William A. Sommers

William A. Sommers

William A. Sommers, PhD, of Austin, Texas, continues to be a learner, teacher, principal, author, and leadership coach. Bill has come out of retirement multiple times to put theory into practice as a principal in high schools and middle schools. He has worked in inner-city schools, as well as in high-socioeconomic-status suburban districts. Bill has expertise in cognitive coaching, adaptive schools, brain research, poverty, habits of mind, conflict management, and classroom management strategies and is a Marshall Goldsmith certified Stakeholder Centered Coach.

Bill served on the board of trustees of the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward) for five years, and as president for one year. He is the former Executive Director for Secondary Curriculum and Professional Learning for Minneapolis Public Schools, and has been a school administrator for over 35 years. He has also been a Senior Fellow for the Urban Leadership Academy at the University of Minnesota. Bill has served as an adjunct faculty member at Texas State University, Hamline University, University of Saint Thomas, Saint Mary’s University, Union Institute, and Capella University. In addition, he has been a program director for an adolescent chemical dependency treatment center and on the board of a halfway house for 20 years.

Bill has co-authored 10 books: Living on a Tightrope: A Survival Handbook for Principals; Becoming a Successful Principal: How to Ride the Wave of Change Without Drowning; Reflective Practice to Improve Schools; A Trainer’s Companion; Energizing Staff Development Using Film Clips; Leading Professional Learning Communities; Guiding Professional Learning Communities; Principal’s Field Manual; Habits of Mind: Teacher’s Companion; and Nine Professional Conversations to Change Our Schools. He has also co-authored chapters in several other books.

To learn more about Bill’s work, visit www.learningomnivores.com, or follow him at @BillSommers8 on Twitter.