Paul C. Farmer

Paul C. Farmer is an experienced practitioner who started in education as a career and technical education (CTE) teacher. He has experience in multiple locations of a school system, including classroom, school building, and central office levels. As principal of Joyce Kilmer Middle School, Paul was one of the first principals in Fairfax County, Virginia, to build a PLC that yielded sustained growth in academics. He now consults with educators at every level, from classroom teachers to systemwide leaders, helping them develop and sustain PLCs. His presentations include hands-on activities and practical applications that demonstrate how to build a collaborative culture and a learning-centered environment. Paul inspires participants by highlighting success stories and lessons learned on his own PLC journeys.

Although Paul began his educational career in the classroom, he was soon promoted to a team leader, guiding efforts to support underachieving students. That position led him to become a department chair, central office teacher specialist, curriculum writer, and staff developer. He later accepted a position as assistant principal of a 3,000-student high school in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public School System and later moved to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). While working in FCPS, the deputy superintendent selected Paul to be the project director of instructional technology integration. In that capacity, Paul worked with all grade levels and directed a districtwide project to build an online curriculum repository with links to assessment questions and assessments designed to improve student performance on Virginia’s high-stakes tests.

Paul is co-author of Collaboration for Career & Technical Education: Teamwork Beyond the Core Content Areas in a PLC, one of the first books focused on combining CTE and PLC. His book provides details on how to find commonality among singleton teachers in CTE and how to function as a collaborative team focused on the aspects of a PLC. He has also coauthored How to Help Your School Thrive Without Breaking the Bank and Dealing With the Tough Stuff: Practical Solutions for School Administrators.