Sharon M. Boomer
Spectrum Elementary School
Gilbert Public Schools
Gilbert, Arizona
[email protected]
When Sharon Boomer took leadership of Mesquite Elementary School, several programmatic attempts to improve math and reading performance had failed to deliver meaningful gains, despite targeted investments of time and resources. Under Boomer’s instructional leadership, characterized by her laser focus on discrete planning, professional learning, and strategic intervention, this trend of stagnation was quickly reversed, elevating the school’s B rating to an A over just two years. At neighboring Spectrum Elementary, where she has served as principal for the last seven years, Gilbert has continued to train teachers in interpreting data to guide instruction and has brought the same systematic thinking and action to implement a comprehensive PBIS framework. In the process, she has drawn on the leadership and expertise of educators and social workers, while also playing a central public role in modeling school culture and expectations. Boomer has also been a leader at the district level by implementing a school within a school model that gives families options between traditional, conventional, and blended instruction formats. Boomer describes leadership as “a way of life” and prides herself in taking a cooperative approach to management, setting high expectations and providing the tools to produce student success. She has served as an administrator for 12 years, building on over 13 years as a classroom teacher, and nine years in the private sector. She holds an M.Ed. from Northern Arizona University.