Dr. Raquel Talley has been an educator for 28 years, working in K-12 urban education, where she served as a district leader for six years and a school leader for ten years. She has also held various school instructional leadership positions after teaching grades K-5 as an elementary classroom teacher. She spent her educational career in large urban school districts in Maryland and Virginia.
Raquel is passionate about collaborating with educators to support their professional growth in providing a high-quality, equitable education for all students. When Raquel conducted her dissertation study, she was eager to learn how the principal evaluation process contributed to a change in principals’ professional growth and development and how it informed change in principals’ instructional leadership. She wanted to ensure there were systems in place to build the instructional capacity of school leaders. Raquel enjoys coaching and leading adult learning and empowering educators to provide equitable instruction to students.
Raquel holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Howard University, a Master of Teaching in Early Childhood Education from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a concentration in Elementary Education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Raquel also holds Superintendency and Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity certifications.
In her spare time, Raquel is an event planner who coordinates weddings, birthday parties, and other special occasions and events.