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Jim Cummins

Dr. Jim Cummins supports school leaders wanting to build student-centered cultures. During his 30 years of positively impacting students, he served as coach, teacher, principal, superintendent, and junior college vice president.

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Jim Cummins

Dr. Jim Cummins supports school leaders desiring to build student-centered cultures. Over his 30 years of positively impacting students and leading districts to success, he has served as coach, teacher, principal, superintendent, and junior college vice president. Continuing to invest in the future of children, he now assists education leaders in expanding their skills. His passions include servant leadership, school finance, and 21st-century skills.

During his six-year tenure as superintendent of the Neosho School District (NSD) in Missouri, NSD transformed. Once struggling in academics and with student suicides, NSD will soon become a Model PLC at Work® district, as individual schools have already achieved Model PLC at Work status. Neosho Middle School was first to reach Marzano's High Reliability Schools Level 3, while others are at Level 1 and Level 2.

The Policy Research in Missouri Education Center at St. Louis University listed NSD in its 2022 Beating the Odds Report; Student Growth in Missouri's Highest Poverty Schools. Recognized by other top organizations for its outstanding work, NSD was invited into the Success-Ready Students Network by the state of Missouri and contributed to the development of a new state assessment model for the measurement of student success and readiness for post-secondary life.

NSD was also recognized by GoGuardian for making significant progress on the elimination of student suicides and for supporting student/staff mental health—and Dr. Cummins discussed NSD’s work regarding student-suicide prevention on Tom Murray's Future Ready Schools podcast.

Dr. Cummins holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Missouri State University, a bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri Southern State University, and a master’s degree in education administration from William Woods University. Additionally, he holds a doctorate in education leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri and completed a specialist degree in education administration from William Woods.


PLC at Work®

PLC at Work® experts have proven success in leading the PLC at Work process in a school or district. Work with them to implement a focus on learning, build a collaborative culture, and create a results orientation that leads to sustained, substantive school improvement.

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