Name: Nathan L. Nelson
Role: Associate Principal, Simmons-Pinckney Middle School
District: Charleston County School District (SC); 50,000 students
Years in education: 12
Years district has worked with Education Elements: 1+
Work and Impact: Nathan is a member of the leadership team that has led his school's gradual transition to personalized learning. Simmons-Pinckney spent 2016–17 learning about the Core Four elements of personalized learning with a strong emphasis on teacher and student use of data. By the end of this school year, nearly 80% of Simmons-Pinckney students reported that “I know which skills I need to improve.”
What impact have you seen personalized learning make? "The most rewarding experiences have been not only witnessing teachers become data driven but also seeing our students own their own learning and data. Students can reflect and articulate how they learn best."
What is your superpower? “My superpower is that I have the ability to see the impossible.”
Follow Nathan on Twitter: @SimmonsPinckney
“Nate Nelson is enthusiastic, passionate, caring, and endlessly energetic. He is driven by a deep love for and commitment to all of his students, and he couples high expectations with understanding and a belief in each student's capacity to excel. Nate himself is an eager and joyful learner, a modern Renaissance man whose interests range from classical and gospel music, to the art of Jonathan Green, to the growing Charleston tech industry, to travel to new places. He embodies the leadership characteristics that create positive change and transformative innovation.”
–Beth Havens, District Leader, Charleston County School District
