Fulton County School District Case Study
Fulton County Case Study
Building dedicated oversight and accountability across middle schools
Partner Snapshot
Organization
Fulton County School District is a public school district serving 86,000+ K–12 students.
Student Demographics:
As one of the largest districts in Georgia, Fulton County serves a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population across a wide range of communities.
Partnership
Fulton County School District is a public school district serving 86,000+ K–12 students.
Student Demographics:
As one of the largest districts in Georgia, Fulton County serves a racially and socioeconomically diverse student population across a wide range of communities.
Partner:
Brannon Gaskins, Chief Academic Officer
Engagement Duration:
2 years of partnership with VJR Consulting Firm
The Challenge
Recognizing the Challenge in Middle School Leadership
The Context
Brannon Gaskins, Chief Academic Officer of Fulton County Schools, recognized a troubling pattern: While the district's elementary and middle schools were making progress, including student academic performance and disciplinary data, middle schools were not.
Mr. Gaskins and Dr. Riley first met while Dr. Riley was completing his doctoral studies. Impressed by his depth of experience, he brought VJR Consulting Firm in to develop systems and frameworks specifically designed to improve academic and disciplinary outcomes in Fulton County's middle schools. What made the partnership especially appealing was Dr. Riley's background as both a principal and a leadership coach. Mr. Gaskins and his team wanted a partner who had been in the trenches and could offer practical, grounded solutions, not just theory.
"The root cause became clear quickly. Middle schools lacked dedicated oversight, making it nearly impossible to build collaboration or accountability across those grade levels."
Fulton County middle school principals and instructional leaders debrief classroom walkthroughs and identify trends during a MS Principal PLC facilitated by Dr. Riley
The VJR Approach
Building Systems and Frameworks for Middle School Success
The Engagement
In the first year of the engagement, Dr. Riley immersed himself in the inner workings of Fulton County Schools, learning the systems, identifying key decision-makers, and building a thorough understanding of the district before prescribing any solutions. In collaboration with Mr. Gaskins, Dr. Riley assembled a cross-functional team of school and district leaders and regularly engaged a greater group of stakeholders, including middle school principals, zone superintendents, district support staff, and even the school board, as needed to help shape the strategy and ensure that the systems and frameworks developed would be implemented effectively district-wide.
In the second year of the partnership, the work evolved into the development of Fulton County School District's very first grade-band specific Professional Learning Community (PLC) that consisted primarily of middle school principals. In this community, Dr. Riley designed and facilitated a series of professional development workshops across the 2025-26 school year designed to address the challenges that surfaced during Dr. Riley's extensive analysis.
The Fulton County team credits much of the engagement's success to Dr. Riley's intentionality. He built the strategy collaboratively, consulting with principals along the way to determine the focus areas for deeper study, contributing to the data collection, and developing the action plan to address the identified challenges while actively incorporating the team's input and feedback. That approach laid an early foundation of trust and credibility.
"Rather than dictating solutions, he built the strategy collaboratively, consulting with principals along the way to determine the focus areas for deeper study."
The Experience
VJR Consulting Firm was brought in with high expectations and Dr. Riley and his team delivered on every front, and then some. Amanda Swerdlow, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability Strategy and Technology, reflects on the experience: "I was a little skeptical at first. I'd worked in Fulton County for 13 years and had seen people come and go. School staff were even more skeptical. Dr. Riley noticed that right away and addressed it head on. He spoke to his extensive school experience and, just as importantly, he honored the staff's experience."
Dr. Riley wasted no time establishing himself as a genuine member of the Fulton County team. He came prepared to every meeting, organized and focused, and consistently kept the work moving forward. Kevin Scott, Director of Student Discipline, Prevention, and Intervention, describes him as "a director in a play, making sure all leaders worked together to deliver a final product that was not only successful but also sustainable. He asked probing questions, held people accountable, and still found ways to accommodate leaders when the demands of the job pulled them away."
VJR Consulting Firm's attention to detail was constant. Whether in a full-group session or a one-on-one meeting, participants always knew what would be covered and what was expected of them. The team also brought strong discipline to the continuous improvement process, following each system through with care and consistency to set it up for long-term success.
"Throughout the engagement, the VJR team truly earned our respect. Dr. Riley quickly became a trusted member of the team."
Fulton County’s middle school principals, along with district staff and Dr. Riley (third from left, back row) at the final MS Principal PLC of the 25-26 school year.
The Impact
Measurable Improvements in Discipline and Leadership
From Learning to Leading
One of the most significant outcomes of the engagement was the development of a new student code of conduct, which was approved by the school board. The previous version was widely seen as overly punitive, but the team had struggled to identify where to start or what changes to prioritize. The initiatives implemented through VJR's recommendations gave the team the evidence and data they needed to make it happen.
Since partnering with VJR Consulting Firm, Fulton County's middle schools have seen the following improvements:
➡️ 20%+ decrease in-school referrals
➡️ 30% decrease in-school suspensions
➡️ 30% decrease in out-of-school suspensions
Additionally, the PLC shared the following feedback via surveys:
Participants in the middle school core team also reported strong results from the professional learning sessions:
➡️ 92% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt prepared to implement what they learned from the Professional Learning Series I session
➡️ 92% agreed or strongly agreed that VJR offered high-quality facilitation
➡️ More than 80% agreed or strongly agreed that participating made them a better leader
Fulton County middle school principals and instructional leaders debrief classroom walkthroughs and identify trends during a MS Principal PLC facilitated by Dr. Riley
"Since partnering with VJR Consulting Firm, Fulton County's middle schools have seen significant improvements in discipline and student outcomes."
Long-Term Value
The impact of the VJR partnership continues to compound. Middle school principals report feeling more respected and confident in their roles, a shift that was not in place before Dr. Riley's arrival. Discipline data trends in a positive direction, and policies developed during the engagement have been adopted across campuses district-wide.
Most importantly, middle schools remain a sustained priority, not an afterthought.
Middle School Core Team members (Fulton County Schools district staff) co-facilitate professional learning during a MS Principal PLC
Testimonials
Hear from Fulton County School District leaders on their experience working with Dr. Riley and VJR Consulting Firm.
"His presence, professionalism, and energy are contagious. He doesn't fill meetings with fluff because he wants to make the most of every minute. He delivers feedback straight with no chaser. But he is also very accessible. You can call anytime and he will get back to you."
- Dr. Kevin Scott, Director of Student Discipline
"He will meet and exceed expectations for whatever he is hired to do. He is thoughtful and prepared. I know our team has only seen a sliver of what Dr. Riley can do."
- Amanda Swerdlow, Director of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability
"Dr. Riley did a really good job of slowing us all down and ensuring we were disciplined with each new system and process we learned. Additionally, the professional development session he created and facilitated were top notch"
- Brannon Gaskins, Chief Academic Officer
Ready to Transform your School or District?
Partner with VJR Consulting Firm to build sustainable leadership capacity and strengthen student outcomes.
This Work Is a Strong Fit For Districts That:
Want to build leadership capacity across campuses—not just provide one-time training
Are navigating instructional change and need aligned, practical support
Need systems that translate into consistent classroom practice
Are looking for professional learning that is actionable, not theoretical
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