Career Path of a Head of School at Community School for Creative Education
Phillip's career trajectory showcases a consistent progression within education, starting with an internship at the Connecticut Department of Education where they worked on "Mastery standardized assessment" initiatives. This experience led to five years teaching in Teach for America, followed by roles as a math coach, mathematics director for 26 charter schools, high school principal, principal supervisor, and ultimately, the Head of School at a TK-8 charter school in Oakland, California.
Education, Leadership, Career Development, Public Service, Charter Schools
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Phillip Gedeon
Head of School
Community School for Creative Education
Connecticut College 2005
Loyola Marymount University 09’
Ethnic & Related Studies, Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Education
Operations and Project Management
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Phillip's internship with the Connecticut Department of Education provided early experience in educational assessment and policy.
2. His five years with Teach for America in Los Angeles gave him practical teaching experience.
3. His career progression shows a clear path from teacher to math coach, department director, high school principal, principal supervisor, and finally Head of School, illustrating growth and increasing responsibility within the education sector.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
In college, I had the opportunity to intern for the Connecticut Department of Education. I worked under the superintendent on an initiative around mastery standardized assessments for elementary, middle, and high school students. I also coordinated one of their publications for handbooks that guided teachers and parents on question types and student standards.
That experience was exciting for me to get my feet wet with standardized assessments in a state that was probably more progressive in alignment than other states at that time. After college, I was fortunate to join Teach for America in Los Angeles, where I taught for five years.
After leaving Los Angeles Unified School District, I ventured into the charter school world as a math coach. Through that role, I conducted trainings for math educators on the Common Core standards. A couple of years later, I became a director of mathematics.
I then moved from overseeing a math program for 26 charter schools to becoming a high school principal. From there, I transitioned to a principal supervisor role, where I've had the fortune to mentor and oversee principals from TK through high school.
Currently, I serve as the head of school and executive director of our charter school, which serves TK through eighth grade in Oakland, California.
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