The Superintendent's Desk

Dr. Cheryl Pruitt

Biography of Dr. Cheryl Pruitt
Superintendent of the Gary Community School Corporation

Dr. Cheryl Pruitt is an experienced education/training executive and consultant with a Doctorate in Instruction & Curriculum Leadership/Instructional Design & Technology. She has a track record of success in education/ training / development in both corporate and educational fields, at both staff and leadership levels. She has a background in administration of education and training programs, from instructional design to managing consulting projects and educational programs with budgets ranging from ten thousand to seven million dollars.

A highly motivated and results-oriented professional with exceptional leadership and communication skills, Dr. Cheryl Pruitt's competencies include curriculum writing, school improvement planning, instructional design, professional development and technology integration. She is known for being a creative problem solver and a people person with the ability to handle multiple tasks effectively. She has a strong background in working with urban and rural schools and districts, as well as decades of management and supervisory experience in schools and the industry.

Dr. Pruitt has served as an Educational Consultant providing research-based products and services to school districts in New York, California, Illinois, Indiana and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to assist with continuous school improvement. She has served as a presenter and/or facilitator for numerous workshops including:  school improvement planning, data, school leadership, teacher training and technology.

Over the course of her career, she progressed from teacher to assistant principal-to-principal and finally assistant superintendent of a high school district in the West Suburb of Chicago, in addition to performing as a grant writer, compliance officer, and school board member. As a teacher and instructional leader, she has proven ability to improve staff and students performance.

Dr. Pruitt has also worked for Coors Brewing Company, Roche Bio-Medical Laboratory and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

In addition to completing undergraduate coursework at Rust College, Dr. Pruitt earned her administrative/principal license from Indiana University. She went on to complete her doctorate degree in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership/Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Memphis, where she also received her Masters of Arts in Teaching.  Her dissertation topic was Data-Driven Decision Making and the School Administrator - A Delphi Study.  Dr. Pruitt completed postdoctoral coursework at Lewis University.

Dr. Pruitt was born and raised in Gary, Indiana.  She attended Douglass Elementary,  Beckman Jr. High and Roosevelt High Schools. During her tenure in the Gary Community School Corporation, Dr. Pruitt taught Chemistry at Roosevelt High School and served as principal at Bethune Early Childhood Development Center and Ivanhoe Elementary School.  

She is also a member of the American Society of Curriculum Development, College Board, Phi Delta Kappa International and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.