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Matthew Blackmore
Matthew Blackmore is an award-winning administrator who leads professional learning communities through best practices to ensure that all students learn at high levels. He is director of student services for North Polk Community School District near Des Moines, Iowa.
Matthew Blackmore
Matthew Blackmore is an award-winning administrator who leads professional learning communities through best practices to ensure that all students learn at high levels. He is director of student services for North Polk Community School District near Des Moines, Iowa. Matthew’s leadership at North Polk focuses on special education, English learners, school counselors, at-risk, and talented and gifted. Matthew has implemented a districtwide guiding coalition for social-emotional learning, which has included an awarded grant of $100,000 for the Iowa Department of Education.
Prior to his time at North Polk, Matthew was the principal of Carlisle High School in Carlisle, Iowa. Matthew was recognized on a national level for leading what was a low-performing high school into the top 8 percent of schools in Iowa. Additionally, the Carlisle Community School District was named a Model PLC at Work® district in both 2017 and 2018. During his time in the Carlisle community, Matthew and the Wildcats were awarded High Performing and Breaking Barriers status by the Iowa Department of Education and cited by Governor Kim Reynolds for their achievements on the Iowa Assessments and for 90 percent proficiency among students of Hispanic descent.
Matthew also completed Harvard University’s rigorous Redesigning of America’s High School Institute in the summer of 2009. Additionally, Solution Tree selected Matthew as a manuscript reviewer for Best Practices at Tier 2: Supplemental Interventions for Additional Student Support (2019) and Now We’re Talking! 21 Days to High-Performance Instructional Leadership (2017).
Matthew holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in school administration from Lewis University and an educational specialist degree in superintendent licensure in advanced studies from Iowa State University. Matthew has been a faculty member at Viterbo University since 2016, serving as an adjunct professor in the school of education.
Yes We Can!
Yes We Can! experts have proven success in improving outcomes for students with special needs. Work with them to develop collaborative partnerships in order to implement inclusive processes and programs that support every learner in your school community.
Presentations by Matthew Blackmore
- The Big Ideas Series: Developing Learning, Collaboration, and Results among Equitable Classrooms
- Declaring the Power of All: Creating and Sustaining a Collaborative Culture between General and Special Educators
- Yes We Can! Six Core Beliefs That Drive Successful Collaborative Teams in SPED and General Education Classrooms
- Promising Practices to Increase Equity and Inclusion Opportunities for Students with Disabilities: A Rural District’s Journey
- The Power of Professional Learning Communities
- Building and Sustaining PLC Collective Efficacy
- RTI Strategies for the Secondary Classroom: Instructional Practices That Lead to Higher Levels of Learning
