Special education department teacher and Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) Brad Williford works with a student in Room 134 on Nov. 28, 2023. Williford is one of two MCLs introduced to Clarke Central High School at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year to provide support to freshmen. “We want to be in the classroom, we want to have conversations with teachers, and then we also have to spend time researching, pulling data, having conversations, going to trainings, all these different things,” Williford said. Photo by Aza Khan
The Multi-Classroom Leader position is expanding across the CCSD for the 2025-26 school year.
Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs), which were introduced to Clarke Central High School special education department classrooms at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year, will be expanding to other schools in the Clarke County School District for the 2025-26 school year.
The position, which is a part of the larger concept “Opportunity Culture,” works to increase student engagement and eventually graduation rates by employing small focus groups and targeted study of lesson plans. CCHS’ current MCLs, Brad Williford and Lawana Knight, work in Freshman Academy literature, government, biology and algebra classes.
“I (work) with a variety of teachers, which I enjoy seeing a lot of great different teaching practices (and) having good conversations with teachers about, ‘How do we help students? How do we try to keep doing great things or make things better? What do we tweak? What do we keep? What do we scrap?’” Williford said.
For Assistant Principal Terry Liggin, the positive impact of MCLs at CCHS has been palpable, as shown by collected data.
“(Providing support is) based on where we (can) best be utilized. We can’t be everywhere, but where can we have a positive impact?”
— Brad Williford,
CCHS Multi-Classroom Leader
“The two people that we have (as MCLs) are dynamic in different ways, and so they help the Freshman Academy to soar in ways that we thought weren’t possible. Now we’re actually seeing some of the data come back and (saying), ‘Okay, it’s actually working,’” Liggin said. “It’d be interesting to see how the district operates with those positions (and) if they will continue to move up to other grade levels.”
Because of the success at CCHS, Cedar Shoals High School, Coile Middle School and Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School will be adding MCLs and Expanding Impact teachers – positions a part of the Multi-Classroom Leadership team – to their faculty. CCHS plans to continue with two MCLs, and after a year in the position, Williford has areas of improvement he plans to prioritize.
“We want to be where we can be most effective. Be efficient with our time, efficient with our support to students and teachers, (and) be able to do that with fidelity,” Williford said. “If (another) subject area needs some support, we’re very happy to go do that. (It’s) based on where we (can) best be utilized. We can’t be everywhere, but where can we have a positive impact?”
