David M. Derby
Education
Share why you teach at FPU
Faith in Teaching and Serving
I can see that all of life is lived in the presence of God, in a response to God, and has value in relation to God's love. From this perspective of faith has grown my vocation, where God has called and I have responded. The basic question governing my Christian life is: "What is God calling me to be and to do?" I firmly believe that He has called me to continue the work that I do in my church, to speak His truth, to lead my family in faith, and continue to do my work at Fresno Pacific University touching the lives of others through witnessing to His teaching and love. The relationship I have established with Jesus Christ in and through my responses to all things has become the center of a good and rewarding life. Amen.
Educational Philosophy
In the last 15 years my mission has been to teach and support leaders and teacher-leaders in developing school organizational systems that support a culture of teaching and learning resulting in students becoming actively engaged in producing high quality work. In particular, the philosophy that is connected to this mission calls for schools to be places where adults strive together, without regard to position or status, to collaborate on the critical issue of how to educate students to this high quality. I believe that successful schools - K-16 - are places where we are always questioning our craft and practices, and where there is a desire to change and always move forward; where all are regarded as the colleagues in decisions and actions about school-wide teaching and learning; where we have established together our norms of collegiality and communication for discussions of the big issues about how to constantly renew and improve the educational environment for all students; and, places where we seek, produce, and share information, and see educational renewal as a continuing process, not an event.
Scholarly Interests
I have been involved in Cognitive CoachingSM since 2001 and facilitate the Foundation Seminar for educators on all level in the Central Valley of California. I am also a trained facilitator for Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and conduct numerous workshops for educational leaders including: Finding Results Through Continuous Improvement, School Leadership Teams at Work, Leading Differentiated Instruction, Understanding Cultural Proficiency, Leading Curriculum Design, The Leader in Building Collaborative Teams, Understanding the Power of School Culture, The Leader in Empowering Others, and The Servant Leader in Our Schools Today.
Professional and Service Experience
- Administrative services program director, School of Education, Fresno Pacific University, July 2009 - present
- Administrative services interim program director, School of Education, Fresno Pacific University, May 2008- July 2009
- Administrative services adjunct faculty, School of Education, Fresno Pacific University, July 2000- July 2009
- Director/owner, Central Valley Leadership Alliance (CVLA), serving as an education leadership consultant and trainer, July 2006-present
- Director, Regional Leadership Services (RLS), regional programs in Madera, California, serving the counties of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare, July 2003 - July 2006
- Executive director, California School Leadership Academy at the San Joaquin Valley School Leadership Center of the Madera County Office of Education, July 2000 - 2003
- Regional director, California School Leadership Academy at the San Joaquin Valley School Leadership Center of the Madera County Office of Education, December 1998 - June 2000
I have been in education over 37 years and began my teaching career in 1972 serving my first eleven years as a classroom teacher in grades 4-8. I received my B.A. degree from the University of California, at Santa Barbara, and hold masters' degrees in both school administration and in human resources and organization development from the University of San Francisco. From 1984 until 1998, I worked in Clovis Unified as a teacher, coach, resource teacher and principal. From 1998 to 2003, I served as the executive director for the California School Leadership Academy at the San Joaquin Valley Leadership Center of the Madera County Office of Education. From 2003 to 2006, I continued this work in the region as the director of Regional Leadership Services with Madera County. Since 2000, I have been an adjunct faculty member at Fresno Pacific University teaching in the graduate division of the School of Education in curriculum leadership. Starting in July 2006, I began my own leadership consultant business, The Central Valley Leadership Alliance, serving teacher-leaders, principals and district level administrators with an emphasis on Cognitive CoachingSM.
Professional Affiliations
- Member of Association of California School Administrators - ACSA
- Member the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - ACSD Member Phi Delta Kappa International
Publications and Presentations
- Leading Standards-Based Learning: A Facilitator's Guide for Understanding and Application, January 3, 2007
- (Through the use of this guide, leaders examine practices designed to build a community of learners where shared vision and high expectations are embedded in the culture. Furthermore, it is designed to help leaders engage their colleagues in criteria for success they should expect from students, how they will know when students have achieved those expectations, and how instruction must be designed and carried out to ensure that every student achieves to agreed-upon levels of performance.)
Recommended Resources
- My personal business website for Central Valley Leadership Alliance: www.cvlaweb.com
- Professional sites that I encourage all teacher leaders and site leaders to review regularly include: www.EdTrust.org
Other Information
Cell phone: 559-259-4104
My wife, Beverly, and I have been married for 37 years and have three adult children ages 26, 28, 30. We have resided in Fresno since 1984. Both Beverly and I have been employed in education since 1972 and continue to enjoy careers in teaching and leadership training. Beverly is a mentor and coach in primary education and early childhood education. She has been a first grade teacher for 31 years and has built her expertise around beginning reading and writing. She serves as a master teacher, BTSA support provider and mentor in Clovis Unified School District in training new teachers in the art and skill of teaching.
