Cara Riggs is an Omaha Public Schools transplant to San Diego California, after spending her whole personal and professional life there. A 30-year career in the Omaha Public Schools allowed Cara a great range of experience as a committed public school educator. She has experience as a high school English teacher and then enjoyed 8 years as their AP and Athletic Director. Following a 9 year role as principal of Beveridge Magnet Middle School, Cara’s last 6 years in OPS were spent as the principal of Omaha South High Magnet School where she and her team transformed it into a school of hope, great academic and graduation rate improvement, huge enrollment increases and a college-going institution with the highest freshman enrollment at the U-NE- Omaha. She is the author of HOPE in the Urban Schools: Love Stories.

Today, Cara proudly works as an Executive Coach for the National Center of Urban School Transformation. Her work with NCUST allows her to team with schools and leaders around the country as they focus on transforming their own schools into places where ALL kids are receiving equitable and excellent outcomes.

In 2013, principal Alexa Sorden reopened Concourse Village Elementary School in the Bronx in New York City after it was shut down for poor performance and disrepair by her predecessor. Concourse Village has a combination of high expectations for students and a flat reporting structure that places a premium on teacher empowerment and an innovative literacy-first approach in all subjects. In 2018 on the state assessments, eighty-eight percent of students passed English and math state tests, more than 40 points higher than the citywide average. That same year the school was awarded a Blue Ribbon for Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education.

Dr. Thiel is one of the executive coaches for NCUST working with school districts and their leaders to improve the educational outcomes for all students. Having served as a classroom teacher, elementary school principal, and district peer coach for several years, he eventually became the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources for the largest elementary school district in the state of California. Dr. Thiel was instrumental in ensuring “A” players were hired to teach the students. To promote success for all students, Dr. Thiel knows the importance of students having access to the greatest resource of all – a highly qualified classroom teacher. Learn what Dr. Thiel has done to make great schools great on this episode of the NCUST Review.