Claire Sheff Kohn, Ed.D.
Home Address: Work Address:
Cambridge, MA 02138 20 Endicott Road
(617) 864-4577 Topsfield, MA 01983
(978) 887-2323, ext. 6111
Email: csheff-kohn@masconomet.org
2004̶̶ Superintendent, Masconomet Regional School District, Topsfield, MA
§ Lead and manage a Grades 7-12 regional school district serving three towns and comprised of approximately 2,200 students, 275 employees, and a $28 million budget
§ Oversee all aspects of the operation including curriculum and instruction, business management, human resources, buildings and grounds, community relations, communications, etc.
§ Facilitate a newly formed task force to develop a district-wide technology plan
§ In partnership with the sending elementary school district, initiated the first ever pre-K-12 “Umbrella Group” of PTOs, PACs, foundations, and other community non-profits to better coordinate inter-district and inter-community events and communications
§ In collaboration with the School Committee and Chief Financial Officer, restored trust and credibility in the three towns, particularly with municipal officials and finance committees
§ Initiated a number of new programs and electives to advance global education, including implementation of a Chinese Language and Culture course, and ethical decision-making, including a collaboration with the Institute for Global Ethics and other districts
§ Initiated the use of student performance data as the basis for decision-making
§ Facilitated the District’s strategic planning process, which resulted in the development of two district-wide goals—one devoted to improving special education students’ performance on state exams and the other focused on increasing student engagement with one related outcome being a decrease in the drop-out rate
§ Oversaw development of the District’s first personnel policy manual; oversaw the revision of the School Committee’s policy manual, re-writing many existing policies and developing new ones
§ Oversaw the work of two task forces, which were initiated to study outsourcing custodial services and food services; oversaw the process to outsource both in order to save money
§ Led and managed a K-12 district of 3,300 students, 500 employees, a $58.8 million budget, and an $81.5 million referendum
§ Assumed leadership of a complex, high performing district plagued with administrative turn-over and dissension, bringing stability, organization, and relationship-building to the district
§ Worked with the Board of Education and community in a successful campaign to pass an $81.5 million bond referendum for construction/renovation at all six district schools
§ Worked with the Board President and a former board member to seek and obtain over $1.5 million in private donations to fund portions of the construction/renovations at the high school
§ Oversaw completion of the various phases associated with the construction/renovation projects from the development of educational specifications through the award of bids
§ Oversaw a plan to bring improvement and efficiency to district policies and procedures in financial management, personnel management, plant operations, and the delivery of curriculum and instruction
§ Initiated the use of student performance data as the basis for decision-making
§ Solidified, expanded, and/or established partnerships with Princeton University, Westminster Choir College, the Township and Borough of Princeton, various community non-profits, and local sports organizations
§ In concert with the Board of Education, made closing the achievement gap one of the district’s top priorities
§ Featured in Stonehill Alumni Magazine in the Spring 2003 edition in article titled, “Follow the Leader -- Claire (Murray) Sheff Kohn ’70”
§ Featured in The Star Ledger article, “School glass ceiling cracked,” August 13, 2003
1993 - 2000 Superintendent, Lawrence Township Public Schools, Lawrenceville, NJ
§ Led and managed a K-12 school district of 4,000 students with 550 employees and a $41 million budget
§ Led a successful campaign to pass a $7.8 million referendum for science and technology;
featured in the October 99 issue of Apple's newsletter, Imagine, in an article titled, "The Power of Mobile Technology"
§ Launched a strategic planning process focused on standards, assessment, supervision,
evaluation, and professional development
§ Initiated a process to systematically evaluate and improve district programs and
services including early childhood, gifted and talented, special education, guidance, athletics, and others
§ Chaired a countywide task force on special education to find ways to meet student needs more cost-effectively
§ Instrumental in winning over $4 million in competitive grants for professional development, distance learning, and curriculum revision (inquiry based science)
§ Implemented innovative and proven programs to deal with challenges of at-risk and limited English speaking students
§ Increased participation of parents, students, and staff in decision making
§ Provided sound financial oversight of district budget resulting in modest increases despite growing enrollment
1988 - 1993 Superintendent, Hull Public Schools, Hull, MA
§ Led and managed a K-12 school district of 1,500 students and 170 employees
§ Initiated a complex, large-scale strategic planning process for
restructuring and revitalizing the district, with particular emphasis
on curriculum/instruction, assessment, school-based management, community involvement, and marketing the Hull Schools
§ Sought and received over $400,000 in competitive grants and foundation funds in a two-year period
§ Initiated and chaired the Lighthouse Technology Planning Committee, a collaboration of fourteen school districts on the South Shore of Massachusetts seeking to share resources through technology
§ Featured in AS&U: American School & University magazine in the February 1989 issue in article titled, “Exemplary Computer Facilities”
§ Featured in The Boston Globe on November 4, 1990, in article titled, "Troubled Schools Revived, Hull Superintendent Brings New Life to the System "
§ Featured in Executive Educator magazine in the May 1991 issue in article titled, "Claire Sheff: Trial By Fire"
§ Featured in The Boston Globe on August 11, 1991, in article titled, " A Selling Strategy Is Urged to Rescue Public Schools"
§ Featured in Working Mother magazine in the August 1993 article titled, "Coming Soon to a School Near You"
1982 - 1988 Assistant Superintendent, Norwell Public Schools, Norwell, MA
1980 - 1982 Assistant Principal, Norwell Public Schools, Norwell, MA
1974 - 1980 Guidance Counselor, Westwood High School, Westwood, MA
