Tyler Salyer

West Collierville Middle School
Collierville Schools
Collierville, Tennessee
tsalyer@colliervilleschools.org

In his six-year principalship, Tyler Salyer has earned a reputation for his turnaround leadership. Salyer has led both of the schools he has served, one elementary and one middle, to their first-ever Tennessee Reward School recognition. Salyer’s current post, West Collierville Middle School, improved from a growth level 1 to 5 in just one year, and both schools were named Tennessee Reward Schools thanks to his leadership. Salyer credits these successes to his ability to cohere staff around a shared mission and vision, maximize technological resources, and expand learning opportunities that increase student investment and engagement. At both schools, mission development was informed by extensive dialogue with stakeholders, all of whom have clearly defined roles for bringing the school vision to life. While both schools had extensive access to technology before Salyer took leadership, tools were underused and failed to enhance instruction or enrich the learning experience. Teachers now use technology to increase student choice and maximize critical thinking and creativity, efforts that helped Collierville Elementary School become one of the only schools statewide to maintain and improve reading scores across subgroups in 2021. Salyer has also expanded learning opportunities for students through elective offerings including Theater, AgriSTEM, Advanced Physical Education, a Career Exploration Lab, and a Flight and Aviation course with a simulation lab sponsored by FedEx. Salyer holds Ed.S. and B.S. degrees from the University of Memphis and an M.S. from Nova Southeastern University.