Stan B. Stokley, Ed.D.

Saraland Elementary School
Saraland City Schools
Saraland, Alabama
stanbstokley@gmail.com

Stan Stokley, Ed.D., has led Saraland Elementary in improving its state report card score in each of the 11 years he has served as principal. Saraland most recently received a score of 99 percent, an impressive feat attributable to Stokley’s rigorous commitment to professional development, student belonging, and community engagement. As an instructional leader, Stokley makes it his duty to break down walls between teachers to cultivate professional curiosity and collaboration. Leading a staff of 90, he has spearheaded the implementation of structured peer observation and instructional rounds while encouraging all teachers to embrace data as a tool for reflection and improvement. Stokley’s focus on professional excellence is driven by his commitment to Saraland’s 1,036 students. Each year, Stokley holds one-on-one meetings with every student at least once, a relationship-building practice he has maintained throughout his 20-year career as an administrator. Stokley’s innovative streaming series “Good Morning Saraland” caught the eye of then-U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as an exemplar of educational resilience during the pandemic. Saraland was recently ranked fifth in the state by U.S. News and World Report and has been named a National Blue Ribbon School and a Title I Distinguished School. Stokley holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and an Instructional Specialist credential from the University of South Alabama and B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of West Alabama.