Alyse L. Zeffiro

Kerrydale Elementary School
Prince William County Public Schools
Woodridge, Virginia
zeffirax@pwcs.edu

Alyse Zeffiro joined Kerrydale Elementary School as principal seven years ago after a decade of service in the district as a classroom teacher and assistant principal. During her tenure, Kerrydale has undergone a complete academic and cultural transformation, which Zeffiro credits to the school’s adoption of Visible Learning. Within this framework, Zeffiro emphasizes teacher clarity, collective efficacy, and genuine feedback to empower teachers to take the lead in delivering fine-tuned, high-impact strategies that leverage robust data collection and analysis. The net result is an inspiring and contagious culture of teacher growth. Under Zeffiro’s leadership, Kerrydale maintains high expectations for all students regardless of present proficiency, a commitment which has positively impacted students’ self-esteem by increasing ownership over the learning process. Collaboration, critical thinking, and a genuine passion for knowledge acquisition are the keys to student learning at Kerrydale, where the ability to set goals, self-assess, and provide effective peer feedback are essential qualitative markers of success. Increased teacher confidence and deepened student engagement have yielded impressive academic growth, decreased frequency of behavioral referrals, and an improved school culture, leading Kerrydale to be named a Model Visible Learning School, a Virginia’s Highest Achievement Exemplar School, and a National Title I Distinguished School for closing the achievement gap. Zeffiro holds a master’s degree in Supervision and Evaluation from George Mason University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Sociology from the University of Pittsburgh.