Selected Curriculum Vitae

Vanderbilt University
Ed.D., K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy, 2024
Honors: The Peabody Medal
Capstone: Effects of School Setting on Fifth-Grade Student Outcomes

Appalachian State University
MSA, School Administration, 2014

Clemson University
B.A., Early Childhood Education, 2007

Principal, Fallston Elementary School

Cleveland County Schools | 2024–Present

Leads schoolwide improvement efforts using continuous improvement cycles, MTSS, instructional coaching, family communication, and data-informed decision making. Under this leadership period, Fallston Elementary improved its school report card grade from a D to a B.

Founder & Education Policy Consultant

Etheridge Consulting LLC | 2022–Present

Provides consulting services focused on education data strategy, dashboard development, program evaluation, policy analysis, and resource allocation. Recent work includes confidential Tableau dashboard development using longitudinal K–12 and higher education data across a southern state, as well as local Data Studio / Looker Studio dashboards related to discipline, transportation, finance, school safety, enrollment, and student outcomes.

Director of Federal Programs and Systemic Improvement

Cleveland County Schools | 2023–2024

Managed federal and state grant processes, including ESSA, ESSER, school safety, CTE, innovation, and special education-related funding. Supported compliance, program evaluation, data systems, strategic planning, and alignment between district goals and resource allocation.

Project AWARE/ACTIVATE Grant Director 

Cleveland County Schools | 2019–2023

Led implementation of a school mental health grant focused on expanding school-based mental health systems, threat assessment, suicide risk protocols, behavioral supports, and cross-agency partnerships in rural communities. Evaluator and Coaching Coordinator from 2019-2022. Developed systems to track grant implementation, training, student support services, threat assessment processes, suicidal ideation protocols, and progress toward federal grant goals. Served on the State Design Team.

Assistant Principal

Burns High School | 2015–2019

Led student support, discipline, teacher coaching, staff development, and data-informed intervention systems in a high school setting.

Statewide K–12 and Higher Education Dashboard Suite

Designed a confidential seven-dashboard Tableau suite for a nonprofit client, integrating longitudinal K–12 and higher education data across a southern state. Dashboards included enrollment, graduation, standardized test outcomes, discipline, educator representation, school finance, postsecondary access, and geographic mapping.

Countywide Student Discipline Dashboard

Developed a dashboard system allowing school and district leaders to examine discipline trends by school, grade, race/ethnicity, gender, special services status, and other student characteristics.

School Safety Spending Analysis

Developed analysis of state school safety spending to help leaders understand investment patterns and decision-making implications.

Special Education Control Reports

Developed reporting tools to identify potential compliance issues in Exceptional Children’s services and support proactive correction.

School Improvement Framework at Fallston Elementary

Implemented a schoolwide continuous improvement framework using root cause analysis, driver diagrams, SMART goals, intermediate measures, outcome measures, MTSS, coaching, and team-based monitoring.

• • Etheridge, R. (2025). Raising coders in the age of AI. Hello World, 28, 58–59.

  • Etheridge, R., & Wood, J. (2024). Effects of school setting on fifth-grade student outcomes. Vanderbilt University, Peabody College.

  • Close, J., Lawrence, N., Austin, H., Muse, L., Warner-Griffin, C., & Etheridge, R. Benefit-Cost Evaluation of a Mental Health Multi-Tiered System of Supports Program in Schools. National Clinician Scholars Program Annual Meeting, 2022.

• Doctor of Education Peabody Medalist, Vanderbilt University, 2024

• North Carolina Attorney General’s Dogwood Award, 2023

LASER Institute Fellow

Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, North Carolina State University, 2023

Selected participant in a National Science Foundation-funded institute focused on learning analytics, machine learning, network analysis, and computational methods to improve educational research and practice.

• • NC Standard Professional II — School Administrator: Principal

  • NC Standard Professional II — Elementary Education K–6

  • NC Standard Professional II — Reading K–12

  • NC Standard Professional II — Pre-K / Kindergarten Add-On