Still at Leyden, three books in, and the chance to work alongside 70+ schools. The shape of the work keeps changing, but the belief underneath it doesn't: kids rise to the bar we set for them, and teachers do better when someone has their back.
Andrew has spent his career at the same Leyden high school where he started — the school that was named the College Board's AP District of the Year, and one of the first in the country to roll out 1-to-1 Chromebooks. The frameworks he now brings to other schools were sharpened there: built with his own students, refined across years, and proven before they got carried anywhere else.
Every framework Andrew teaches to other educators was tried with his own students first. If it didn't work in his own classroom, he didn't ask anyone else to try it.
When Andrew took over the AP program, the class average was 1.9. Three years later, it was 4.45 with a 100% pass rate, back-to-back. The College Board called them the highest scores in the state. He doesn't lead with the numbers because the numbers were the result, not the strategy.
The strategy was culture, expectations, and the unsexy work of building rituals that compound across a year. Kids didn't get smarter. They got believed in, and they got pushed.
His first book, All 4s and 5s, came out in 2018 and ended up as one of the more-used book studies in the gifted and talented community — over 15,000 copies sold. Finding Lifelines followed in 2020 with a foreword by Dr. Harry Wong. Kids Can released in April 2025 and points the same approach toward struggling students.
Through Village Project Consulting, Andrew and his team work with schools on engagements ranging from a single PD day to multi-year partnerships. The aim is always the same: help build the systems and the belief that let teachers do their best work, so students can do theirs.
Awarded to "a forceful spokesperson for educational and societal goals."
Finalist for the highest honor in U.S. history education.
Awarded to Leyden High School during Andrew's tenure.
4.45 class average, 100% pass rate, back-to-back years.
Among the first cohort to deploy 1-to-1 Chromebooks at scale.
All 4s and 5s debuted on the Amazon best-seller list.
A handful of recent visits. The full list of partner schools is on the speaking page.
Andrew's deep compassion for supporting educators is evident in everything he does. His commitment to seeing initiatives through has been instrumental in giving more students the chance to excel.Dr. Porsha Denson · Assistant Principal, South Gwinnett HS, GA
Speaking, consulting, or just a conversation about what you're trying to figure out. Send a note — Andrew would like to hear what you're working on.
Say hi