Candidate Portfolio — Chief Academic Officer
M.Ed. | Texas Educational Leader | Flower Mound, Texas
I don’t implement programs. I build systems that sustain results, strengthen leadership, and expand student opportunity at scale.
20+ Years in Education • Pre-K – Postsecondary • Integrative Systems Builder
Aligned systems are not accidental — they are intentionally designed, relentlessly monitored, and continuously refined to ensure every student experiences coherence in learning and opportunity.Aurora St. Laurent — Leadership Philosophy
Why Aurora. Why Now. Why Denton ISD.
Denton ISD Priority
DISD has multiple campuses on TEA Targeted Improvement and Turnaround Plans. Superintendent O'Bara embeds accountability into every layer of district planning.
My Results: Led CFBISD from a D to a predicted A in two years through data-verified CCMR systems, principal coaching, and correcting PEIMS coding errors that moved the accountability needle.
Denton ISD Priority
DISD leaders affirm: "The most important person in that classroom is that classroom teacher." TIA payments begin 2026–27, requiring rigorous, equitable appraisal systems.
My Results: Led New Teacher Academy mentorship, coached veteran teachers via T-TESS, delivered TIA training, and earned Coaching for Results Global Certification.
Denton ISD Priority
Denton ISD uses the FranklinCovey WIG framework and campus playbooks organized around vision, culture, and measurable strategic goals.
My Results: Designed district improvement plans with explicit data-driven goals, led interdepartmental collaboration, and built scalable systems principals could execute independently.
Denton ISD Priority
Improvement plans require campuses to adopt and implement HQIM with fidelity, alongside TEKS-aligned curriculum.
My Results: Supported campus pilot HMH English implementation, managed curriculum selections (Frog Street, Lexiles, SchooLinks, Test Prep), supported CTE course sequencing, and AP and Dual Credit expansion proposals.
Denton ISD Priority
With a fifth high school opening in 2027 and explosive population growth, DISD must scale CCMR, CTE, dual credit, and workforce pathways districtwide.
My Results: CCMR Director with proven data wins who built cross-sector partnerships with Dallas College, UNT, UTD, TWU, Tarleton, and the Metrocrest Chamber, grew IBC attainment, and increased FAFSA completion and college enrollment at scale.
Denton ISD Priority
DISD faces real budget constraints with 2019-level per-student state funding driving deficit pressures that demand strategic resource allocation.
My Results: Negotiated contracts saving $60K+, managed CCMR grant funding across 15 campuses, secured a $60K Denton County business grant, and reinvested savings directly into student programs.
Leadership Philosophy
Public schools need leaders who roll up their sleeves. I fight for the students behind every data point — and I build the systems that move the needle for them. My job as CAO: align curriculum, instruction, assessment, and professional learning into one coherent system that produces visible gains in student achievement and postsecondary readiness. No silos. No vanity initiatives. Just strategic priorities executed with urgency, accountability, and heart — from the classroom to the boardroom.
Alignment begins with diagnosis, not assumption. I approach system alignment in three phases: Audit — stakeholder thinking, analyzing curriculum, assessment, and data to identify misalignment and gaps between written, taught, and tested curriculum; Design — establishing clear collaborative instructional priorities and aligning departments; and Implementation & Monitoring — training leaders to interpret data, monitoring fidelity, and adjusting based on outcomes. Alignment is not a one-time initiative — it is a continuous leadership discipline.
On struggling campuses, my approach is focused and humane: identify root causes through data and direct observation, narrow to 2–3 high-leverage strategies, build principal capacity through coaching, and monitor through frequent data cycles. Struggling campuses do not need more programs — they need clarity, alignment, and consistent leadership.
Above all, I lead with integrity, urgency, and empathy — holding high expectations while building the relationships that make ambitious goals achievable for students, teachers, and principals alike. Strong systems require strong leaders, and strong leaders are developed, not assumed.
