Jethro Jones, Ed.D.

Professional Summary

Scholar-practitioner, educational leader, and teacher with experience spanning K-12 leadership, graduate instruction, leadership coaching, and applied research. My work focuses on helping educational leaders transform schools through reflective practice, character development, organizational learning, and thoughtful integration of emerging technologies. I strive to connect scholarship and practice in ways that improve leadership, strengthen communities, and expand opportunities for students.

Education

Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Character Education emphasis - 2026 University of Missouri-St. Louis
M.Ed., Educational Leadership - December 2008 Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
B.A., English Education, Minor: Russian - December 2005 Brigham Young University-Idaho, Rexburg, ID

University Teaching

Graduate Instructor

University of Missouri-St. Louis
EDUC 7310 - Integrating Technology in Learning for Educators | 2025

Designed and taught graduate-level coursework exploring technology integration, AI, instructional design, and leadership.
Facilitated online learning experiences for practicing educators.
Mentored graduate students through authentic classroom implementation and reflection.
Helped educators connect emerging technology with classroom practice, school improvement, and professional judgment.

Dissertation

Cognitive Equity: How School Principals Use Artificial Intelligence for Innovation

This practitioner research explores how principals who use AI for innovation create cognitive equity - expanding educators’ ability to think, create, communicate, and solve problems - while principals who use AI primarily for efficiency often create cognitive debt, reducing opportunities for meaningful professional growth.

Areas of Teaching

Educational Leadership
Principalship
Organizational Leadership
Character Education
Reflective Practice
Technology Leadership
Instructional Leadership
Research Methods
Educational Innovation
Leadership Coaching

Current Research Agenda

My research explores the intersection of:

AI and educational leadership
Character education
Organizational learning
Reflective leadership practice
Cognitive equity
Technology-supported leadership development
Human-centered innovation

Leadership Development

Over the past decade I have designed and facilitated professional learning experiences for:

50+ principals
200+ instructional facilitators
Thousands of school leaders and educators
Multiple state principal associations, district leadership teams, and professional learning organizations

Topics include:

Instructional leadership
AI for innovation
Change leadership
Organizational learning
Coaching
Systems thinking
Character education

Graduate Mentoring & Advising

Leadership coaching for practicing principals and assistant principals.
Doctoral peer mentoring and research support.
School leadership consulting for aspiring and current administrators.
Coaching educators through classroom implementation, professional reflection, and leadership growth.

Professional Experience

Founder

Transformative Principal / BE Podcast Network
2013-Present

Built Transformative Principal into a top 1.5% global education podcast and professional learning platform.
Interviewed and learned from hundreds of educational leaders, researchers, authors, and practitioners.
Coached 50+ principals and 200+ instructional facilitators nationwide.
Built professional development systems impacting 250,000+ students.
Delivered leadership development and AI for Innovation training to school leaders, districts, associations, and education organizations.
Created educational conferences, masterminds, and professional learning communities for practicing leaders.

Principal & Director of Special Schools

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District / Kodiak Island Borough School District
K-12 levels, including correctional education | 2014-2020

Led schools and special programs across elementary, middle, high school, and alternative settings.
Designed a K-12 magnet school in Fairbanks, Alaska, focused on student agency, personalization, and applied learning.
Tripled student enrollment in one year through mission-driven school design and community engagement.
Launched intervention and enrichment systems that supported three years of academic growth in one semester.
Implemented restorative practices, personalized learning, distance co-teaching, and technology-supported instruction.
Led diverse faculty teams through change, ambiguity, resource constraints, and community expectations.

Assistant Principal, Copperview Elementary

Canyons School District
2011-2014

Raised attendance to 95% for five consecutive years.
Reduced office referrals by 30% through PBIS and culture-building systems.
Co-developed the Community Schools model in partnership with families and local organizations.
Supported inclusive instructional practice in a Title I school community.

Curriculum Specialist, Evidence-Based Learning Department

Canyons School District
2010-2011

Designed a middle school schedule that dramatically improved reading scores.
Delivered professional development on Visible Learning, Response to Intervention, co-teaching, and inclusion.
Coached educators and administrators through evidence-based instructional improvement.

Distance Learning Team Lead

Canyons School District
2009-2010

Led district learning management system initiatives that saved approximately $500,000 per year.
Directed distance learning across four high schools.
Built technology-supported learning systems for thousands of students.

