Daughtry named Curriculum, Instruction and Accountability Employee of the Year

Submitted by JOHNSTON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

SMITHFIELD — Curriculum Director Leanne Daughtry has been named the Johnston County Public Schools 2022-23 Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability Employee of the Year.

Hard work is something Daughtry learned at a young age growing up in Meadow. She attended Meadow School and graduated from South Johnston High, where her father was a carpentry teacher. Daughtry, along with her father and brother, worked their small family farm growing produce and tobacco, learning all along the way.

She said she gained valuable insight from that experience. “I learned a lot about hard work,” she said. “I also learned that I did not want to marry a farmer.”

To this day, she doesn’t even have a garden.

While attending college as a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Daughtry was initially studying to become a high school math teacher. As part of her fellowship, she was immediately placed into schools to observe and learn what teaching would look like. Through that process she really enjoyed elementary school students, and, subsequently, changed her major to elementary education.

It wasn’t a hard decision to apply for a position with JCPS, as she was familiar with the district through her schooling and her father’s experience. In 2008, she got her first position teaching second grade, then fourth grade math at Cleveland Elementary. Daughtry loved it, and taught there for seven years.

During that time she realized she would like to work outside of the classroom to help teachers, or as a curriculum coach. So, she earned a master’s degree in curriculum. “I enjoy seeing people flourish,” Daughtry said.

This is where her hard work and determination kicked in. When she decided to pursue a master’s degree, Daughtry moved to Raleigh. However, she continued teaching at Cleveland Elementary, driving back and forth each day, and juggling school work in between.

After graduate school, one of her friends from the program was working for the N.C. Department of Instruction, and encouraged Daughtry to join her. So, she left JCPS for one year, and worked as an elementary math consultant, traveling to different states to learn about standards and disseminating data.

While in grad school, Daughtry met her husband, and they married in October 2008. Knowing that starting a family was an immediate goal, they moved back to Johnston County, and she happily returned to JCPS as a lead teacher for math and science.

Commitment and hard work, along with a servant heart, is what she is known for by her coworkers.

“Teachers know that Leanne cares about students, teachers, schools and Johnston County as a whole ecosystem, and understands how all things are interconnected,” said Kelly Bradshaw, her colleague and nominator.

Although she is well versed in math, Daughtry has branched out into science as well. She is currently a North Carolina Leadership Fellow, where she is on the forefront of researching and developing science curriculum that is in line with national and state standards. On weekends, she and science leaders from across North Carolina meet to discuss ideas and implementation of science

Two years ago, when Daughtry became the curriculum director for JCPS, there were only two coordinators in charge of all math, science, English Language Arts and social studies curriculum. Her team currently consists of four math specialists and two science specialists. They developed the first K-12 ELA curriculum for JCPS. “It was massive,” she said.

Daughtry and her team are dedicated to developing a baseline math and science curriculum that is consistent across the district and provides high quality, equitable instruction. With that strong foundation, teachers can make the lessons their own and bring it to life for their students.

She said her inspiration comes from helping students discover the beauty of science and math, not just memorizing facts. The thing that keeps her focused, she said, is knowing that down the road the work that she and her team does helps make children successful. “Just because it doesn’t come naturally doesn’t mean you can't do it," she said.