David James

About David

David James is managing director of New Solutions K12, where he partners with educators to improve opportunities and outcomes for students of all backgrounds. He supports leaders of schools, districts, and state education agencies in addressing their most pressing challenges related to elementary and secondary scheduling, budgeting, program evaluation and management, supporting students who struggle, and strategic planning. David brings to this work experience as a teacher, school leader, consultant, and author.

David leads the firm’s scheduling practice and has advised and trained over 100 districts and more than 1,000 schools in 25 states to design better schedules and staffing plans using a data-driven approach. He frequently leads strategic reviews of elementary and secondary school schedules, staffing, and programming; comprehensive analyses and redesigns of school intervention practices; customized implementation projects; and strategic planning processes for school districts. He has partnered with districts of all settings and sizes, including districts as small as a singl-school in rural North Dakota and as large as urban districts such as Los Angeles Unified School District and Seattle Public Schools, and all sizes and settings in between. He also leads New Solutions K12’s bi-annual Secondary Scheduling Academy.

In addition to deep experience as an advisor to K-12 schools, districts, and state education agencies, David’s past experience includes years as a teacher and school leader. He began his career as a Teach for America Corps Member and 8th grade science teacher in Chelsea Public Schools, Massachusetts, where he helped implement a new block schedule and lead his students to achieve the highest passing rate in district history on the 8th grade science and technology state exam. He went on to teach 6th grade science in Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts, before becoming co-director of UP Academy Oliver Middle School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. There, he managed the turnaround of an under-performing middle school, designed an innovative cohort schedule, and led the school to be the fastest improving public middle school in Massachusetts, as measured by student growth in math and ELA, in only its second year. In addition to his experience as a K-12 educator and consultant, David has spent time as a management consultant in the healthcare industry and as an analyst with a global investment bank.

David is widely recognized as a thought leader and expert on strategic school scheduling. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences and is author of the book It’s Time for Strategic Scheduling: How to Design Smarter K–12 Schedules That Are Great for Students, Staff, and the Budget (ASCD). He has authored numerous articles and blogs, and his ideas have been featured in publications such as Educational Leadership, District Administration, Principal Magazine, the Marshall Memo, and more.

David holds a Bachelor of Science with honors from Bucknell University, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston University, and a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Babson College, where he was a President’s Scholar. He serves on the board of Spokane International Academy and was Founding Chair of the UP Education Young Professional Advisory Board.

He resides in Spokane, WA with his wife, two daughters, and golden retriever, and can often be found playing just about any sport that involves a racquet.