WILLIAM PRESTON SEWARD

wmseward@gmail.com
Skype: williamprestonseward
Work Address








Permanent Home Address
International Community School of Abidjan (ICSA)





63 Hamilton Terrace
06 BP 544 Abidjan 06







Apartment 1
Cte d'Ivoire








New York, NY 10031
+225 5461 4525 Cell

SUMMARY
Dedicated professional with 14 years of administrative and teaching experience in both US and international
schools.
Experience covering a variety of aspects of school operations, including teaching and learning, curriculum
adoption and implementation and program/systems management.
Demonstrated knowledge and leadership in the area of developmentally appropriate educational practices
Proven ability to create and monitor policies and practices that promote a safe learning environment, ensure a
school culture that encourage continuous improvement for teachers and students, and develop an environment
that encourages open communication with colleagues, students and the community.

EDUCATION

Advanced Certificate in Educational Leadership & Administration




2010

Hunter College of the City College of New York, New York, NY


Reading Recovery Teacher Certificate







2007

Steinhardt School of Education New York University, New York, NY


Master of Science in Elementary Education






2004

Mercy College, New York, NY


Master of Arts in African American Studies






1994

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI


Bachelor of Arts in History & Political Science, Minor in African American Studies


1990

University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Knoxville, TN

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

State of New York Professional School Building Leader Certification
State of New York Professional School District Leader Certification
State of New York Permanent Public School Teacher Certification, Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grades 1-6

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE



Lower School Principal, International Community School of Abidjan, Abidjan, Cte d'Ivoire AUG 2015-Present

Adopted and implemented a Balanced Literacy curriculum (Reading Workshop, Writing Workshop, Guided Reading)
Facilitated ICSA joining the Common Ground Collaborative (CGC).
Collaborated with Subject Teams to evaluate current curriculums alignment with adopted standards and the CGCs
content continua.

Primary & Elementary School Associate Principal, Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogot, Colombia 2012-2015

Facilitated adoption and implementation of Coumbia University Teachers College Reading & Writing Project
curriculum. Result: Increased engagement from students and teachers in the writing process. Increased student
volumen in writing as well.
Coordinated and facilitated the Primary School and Elementary School Student Study Teams. Result:
A decrease in the number of referrals to the Learning Center for student evaluations as teams are now providing
targeted, Tier I interventions in classrooms.
Developed Professional Learning Community framework and schedule for Elementary School. Result: Increased
collaboration across grade levels and provided students more direct intervention at the classroom level.

Created a master schedule that allowed for more instructional time in literacy and math. Result: Increase in Stanford
10 test scores and increased student participation in Math Olympics and contributions to student literary magazine.
Supervised teachers working on their professional goals. Result: Improved instructional practices within the
classroom, which led to growth in student learning.
Participated in the adoption and implementation of new math curriculum. Result: A 3% increase in overall math
scores since 2012, as measured by Stanford 10 examination.

Put into effect unified attendance and discipline tracking systems and policies shared by both Primary and
Elementary Schools. Result: Better alignment in monitoring attendance and discipline across both schools. More
cohesive understanding for parents of the similarities and differences between the schools policies.

Teacher, First Grade, Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogot, Colombia

2010-2012

Instructor, Teacher Training Institute

Institucion Universitaria Colombo Americana (UNICA), Bogot, Colombia

Fall 2011 & Spring 2012

Facilitated and led instruction for post-graduate level students in a curriculum and instruction course with an
emphasis on Backwards Design Curricular Planning and GANAG lesson planning procedures.

Teacher, Academic Intervention Services Reading Recovery TeacherFirst GradeKindergarten 2002-2010
Childrens Literacy Center (Public School 277), Bronx, NY

Adjunct Professor of Education, New Teacher Residency Program
Mercy College, New York, NY

Spring 2007 & Spring 2008

Facilitated and led instruction for Master of Science in Education candidates in foundations of literacy education
course with an emphasis on Balanced Literacy and Backwards Design Curricular Planning.

New York City Teaching Fellows Lead Selector, New Teacher Project
New York City Department of Education, New York, NY

2004-2010

Evaluated applicants for teaching positions and made recommendations regarding hiring.
Reviewed hiring decisions of NYC Teaching Fellows Selectors and upheld or overturned decisions.
Facilitated interview activities for applicants pursuing a position as a NYC Teaching Fellow.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS



Association for Elementary School Principals
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development


Learning Forward The Professional Learning Association

ON-GOING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING


Principals Training Center: Assessment in International Schools, Bambi Betts, Miami, FL
JULY 14-20, 2016
Association of International Schools in Africa, Leadership Conference

MARCH 4-6, 2016
Common Ground Collaborative-Guided Inquiry Workshop, Bucarest, Romania


FEB 6-8, 2016
AdvancED Lead Evaluator Training, Orlando, FL




SEPT 22-23, 2014
IB: An Introduction to the Standards for Administrators New to the PYP, Online Workshop JULY-AUG, 2014

Teacher & Principal Evaluation Workshop, Dr. James Stronge (William & Mary College), Bogot, Colombia AUG 7, 2014

AdvancED International Summit, Washington, DC





JUNE 23-25, 2013

Tri-Association Annual Educators Conference, Bambi Betts (2 day workshop) Cartagena, Colombia SEPT 24-28, 2012