Scott T. Jeffrey

Highland Elementary School
Cheshire Public Schools
Cheshire, Connecticut
[email protected]

In the eight years as principal of Highland Elementary School, Scott Jeffrey has proven himself an effective, inclusive, and well-attuned educational leader. This was evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Jeffrey led the successful transition back to in-person learning by attending to the professional, social, and academic needs of all community members. This holistic approach was not limited to the pandemic, however. Social-emotional learning is at the center at Highland, which recently earned recognition with the 2024 Elementary Climate Award from the Connecticut Association of Schools, a distinction that Jeffrey credits to the school’s commitment to research-based strategies that cultivate a climate of inclusion, wellness, and academic success. Under Jeffrey’s leadership, kindness and inclusion are not mere slogans at Highland but also part of the very social fabric of the school. Jeffrey has led the successful implementation of programs like Yale’s Emotional Intelligence RULER and Responsive Classroom, as well as standards-based counseling lessons on themes such as anti-bullying. In 2020, Highland earned the distinction of becoming the state’s first Special Olympics Unified Champion School, just three years after Jeffrey launched the school’s United Sports program to bring students with and without intellectual disabilities together for athletic education and enrichment. Jeffrey, who has been in education for 35 years, holds a bachelor’s in Physical Education from Central Connecticut State University, a M.Ed. in Elementary Education from the University of Hartford, and a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of South Carolina.