John D'Auria

John D’Auria, Ed.D, moved from directing the Canton Public Schools as Superintendent to becoming President of Teachers21, a non-profit organization working to ensure that all school-aged children are given an equal opportunity to succeed by endeavoring to provide them with educators who are eminently knowledgeable and qualified to teach them.

In a career that has spanned four decades as a math teacher, guidance counselor, principal and superintendent, Dr. D’Auria has worked with hundreds of school leaders around sharpening the academic focus of school teams, developing a vibrant school culture, and managing conflict in the workplace.

Dr. D’Auria’s research focuses on the ways in which the assumptions that people hold about intelligence significantly influence their learning. His newest book is Ten Lessons in Leadership and Learning (2010). He is also the author of “The DNA of Leadership”—a curriculum for aspiring school leaders in the state’s Leadership Licensure Program—and co-author with Jon Saphier of How To Bring Vision to School Improvement (Research for Better Teaching, 1993). Numerous other articles include “The Superintendent as Teacher,” Phi Delta Kappan Online Edition, Fall, 2009; “A Principal’s Dilemma,” jointly with Matt King in Schools: Studies in Education, University of Chicago Press, Spring, 2009; and “3 Strands Form Strong School Leadership,” jointly with Jon Saphier and Matt King, National Staff Development Council, Spring, 2006. He is a frequent speaker at national and regional educational conferences and has served on The Middle School Curriculum Project based at Education Development Center.

John D’Auria is a Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of Boston College, where he majored in mathematics and philosophy; he earned his doctorate in urban educational leadership at the University of Massachusetts.