NEWS RELEASE: December 10, 2020
CONTACT: Jan Barrick or Rachel Watson, (405) 842-8408
National Blue Ribbon School principal helping more Oklahoma schools improve student success
When Alpha Plus added one of the most experienced principals in the state to its professional development team, LeAnn Johnson hit the ground running in 17 school districts from Hollis to Idabel.
Principal at Central High Elementary near Marlow from 2003 to 2020, she led her school to being named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2013. Now, she is using that experience to help other schools achieve the same. Johnson is currently training teachers and administrators in meetings on-site with social distancing precautions, but also through online conferencing.
“We are impressed with how LeAnn is helping southern Oklahoma school teams align to the Oklahoma Academic Standards and focus on teaching pace and the proficiency of each student,” Alpha Plus CEO
Jan Barrick said today. “Naturally, the facilitator job is more difficult during this pandemic but, like other teachers, our trainers continue rising to the challenge.”
LEFT: Alpha Plus Facilitator LeAnn Johnson working with fourth-grade teachers in Data Team Meeting at Bishop Public Schools in November. BELOW: Recent pictures from Bishop and Waurika.
Retired Central High Superintendent Bennie Newton, now an Alpha Plus consultant, gives the credit for the school’s success to Johnson. “LeAnn learned how Alpha Plus was improving schools and she knew it would help our teachers,” Newton said. “So, I said we would try it and she started working with our teachers and the Alpha Plus team in 2011.”
Johnson gives the credit to the teachers who trained in the Alpha Plus Model and used tools aligned to state standards that helped students significantly improve state test scores in reading and math.
“Our community and parents supported our efforts and we improved enough to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,” Johnson said. “We continued to use the process we learned from Alpha Plus but in recent years only needed the online tools and data to keep improvement going.”
LeAnn Johnson is a Central High School graduate who received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Cameron University, and master’s degree in Administration from East Central University. She started teaching in the Central High district in 1990. She taught Kindergarten through 8th grade as well as for the Gifted and Talented and Title I programs at the elementary, then spent the last 17 years as its principal.
Barrick concluded. “We are lucky to have LeAnn’s passion for education, and she brings a deeper perspective on school leadership to our team of educators and standards experts.”
Johnson provides training in how to improve student performance on the Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS) at Bennington, Big Pasture, Bishop, Dickson, Flower Mound, Fox, Hollis, Hugo, Idabel Middle School, Mangum, Terral, Tipton, Velma-Alma, Wapanucka, and Waurika.
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