As assistant principal in charge of curriculum, Jonathan Rysewyk constantly searches for new and innovative ideas to improve student achievement at Fulton High School in Knoxville. A strong, highly accessible leader who mobilizes staff, students, parents and the community to work together toward achieving the school's goals, Rysewyk has been instrumental in researching and implementing best practices from around the nation as it relates to curriculum, graduation rate and inclusion. He created a program called Skills for Success that allows students to repeat a class or classes that they were previously unable to pass, giving them a second chance to acquire important skills and knowledge. The program helped 46 students graduate last year. Rysewyk also helped raise test scores among the school's large population of special education students and developed a "graduation contract" for seniors with 16 or more credits. Formerly a science teacher and department head trained in Advanced Placement environmental science, Rysewyk has written and received grants from the Tennessee Department of Education and has served on the Knox County Small Learning Communities Task Force.
1996 University of Tennessee - Knoxville, B.A.