English Language Arts Teacher

Jordan School District
2006-2009

Designed a guided reading program with strong literacy gains.
Pioneered student blogging and instructional technology integration.
Built classroom systems focused on student voice, reflection, and authentic writing.

Scholarship

Books

Jones, J. (2020). SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents - and themselves. https://jethrojones.com/schoolx
Jones, J. (2022). How to Be a Transformative Principal. https://jethrojones.com/how2be

Dissertation and Academic Research

Jones, J. (2026). Cognitive Equity: How School Principals Use Artificial Intelligence for Innovation. Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Research Frameworks

Cognitive Equity and Cognitive Debt framework for human-centered AI use in educational leadership.
APLUS Framework for adopting AI in K-12 schools.
Leadership design frameworks connecting reflective practice, innovation, and school transformation.

Invited and Practitioner Publications

Jones, J. (2024). APLUS framework for adopting AI in K-12 schools. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393240357_APLUS_Framework_for_Adopting_AI_in_K12_Schools
Jones, J. (2024). How principals can use artificial intelligence. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393232982_How_Principals_can_Use_Artificial_Intelligence
Jones, J. (2024). Decisions decisions. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393780527_Decisions_Decisions
Jones, J. (2024). Decisions. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393232987_Decisions

Public Scholarship and Media

Transformative Principal Podcast (2013-present) - transformativeprincipal.org
Resilient Schools (2022-present) - resilientschools.com
Cybertraps Podcast (2020-present) - cybertraps.com
A Vision for Learning (2024-present) - avisionforlearning.com
A Decade Never to Be Forgotten (2024-present) - adntbf.com

Selected Speaking Engagements

2025

Jan 8: AI for Leadership Teams - OSPI Graduation Equity Webinar
Jan 9: VAESP AI Resources Lunch & Learn
Jan 22: Basecamp Beyond Business Webinar
Feb 14: Buckeye Union High School Day of Learning
Mar 21: Bishop Brady High School on AI
Jun 23: VAESP Annual Conference - Keynote
Jul: Saere Energie, GMBH, Germany
Aug: May Demonstration School, Tulsa, OK
Sep: SPELL JIF Retreat, Cape May, NJ
Nov: Wyoming Principal Association Fall Conference

2024

Monthly: AILeader Office Hours
Jan: How to Eliminate Stress in 10 Seconds Webinar
Mar 9-10: Move Up Workshop for Assistant Principals
Jun 2-3: Arizona School Administrators - Relationships & Culture
Jun 9-10: ASA Summer Conference - Hiring in Trying Times
Jul 11: Texas Association of School Principals - AI Policy
Sep: Buckeye USD - AI Policy & Practice
Dec 8-11: Alaska Association of School Business Officials
Dec 11-13: Alaska Municipal League

2023

Mar 1-2: Move Up Workshop - Olympia, WA
May 1: Executive Director’s Workshop - San Diego
Jun 26: Preventing Burnout with AI - Des Moines, IA
Aug 17: Supercharging Leadership with AI - AZ & ND
Sep 20: North Dakota Innovation Summit
Sep 27: AI for Superintendents - Anchorage, AK
Oct: Move Up and AI Workshops - CT, RI, ME, NH, VA

Past Presentations

Student-Driven Learning Workshop - Durand-Arkansaw School District, WI
ASCD Symposium 2020 - The Importance of Play
ASTE 2019 - Keynote: RAVENbot and Magnet School Design
ASTE 2018 - Chatbots, Student Understanding
CUES 2014 - Paperless Principal
UCET 2013-2014 - 60 Tools in 60 Minutes, Paperless Principal
TEDxCSDTeachers - Simple Solutions to Complex Educational Problems

Awards

NASSP Digital Principal of the Year (2017)
Alaska Region 3 Principal of the Year (2017)
Imagine Learning Top 10% School (2016)
Kern Family Foundation Grant (2024)
COE Scholarship - UMSL (2025)
David Gottlieb Fellowship - International School Climate Survey (2025)

Service

Former Executive Director, Inland Northwest Cybersecurity Hub
Organizer of a 10-year faith-based interview series
Developer of values-based and gospel-aligned leadership content
Professional mentor and coach to educators, principals, and aspiring administrators

Core Competencies

Educational leadership and principal development
Character and values-based education
Inclusive school leadership
Reflective practice and engaged scholarship
Graduate teaching and online course design
Leadership coaching and mentoring
Organizational learning and change leadership
Applied research translation
Human-centered technology integration
Languages: Russian (fluent), Spanish (intermediate), Ancient Greek (basic)