Joshua Ray

Joshua Ray, EdD, is assistant superintendent of the Greenwood School District in Greenwood, Arkansas. He has led Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work® campuses at the elementary and secondary level and is a passionate advocate for adult learning and educator well-being.

Prior to being named assistant superintendent, Dr. Ray was principal at Greenwood High School and East Pointe Elementary School. Under his leadership, both campuses were selected by the Arkansas Department of Education to participate in the Arkansas PLC at Work project. Because of the impact of the PLC at Work process, Greenwood High School became a destination for schools and educators across the state looking to learn how to implement this work on a secondary campus. Similarly, East Pointe Elementary went from a “B” school to a distinguished Arkansas campus in the top 5% of performance and growth, resulting in nearly one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of reward funding from the state of Arkansas. For their work in the development of student leadership and agency, East Pointe was nationally recognized as a “Leader in Me Lighthouse School” by Franklin Covey. Outside of his district, Ray serves as a member of Arkansas’s state guiding coalition focused on developing PLCs throughout the state and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas.

As a researcher, Dr. Ray was chosen to represent the University of Arkansas at the American Educational Research Association Conference as a David L. Clark scholar for his work on the wellness practices of educational leaders. He has published research on PLCs and educator well-being in Principal Magazine, The Standard, AllThingsPLC Magazine, and the Journal of Educational Administration. These scholarly endeavors have provided him the opportunity to present throughout the United States and Canada.

During his time in the classroom, Ray was a Phi Beta Mu inductee, designated as Arkansas’s outstanding young band director, and awarded the National Band Association’s Blue Ribbon Designation for his work as a music educator.

Joshua holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Arkansas. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and an Arkansas Master Principal graduate.