – 2024-07)

• Increased School Performance Score (SPS) by 3.5 points from 2022 to 2023 through strategic instructional leadership, HQIM fidelity monitoring, and data-driven decision-making aligned to LEAP accountability standards.
• Supervised LER-aligned classroom observations across all content areas, delivering evidence-based feedback and designing differentiated PGPs to drive teacher growth at all experience levels.
• Designed and facilitated weekly PLCs, faculty professional development, and ILT meetings aligned to district initiatives; mentored early-career teachers (1–3 years) through structured coaching and self-reflection protocols.
• Refined student behavior management and discipline systems, resulting in a 6% decrease in discipline infractions from 2022 to 2023, improving instructional time and campus safety.

6th–8th Grade Math Teacher | Teacher of the Year – 2022 at Park Ridge Academic Magnet School (2021-08 – 2022-07)

• Named Teacher of the Year (2022); delivered rigorous HQIM-aligned math instruction using the CRA framework and differentiated iReady MyPath and Khan Academy to meet diverse learner needs across 6th–8th grade.
• Taught math using the Illustrative Mathematics (IM) curriculum with fidelity, leveraging structured problem-based lessons to build student conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and mathematical discourse across 6th–8th grade.
• Utilized NWEA MAP assessment data to monitor student growth, identify instructional gaps, and inform differentiated instruction and targeted intervention planning throughout the school year.

Principal at Helix Mentorship STEAM Academy (2020-01 – 2021-05)

• Directed all school operations for a STEAM-focused charter campus, including instructional oversight, teacher observation and coaching, school culture, family engagement, and budget and resource management.
• Analyzed assessment and program data to drive school-wide instructional improvement and led professional development focused on high-leverage teaching strategies across STEAM and core academic programming.

Director of Program & Student Affairs at Helix Mentorship STEAM Academy (2019-01 – 2019-12)

• Oversaw STEAM, AP, ACT Preparation, WorkKeys, and CTE programming, aligning academic and career-readiness offerings to post-secondary preparation standards while managing recruitment and student support services.
• Attended professional development in CTE to support the development of skills and knowledge used to enhance classroom instruction and delivery methods.

Principal at East Feliciana Enrichment Academy /Middle School (2017-07 – 2018-12)

• Led campus administration, implemented honor courses, alternative education programs, diverse electives, and robotics programming.
• Awarded the 2018 VEX Robotics LaSTEM Grant; launched robotics programming and Chromebook procurement to elevate STEAM access for underserved student populations.

Math Support Specialist / Instructional Coach at Mentorship STEAM Academy (2014-08 – 2017-07)

• Provided campus-wide math instructional coaching, facilitating PLC data discussions and developing standards-aligned instructional frameworks and intervention supports to drive student achievement across all grade levels.

Fellowship in Educational Leadership – Relay National Principal Academy

Master of Arts in Teaching in Teaching – Southeastern Louisiana University

Bachelor of Science in Marketing – Southern University and A&M College