Biographies
Co-Founder
Amy Souza, Ed.D. is co-founder of Souza Thornton Education Consultants (STEC). Amy Souza has worked at middle and high schools, in numerous roles, including teacher and administrator. She earned her doctorate in educational administration from UCI/UCLA, conducting research on under-represented students in rigorous courses. Amy prides herself as life-long learner, her focus and passion is to improving learning for all students.
As a high school principal, Amy led the process of building a Professional Learning Community, (PLC) using data to improve results, and creating common assessments. In the first year of implementation:
• Achievement gap narrowed on state exams
• Students enrolled in rigorous courses increased
• Teacher aligned curriculum course consistency improved
• Intervention plans were created to help struggling students.
Presentation Topics:
• Designing common assessments
• Implemented PLC process
• Facilitated the design of a learning culture
• Preparing future teachers to teach in PLC school
• Preparing future administrators to lead in PLC school
• Increasing rigor and relevance in all classrooms for all students
• Building equity and excellence through course consistency
“Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation.”
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)
Garry W. Thornton
Co-Founder
Garry Thornton, M.A. Azusa Pacific University, is co-founder of Souza Thornton Education Consultants (STEC). He is an educator with almost 30 years of experience in both public and private schools. Garry’s experiences include being a classroom teacher, Student Government Advisor, Counselor, Dean of Students, as well as his current position of School Administrator.
Garry is a passionate, informative, and engaging presenter. His primary goal is helping schools become learning centered. Garry believes that creating learning- centered schools will help school communities:
• Increase Rigor
• Improve Results
• Make Instruction Relevant
• Develop Positive Relationships for staff and students
Presentation Topics
• Getting Started: Designing the Design Team
• The connection between relationships and learning
• Shared Vision and Mission Statements: Moving core values off the page and into the school community
• Leadership in a Professional Learning Community
• Interventions: Support systems for students
• School Culture: From “the way we do things around here,” to meeting the needs of students first
• Transforming high-quality schools into excellent schools
“Every enterprise has to become a learning institution and a teaching institution. Organizations that build in continuous learning in jobs will dominate the twenty-first century.”
Peter Drucker
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
John Wooden