Andrew Anderson

Principal, Barrington Middle School, Barrington, RI 2011 – Present

• Administrator for a suburban high-performing middle school with 850 students and 90 staff members. Focused on student-centered learning and 21st-century skills designed around deeper learning competencies, shared leadership, continuous improvement, and Professional Learning Communities.

• Awarded a $200,000 competitive grant targeting student-centered learning through the lens of deeper learning principles.

• Involved in all aspects of $64 million middle school construction project designed around Project Based Learning.

• Partnered with the Highlander Institute to provide embedded training and coaching to all teachers in the middle school on deeper learning principles and the development of Project Based Learning opportunities.

• Collaboratively worked with key stakeholders to design and create a master schedule that provided an opportunity for teachers to have sufficient time to engage and plan for Project-Based Learning opportunities with their students.

• Hosted a number of school visits from outside administrators/educators/schools/districts to learn about various deeper learning principles and visible learning strategies happening throughout Barrington Middle School.

• Partnered with the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Nottingham on the development of Common Core Math toolkits districts across the United States can use to help successfully implement math instruction.

• Partnered with Down City Design to provide all of our teachers with training on the Design Thinking Process, as well as lead all 6th grade students through the Design Thinking Process.

• Created a common planning time structure where teachers meet daily with their respective teams to engage in planning centered around the 5 key professional learning questions: What are we going to teach? How will we teach it? How will we know students have mastered it? What do we do differently for those who have already mastered it? What do we do differently for those who have not yet mastered it?

Principal/Assistant Principal, McCourt Middle School, Cumberland, RI 2007 – 2011

• Administrator for an urban school with 440 students and 60 staff. Focused on the development and solidification of systems for all to follow and to focus attention on teaching and learning.

• Worked with key stakeholders to develop a comprehensive Response to Intervention program and structures.

• Adopted and implemented Positive Behavioral Intervention Supports.

• Worked with community members to create family engagement opportunities inviting families into the school (Academic Showcase, Winter Carnival, One Magical  Night).

• Created a partnership with North Cumberland Middle School bringing schools together to engage in professional development and common planning time.

• Worked with key stakeholders to create summer learning opportunities for at-risk learners.

Special Education Teacher, Barrington Middle School, Barrington RI, 2003 – 2007

Second Grade Teacher, St. Paul’s School, Cranston RI, 2001 – 2003

Professional Activities & Accomplishments

NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE CONFERENCE, Orlando, Florida (2021, 2019, 2018); Co-presented with the Assistant Superintendent of Barrington Public School’s on our district’s change process away from a traditional educational system to a system that embraces experiential education and deeper learning.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOL LEADERS, Barrington, Rhode Island (ASY 2018 – 2019): Rhode Island Lead NISL Facilitator. Working with 25 administrators throughout Rhode Island leading them through the NISL Executive Development Program.

NEXT SUMMER CONVENING, Boston, Massachusetts (Summer 2018); Co-presented with the Assistant Superintendent of Barrington Public School’s on our district’s change process away from a traditional educational system to a system that embraces experiential education and deeper learning.

RHODE ISLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE, East Greenwich, Rhode Island (Summer 2018): Co-presented with Lighthouse Schools on building to scale and implementing personalized learning within schools.

NEW ENGLAND SECONDARY SCHOOL CONSORTIUM, SCHOOL REDESIGN IN ACTION CONFERENCE, Providence, Rhode Island (Spring 2018): Co-presented with Lighthouse Schools regarding the process and steps Barrington Middle School implemented to become a Rhode Island Lighthouse School to teachers and administrators from across the country.

BLENDED LEARNING CONFERENCE, Providence, Rhode Island (Spring 2018): Co-presented with a representative from Highlander Institute on Barrington Middle School’s implementation of Deeper Learning Principles to teachers from across the country.

RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION WORKSHOP PRESENTER, Lincoln, Rhode Island (Winter 2012): Created and presented an hour workshop on the topic of RTI progress monitoring to an audience of teachers and administrators. Provided audience members with information on universal screening, progress monitoring tools and systems, and data team protocol.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP PRESENTER, Cumberland, Rhode Island (Fall 2011): Created and presented an hour workshop on the topic of formative assessments to an audience of teachers and administrators. Provided audience members with a presentation on research-based methods and strategies of designing, implementing, interpreting, and using the results of the assessments to make immediate instructional decisions.

RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION WORKSHOP PRESENTER, Cumberland, Rhode Island (Fall 2011): Created and presented an hour workshop on Joseph L. McCourt Middle School’s RTI Universal Design to an audience of teachers and administrators. Provided audience members with information on tiered interventions and an RTI Toolkit that can be successfully used in the middle school setting to close the achievement gap.

FAMILY ENGAGEMENT WORKSHOP PRESENTER, Newport, Rhode Island (Spring 2007): Created and presented a three-hour workshop on the topic of Working with Disconnected Families to an audience of professionals within the social service field. Provided audience members with a presentation on research-based methods and strategies for working with their clients’ families.