1973 - 1974 Counseling Intern, Concord-Carlisle Regional High School, Concord, MA
1972 - 1973 Teacher of Humanities, Concord-Carlisle Regional High School, Concord, MA
1971 - 1972 Teacher of English, Bicknell Junior High School, Weymouth, MA
Doctor of Education in School Administration. Dissertation title:
Exploratory Case Study of the Power Problem of the Superintendency
Master of Education in Guidance and Counseling
Bachelor of Arts in English, cum laude
2008- Serve as a mentor for a superintendent new to MA under the auspices of the MA
Association of School Superintendents
2007- Facilitate a group of new and aspiring female superintendents with funding provided by the
MA DOE
2004- Member of the board of directors of the North Shore Education Consortium (a special
education collaborative)
2003- Elected member of the Suburban School Superintendents
2003-2004 Member of the Governing Board of the Minority Student Achievement Network
2003-2004 Member of the New Jersey Superintendents’ Study Council at Seton Hall University
2002-2004 Member of the Honorary Board of Trustees of the Princeton Girlchoir
2001-2004 Personal Trainer, Citizens for Better Schools’ New Superintendents Initiative
2000-2004 Ex officio member of the Princeton Education Foundation
1999-2004 Member of Mercer County Bar Foundation's Advisory Board for a countywide violence prevention initiative, KITES (Kids Instructed in Tolerance through Education and Support)
1995-2004 Member of the following NJASA Committees: Executive Committee, Annual Spring Conference, Technology, Nominating, Continuing Education, Assessment; president of NJASA Mercer County Affiliate; annual speaker at NJASA’s New Superintendents’ Academy on Board/Superintendent Relationships
1999 Member of New Jersey Department of Education's focus group on violence and vandalism reporting
1998 Chair of Mercer County Superintendents Roundtable
1995-2000 Member of Advisory Council of E=MC2, NSF funded K-6 inquiry based science initiative
1995 Member of New Jersey Department of Education’s Committees on Student Codes of Conduct and Blue Ribbon Schools Selection
1993-2000 Ex officio member of the Lawrence Township Education Foundation
1993 -1996 Member of AASA's Instructional Leadership and Technology Committee. Elected chair of the committee 1995-1996
1991 -1993 Member of the Superintendents Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications (MCET)
1990 - 1993 Elected Member of the Board of Directors of the New England School Development Council (NESDEC)
1990 - 1993 Member of the Advisory Board for the School Based Improvement Project (SBIP), a joint project of the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, funded by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
1989 -1993 Member of the Board of Directors of the Superintendents' Center for Public Leadership, Policy Development and Planning at Stonehill College. Elected chair of the Board 1991-1993
1989 -1993 Member of the Board of Directors of the Hull Council for Business and Cultural Development
2007 Wrote a chapter titled, The Stories of Practicing Superintendents: The Struggle to Make
the Right Decisions for the book, Spirituality in Educational Leadership,
published by Corwin Press
2003-2004 Participant in Princeton University’s Superintendents as Scholars program
2001-2004 Conducted seminars on strategic planning for non-profits at annual Community Works conference
2002 Took “Educators’ Liability” course at the Education Law Institute-Franklin Pierce Law Center
2001-2003 Member of the selection committee for Princeton University’s Distinguished Teacher Awards program
1999 Attended the “Ethical Fitness Seminar” at the Institute for Global Ethics
1999 Named one of New Jersey's Technologists of the Year by the New Jersey Association for Educational Technology
1999 Served on ETS' School Superintendent job analysis panel and selected to be an item writer for the development of a licensing exam for superintendents
1999 Selected to attend the Inquiry Leadership Seminar, an NSF funded program, at the Exploratorium in San Francisco
1996 -1998 Published the following articles: Schools Taking the Initiative to Provide a Safe Environment, Understanding the Ability to Exercise Power, Countywide Task Force Develops Strategic Plan, District Planning Underway, and Journal Keeping: Recording the Events of One's Personal and Professional Life, in area publications.
1997 Received a Women of the Year award from the Lawrence Chapter of the League of Women Voters
1996 - 1997 Member of the Development Committee for the restoration of The Brearley House, an historic Lawrence Township landmark
1996 -1997 Member of the 1997 Class of Leadership New Jersey, "a program sponsored by the Partnership for New Jersey, which for ten years has been identifying, honoring and informing emerging leaders and challenging them to tackle statewide problems" (Star Ledger, 3/9/97)
1995 Completed AASA’s Strategic Planning Program for Internal Facilitators
1993-2000 Member, ex officio, of Lawrence Township Education Foundation. Member of Grant Proposal Review Committee
1992 Attended the Negotiation Workshop at the Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers
1991 Adjunct faculty to the Advanced Studies Program at Curry College, Milton, MA
1989 Received the President's Award of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents In Recognition of Outstanding Contributions to Education
2007 Presented a workshop, Interpersonal Relationships, Politics & Leadership in
Education, for the Women’s Educational Leadership Network, a collaboration between the
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and the Massachusetts Department
of Education
2003-2004 Presenter at NJASA/Center for Empowered Leadership’s institutes titled, “The Foundation of Enlightened Leadership: A Spiritual Journey” and “The Journey of Empowered Leadership”
2003 Panelist for Princeton University Program in Teacher Preparation’s Convocation
2002 Panelist for the Dedication of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Center for Science Teaching and Learning at Rider University
2002 Panelist for the NJ Governor’s Education Summit
2002 Narrator for Princeton Symphony Orchestra’s children’s concert (Saint Saens’ Carnival of the Animals)
§ American Association of School Administrators
§ The Horace Mann League
§ The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents
§ The National Superintendents Roundtable (founding member)
§ The Northeast Consortium for Staff Development
§ Suburban School Superintendents
posted 2/7/09