FEATURED AUTHOR

Joseph Jones

Director of Assessment and Accountability
New Castle Count Vocational Technical School District

Joseph Jones is the Director of Assessment and Accountability for the New Castle Count Vo-Tech SD. He is a former HS social studies teacher, assistant principal, and principal. Joe's personal vision is to pursue life's greatest gifts for himself and those he loves, leads, and follows. He believes each day is an opportunity to unearth his own personal strengths, find genius in simplicity, and to love without reservation. Joe is also an Executive Officer for the TheSchoolHouse302.

Subjects: Education

Biography

Fresh out of undergraduate school and filled with a passion to provide all students with an incredible and valuable learning experience, Joe started teaching Social Studies in October of 1996 in the same district that he received his own education. Those early years were terrific and laid the foundation for much of his educational approach and philosophy to this day.

After five and half years in the classroom, he moved to another school within the district as an assistant principal. As an AP he developed his skills as an educational leader and fully realized the power of a school community to help all students succeed. After a few years, Joe accepted a position in a neighboring district and soon became the principal of Delcastle Technical High School (DTHS). DTHS served over 1500 students and offered 22 career and technical courses. For seven years, Joe worked to build an environment around two major goals: One, to give teachers the best scenario to perfect their practice and truly become masters’ of their craft; Two, provide all students every opportunity to learn in a secure, enriching environment. During Joe’s tenure, DTHS we received various awards and accolades, most notable being the first high school in Delaware to receive the academic achievement award for closing the achievement gap. This was quite different from the previous state rating of “under improvement” with threats of sanctions.

Currently, Joe is the Director of Assessment and Accountability, which provides him the opportunity to work with administrators and teachers to drive student achievement through strategic planning and effective practices. In addition, Joe is an adjunct professor constructing courses and teaching primarily new teachers at the graduate and undergraduate level. This work keeps him fresh and always reminds of the challenges new teachers face. Joe is also an Executive Officers for TheSchoolHouse302, a leadership development institute, which works to develop leaders in education and beyond.