US/Global 
CAN
Eddie Velez
Eddie Velez is the former principal at Kennedy High School in Fremont, California. He specializes in building leadership capacity, building PLC culture, implementing RTI, and coaching collaborative teams. He has a genuine connection and care for every school he serves and is respected for his ability to meet schools “where they are” without compromising the end goal of creating equitable opportunities for all students.
Eddie Velez
Eddie Velez is the former principal at Kennedy High School in Fremont, California. He specializes in building leadership capacity, building PLC culture, implementing RTI, and coaching collaborative teams. He has a genuine connection and care for every school he serves and is respected for his ability to meet schools “where they are” without compromising the end goal of creating equitable opportunities for all students.
Eddie has spent the majority of his 21 years in education working with marginalized students and finding supports and pathways for student success. His career has included developing successful gang-intervention programs at the middle school and high school levels, implementing successful PLC and RTI systems into high schools, and developing equitable opportunities for traditionally underserved students. In addition to this, Eddie works with Solution Tree Priority Schools, helping schools who are in program improvement to reorganize, refocus, reimagine, and redefine learning for all students.
Kennedy High School (his former school) was classified for many years as an underachieving school. In 2014, Eddie led the school through a four-year transformation into a PLC culture. He also led the staff in developing a strong RTI model that is still in place today. As a result of the PLC and RTI implementation, Kennedy High School saw an immediate change in student outcomes and positive culture. As such, the school and leadership received a number of awards and recognition for this work.
In 2016, Kennedy High School was named a California Gold Ribbon School for its focus on equitable programs for all students. In 2019, Kennedy was named a California Distinguished School for successfully closing the achievement gap for traditionally underserved students in multiple years. It received the school honor again in 2021.
As an educator, Eddie was named the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) Teacher of the Year in 2007. As an administrator, he was named the Association of California School Administrators High School Principal of the Year in 2014 and again in 2020. He also received the FUSD Ann Lorde Award for Equity and Access in 2020.
Eddie is certified by the National Gang Crime Research Center as a specialist in gang prevention and effective gang-intervention programs. Eddie earned a bachelor’s degree in history from California State University, Hayward (now California State University, East Bay), and a master’s degree in educational leadership from Santa Clara University.
Priority Schools in a PLC at Work®
Hand-selected and trained by PLC at Work champions our Priority Schools in a PLC at Work experts have proven success in leading the PLC at Work process and have specific experience with the unique challenges that face schools labeled as low performing. Work with them to identify and prioritize critical areas of growth to implement changes in a timely manner with a focus on student achievement.
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.
RTI at Work™
RTI at Work experts focus on learning for all students and will empower you to build your own timely, targeted, and systematic intervention program. Work with them to implement a results-driven program that provides targeted instruction at all tiers of intervention.
Presentations by Eddie Velez
- Navigating Change Through Shared Leadership
- Creating a 3-Tiered System of RTI (Response to Intervention)
- Equitable Access for All—Why RTI Systems Create Equity
- Making the Time—Establishing RTI Time Within the School Day
- “Skill vs. Will”— Identifying and Developing Appropriate Interventions
- RTI Systems for Behavior
- Liberation Mindset—Creating a System of Equal Opportunity for Underserved Students
“Mr. Velez knows just where we are and what we need. His insight makes our work much easier to understand and implement.”
“Mr. Velez has excellently shown how to connect with his audience/students - he is funny, straightforward and data driven with regards to the best practices that he/his school had done to be considered as school of excellence.”
“Mr. Velez is extremely good at his job. I mean, he's a pro in every sense of the word. Not only did I learn A LOT about the material he presented, and not only did he facilitate us really talking and making concrete progress in our PLCs, but I learned very much in terms of how he just went about his business.”
"I really appreciate Mr, Velez listening to me express where we currently are in the process, what we felt was needed by staff, and immediately going to work to meet those needs and present to staff.”
