Eric Nelson received his undergraduate and Master degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While in Wisconsin, Eric taught first and second grades and became an elementary school principal at age 27, leading Waterloo Elementary school for two years. Relocating to Seattle, Washington, he led a turnaround at Sanislo Elementary, a diverse, high-poverty school. In five years under Eric’s leadership, students at proficiency jumped from 25% to 85% in writing, 25% to 65% in math, and 60% to 85% in reading.
Next, Eric was an area superintendent in Oakland, California, supervising 18 schools and 6,500 students. 60% of these students were English Language learners and 75% qualified for free/reduced lunch. In his tenure, he helped revitalize a focus on instructional improvement and the achievement gap by visiting four schools per week, focused cycles of inquiry. The achieving gap was decreased in only two years and there was a marked increase for English Language Learners.
Eric’s areas of expertise are in quality assessment, adult learning, systems thinking, and organizational development. He also works with urban school district central office administrators to help align their work directly to student learning, consulting with Convergence Development Group and Performance Fact, Inc. Currently, Eric is in the midst of finishing his doctoral studies at the University of Washington in Educational Policy and Leadership.
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