Tera Napier
Tera Napier is the Executive Director at Sherman Thomas Charter Schools in Madera, California. During her 21 years guiding the K-8 program she has seen STCS ride a continuous wave of academic improvement to become the highest-performing school in the city of Madera, as well as a 2014 California Distinguished School. Her efforts have also created the foundation for two additional schools – Sherman Thomas Charter High School and the Sherman Thomas STEM Academy. Her success and expertise have distinguished her as one of the leading school choice advocates and school leaders in the Central Valley.
Tera began her career in education as a teacher and coach in the Clovis Unified School District. At Clovis High School, she worked with the most diverse student population in the district – both in her role as a physical education teacher and varsity volleyball coach.
She then took those leadership skills she gained in Clovis and returned to her hometown of Madera to help launch Sherman Thomas Charter School. Working alongside the executive director, she served as both a classroom teacher and administrator in the school’s formative first year. Beginning in year three, she took over the role of sole school leader and administrator – creating an innovative academic program and fostering immense parental and community involvement. Under her leadership, Sherman Thomas quickly ascended to the top performing elementary school in all of Madera – all the while maintaining greater diversity than all of the other schools with similar academic achievement.
Recently Tera has served as an integral part of the 99 Accelerator – a collaborative effort among five of the top charter schools in the Central Valley that focuses on spreading best practices and scaling charter reform efforts in the Central Valley. The peer-to-peer network has been so successful that Tera has been invited to speak at various conferences and host multiple visiting groups that are interested in replicating the work of the group.
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Michele Longoria joined Sherman Thomas Charter School in 2021, initially contributing to various roles at the Sherman Thomas STEM Academy, including office assistance, cafeteria support, and yard duty responsibilities. Recognizing the organization’s excellence, Michele transitioned to the Administration department. Impressed by the school’s positive impact, she decided to enroll her own children at Sherman Thomas Charter School.