ASCD Faculty Bio

Shirley C. Kilgore

Shirley C. Kilgore has front-line experience in educational leadership. She served 35 years in public education, most recently as principal of the first high school for African Americans in the state of Georgia. During her tenure, Kilgore had the opportunity to work in numerous leadership capacities for continuous school improvement. Her employment responsibilities included all aspects of school operation, including the development and implementation of strategic plans based on needs assessments, human resource supervision and management, and professional development facilitation for administrators and teachers. Her experiences in the field of education have enabled her to develop a vast knowledge base and varied skill set in leadership and school administration.

Currently, Kilgore is a professional learning education consultant specializing in leadership coaching and development. As a proven instructional leader, she has extensive experience working with school administrators and teachers to foster positive, supportive learning environments and to implement effective leadership and teaching strategies that are necessary for optimum student achievement. Likewise, Kilgore has developed training programs and created cross-functional teams to guide decisions in academic program planning and implementation. She is very knowledgeable about effective schooling practices for meeting the needs of all learners.

Kilgore holds an EdD in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University, an MA from Atlanta University, and a BA from Spelman College.