Proven at District Scale
Signature System
Designed and implemented a districtwide CCMR framework that aligned counseling, CTE, assessment, and leadership teams into a single coherent system. Established shared ownership of student outcomes across departments through data tracking, training, and clear expectations. Expanded access to dual credit, industry-based certifications, and college readiness supports — closing gaps for Special Education and English Learner populations specifically.
District Result
D → B → District-Wide A RatingSignature System
Led PEIMS verification processes and corrected coding errors to ensure accurate accountability reporting. Built real-time data-tracking dashboards used by principals and coordinators. Trained campus and district leaders to interpret and act on data — shifting culture from data as compliance to data as a leadership tool. Coached administrators on indicator-level action steps by student subgroup, not just aggregate performance.
District Result
Improved Accuracy → Unlocked Hidden Accountability GainsSignature System
Built a structured end-to-end pipeline connecting middle school preparation through postsecondary access. Aligned SAT, ACT, TSIA2, and Texas College Bridge programs across all high school campuses. Expanded FAFSA/TASFA completion, college application support, and first-generation student workshops. Launched NCAA athletic advising initiative connecting athletic pathways to college access — a first for the district.
District Result
Increased College Access & Readiness Across All SubgroupsSignature System
Collaborated directly with CTE directors and specialists to strengthen course sequencing, increase Industry-Based Certification (IBC) attainment, and identify missed certification opportunities. Proposed and began executing a CTE expansion plan for underrepresented students. Organized college and career exposure events, partnered with Dallas College CTE, UNT, and local Chambers of Commerce to build student awareness of high-wage, high-demand career fields.
District Result
Measurable IBC Growth & 20%+ Partnership ExpansionIf Selected — Immediate Priorities
Days 1–30
Days 31–60
Days 61–90
"The first 90 days are not about doing everything — they are about doing the right things with clarity, trust, and urgency."
Strategic Priorities I Would Pursue Immediately
Strengthen coherence districtwide so what is written, taught, and tested is the same system — not three separate efforts.
Provide targeted, presence-based support for campuses on TEA Improvement and Turnaround Plans with clarity, coaching, and urgency.
Scale CCMR, CTE, dual credit, and workforce pathways to meet the demands of a rapidly growing district, including high school #5.
Build structured coaching systems so principals lead with data, purpose, and the confidence to drive improvement on their campuses.
Leverage AI tools to personalize learning, accelerate data analysis, and free teachers and leaders to focus on what only humans can do.
Answering What Matters Most
At Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, I was brought in as District CCMR Director with a charge to move accountability ratings. In Year 1, I led data verification across all secondary campuses, correcting PEIMS coding errors that had suppressed CCMR indicator performance. I built real-time data-tracking dashboards and coached principals and counselors on indicator-level action steps — not general goals, but precise targets by student subgroup.
The result: secondary campuses moved from a D to a B in Year 1 and achieved a district-wide A in Year 2. This wasn't coincidence — it was the result of vertically aligned frameworks connecting CCMR, CTE, counseling, dual credit, test prep, and athletic advising into one coherent system that every department could see and own.
Turnaround begins with clarity, not blame. I would start by being physically present on each campus — walking classrooms, joining data team meetings, and listening to the teachers and leaders who know what's actually happening. TEA's improvement plan structure gives us a framework, but the real work is in implementation fidelity.
My approach focuses on three levers: (1) Instructional leadership capacity — coaching principals through the same frameworks I hold them accountable to; (2) Curriculum alignment — ensuring HQIM is used with fidelity and intervention systems are targeted, not generic; and (3) Staffing and culture — supporting Teacher Incentive Allotment to recognize and retain high-performing teachers in high-need schools. I've lived this work — not just as a central office administrator, but as a campus leader in alternative education settings serving the district's most vulnerable students.
The most important investment any CAO can make is in principal effectiveness. I approach principal development through relational coaching, not compliance monitoring. As CCMR Director, I facilitated executive leadership and principal training sessions on data-driven decision-making and interdepartmental collaboration — and I did it by modeling the relationships I expected them to build.
