In a special meeting on Thursday, the Board of Trustees unanimously approved the appointment of Dr. Jessica Gore as the Chief Academic Officer for Snyder ISD. “Dr. Gore’s experience in education will be an asset to our district. She has served as an elementary classroom teacher, a 6A high school assistant principal, and a large middle school principal. Additionally, as a campus and district academic leader, she has a proven track record for successfully turning around struggling schools,” said Mr. Rauch.
The Board also noted Dr. Gore’s extensive experience building success through the curriculums already in place at Snyder ISD, such as Amplify, Eureka, Lowman, and HMH. In a district that has seen a variety of curriculums over the years, Mr. Rauch stated, “We believe she will bring stability to our systems and propel us towards even greater student achievement.”
Dr. Gore graduated with her Bachelor's degree from Abilene Christian University and began her educational journey as an elementary classroom teacher in Abilene ISD. She relocated to the Houston area and worked in various instructional leadership roles at the campus and district levels.
During her time in campus administration, she improved campus-wide instructional practices, resulting in the Promising Practices award from Solution Tree for exemplary professional learning communities. Upon getting married, Dr. Gore relocated to the Permian Basin and has since worked in Midland ISD and Ector County ISD as a campus and central office administrator. Her most current position was Executive Director of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability, which leveraged school improvement for 42 campuses.
Dr. Gore's leadership has been instrumental in significantly improving academic outcomes. She has served as a turnaround leader who led a campus from a D (66) to a high C (77) within three years, with 20+ point gains in academic growth and 14+ point gains in closing the gaps for students. Additionally, district-wide data literacy with A-F accountability metrics was increased, and there were 20+ point gains in college, career, and military readiness. She strategically aligned the multiple facets of a large organization to greatly improve the educational experience for the 33,000+ students she served.
One area of focus is closing achievement gaps and student growth while equitably implementing existing curricular supports and instructional frameworks while allowing for teacher autonomy. Dr. Gore also has extensive experience using strong data-driven instructional practices to equip teachers with various data points (i.e., NWEA MAP, STAAR/EOC, MTSS, TEKS Resource System common formative assessment results, etc.). Dr. Gore emphasized, “My goal is to empower educators to be intentional and form relationships while meeting the needs of the students and school community we serve.”
Dr. Gore is not just a professional but also a dedicated member of the community. Currently in Midland, she serves on the Board for Young Professionals of Odessa and the Boys and Girls Club of the Permian Basin. She is the 2024 Chairwoman for Odessa Under 40 with the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. Her volunteer work includes Laura Bush Ladies for Literacy, Junior League of Midland, American Cancer Society's Cattle Baron Ball, and United Way. Dr. Gore and her family are active members in their church, teaching Sunday School, children's church, and Vacation Bible School.
Dr. Gore will be joined in Snyder by her supportive husband, Morgan, and their two children (Brady Lynn, 3, and Callahan, 1). “I’m excited to begin this new chapter with Snyder ISD,” expressed Dr. Gore. “With family ties in Abilene, the opportunity to be closer to home and raise our family in a smaller, tight-knit community feels like the perfect fit.”