I hold a Coaching for Results Global Certified Coach credential and have trained under Jim Knight's Instructional Coaching Institute and Leverage Leadership frameworks. I use data walkthroughs not as evaluations but as learning conversations. Strong systems require strong leaders, and strong leaders are developed, not assumed.
Equity is not a program — it is a lens applied to every decision. My work has always centered on ensuring that the students least likely to be seen by a system are the most intentionally served by it.
At CFBISD, I collaborated directly with CTE directors to close IBC attainment gaps for Special Education and English Learner students, analyzing disaggregated data and redesigning course sequencing to remove access barriers. I led ESL/ELPS professional development sessions to move teachers from compliance to genuine language-integrated instruction. I have also served students in DAEP, SAPP, and Night High School settings — populations that are often invisible in district-level planning. They will not be invisible in mine.
Most districts operate in cycles of: Initiative → Implementation → Fatigue → Replacement. The problem isn't effort — it's fragmentation. Curriculum, instruction, assessment, CCMR, and professional learning operate as separate silos, each with their own goals, their own calendars, and their own definitions of success. Teachers receive conflicting messages. Principals juggle competing priorities. Students experience incoherence.
The fix is not another initiative. The fix is deliberate, sustained alignment — reducing the number of priorities so leaders can actually execute, building systems that connect every department's work to a shared outcome, and creating feedback loops that are fast enough to actually inform instruction. What gets aligned gets sustained. That is the fundamental shift I bring.
Resource scarcity demands strategic prioritization — and I've operated under exactly those conditions. As CCMR Director, I managed federal grant funding across 15 campuses, negotiated vendor contracts saving $60K+ (reinvested directly in student tools), and applied for and received a $60K Denton County business grant.
My approach: protect the instructional core first. Professional learning, HQIM implementation, and targeted intervention supports are not discretionary — they are the engine of achievement. I build budget proposals tied explicitly to measurable student outcomes, present them transparently to the Superintendent and Board, and advocate fiercely for what students need while demonstrating fiscal integrity in every line item.
Future-Ready Academic Leadership
The next phase of district leadership requires not just data use — but data acceleration. As Chief Academic Officer, I will lead the strategic integration of AI to amplify educator effectiveness, personalize student pathways, and ensure Denton ISD is positioned at the front of the next evolution in public education.
Instruction
AI tools that support TEKS-aligned lesson planning, differentiation, and scaffolding — freeing teachers to focus on relationship and responsiveness.
Data
Real-time dashboards with predictive insights to identify at-risk students earlier — enabling intervention before failure, not after.
Leadership Development
Scenario-based leadership training and AI-supported coaching tools that develop principal capacity at scale across a growing district.
Student Pathways
AI-powered college and career pathway tools that connect each student's strengths, interests, and data to individualized postsecondary plans.
"AI will not replace educators — but leaders who know how to leverage it will replace those who do not."
Professional Journey
2023 – 2025
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD | SEL & Postsecondary Readiness Department | Central Administration
Every initiative I launched — from ACT access to sports recruiting to Summer Launch — I worked alongside each teacher, coach, student, director, and executive until the system could sustain itself. That is how I lead.
2025 – Present
R.L. Turner High School & Barbara Bush Middle School | Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
2017 – 2023
Newman Smith High School & ProNeuro Medical Group | CFBISD / Flower Mound
2015 – 2018
Lewisville Learning Center (DAEP) & Lillie J. Jackson Early Childhood | Lewisville ISD
2012 – 2015
Vivian Field Middle School & Perry Middle School | Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
2011 – 2013
North Central Texas College | Flower Mound & Corinth, TX
2006 – 2011
Texas Teaching Fellows | Carrollton, TX
2003 – 2012
Newman Smith High School | Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
Thought Leadership in Action
Aurora has presented at the campus, district, regional, and statewide level — to students, families, principals, counselors, and Boards of Trustees. Each deck below is fully viewable and represents a different dimension of her leadership.
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD
CCMR & Dual Credit Opportunities
SEL & Postsecondary Readiness
Board of Trustees · CFBISD
Delivered to elected trustees with peer-district comparison data showing CFBISD outperforming 10 neighboring ISDs in college application rates and FAFSA completion — translating board priorities into visible, measurable outcomes.
Region 10 Conference
Launch Your CCMR Reach
Interdepartmental Collaboration
Region 10 Conference · Statewide Audience
Delivered to CCMR coordinators across North Texas. Presents a full interdepartmental collaboration framework spanning 8 departments with live district data — a blueprint for districts ready to move from initiative to integrated system.
Student Workshop
Recruiting 101
Reach Your Goals
Student Workshop · All CFBISD High Schools
A district-first initiative Aurora designed from scratch. Covers NCAA eligibility, coach communication, NIL, target school selection, and FieldLevel — delivered to all four CFBISD high schools and the district athletic department.
Growing Greatness
ABC’s of CCMR for EB & SPED
Equity-Centered Postsecondary Access
District PD · EB & SPED Leaders
Equity-centered training for Emergent Bilingual and Special Education leaders — translating CCMR indicators into accessible, realistic pathways for historically underrepresented students without watering down the standard.
Experiential In-Service
The 3 T’s: TSI, TSIA & TCB
Growing Greatness
Principals & Teachers · 3-Hour In-Service
Designed an empathy-driven in-service where principals and teachers actually completed sections of TSIA and TCB themselves — three hours of lived exposure to what students experience. Turned abstract accountability indicators into informed, invested advocacy.
August Staff Development
CCMR Campus Kick Off
HS & MS Teacher Audience
All HS & MS Campuses · CFBISD
Diagnosed a gap: campus leaders understood CCMR and accountability, but teachers didn’t yet share the global mindset. Built this districtwide kickoff and deployed it with my team across every HS and MS campus during August staff development — turning accountability from a directive into shared ownership.
Endorsed By Leaders Who Know Her Best
She successfully led the implementation of district-wide systems that significantly improved accountability outcomes, moving performance ratings from a D to a B, with projections indicating continued growth to an A.
Aurora is a rare leader who understands both the data and the human element of education. She is a relentless advocate for students and a supportive mentor to her colleagues. I recommend her without reservation.
In CFBISD, she built data-driven systems that significantly elevated district performance — moving secondary campuses to a district-wide A rating in her second year. She bridged departmental silos and brought our vision of integrated student services to life.
She was up for Associate Principal when she left CFB. Her capabilities far exceed the campus level. She does not simply implement initiatives — she builds systems that ensure long-term impact.
Education, Licensure & Professional Development
Graduate Degree
University of Texas at Arlington
Also: UNT Writing Fellowship Graduate
B.A. English — University of Southern Mississippi
Texas Certification — Valid Through 2028
EC–12 Principal
Issued by SBEC | Effective 09/08/2022
Texas Certification — Valid Through 2028
English Language Arts & Reading (8–12)
English as a Second Language Supplemental (8–12)
Instructional Coaching
Jim Knight Instructional Coaching Institute
Leverage Leadership | Teach Like a Champion
Capturing Kids Hearts Coach
Specialized Credentials
TEA Dyslexia & Gifted and Talented Certifications
Structure of Intellect & Learning Analysis
Science of Reading | Interactive Metronome
Community & Professional Leadership
Metrocrest Chamber Workforce Board
Council of Women School Executives
Region 10 Aspiring Principal Academy
CFBISD District Fall Administrator Champion 2024
For Denton Independent School District
I don’t implement programs.
I build systems that sustain results.
What gets aligned gets sustained. I am ready to bring that alignment — and that urgency — to Denton ISD and every student it serves.
Aurora Angelique St. Laurent