District 88 Board of Education recognizes Willowbrook Assistant Principal for earning doctoral degree

Left: Willowbrook Assistant Principal Dr. Jamie Gourley displays the engraved clock with which she was presented during the Jan. 14 District 88 Board of Education meeting to recognize her achievement of earning her doctoral degree. Right: Dr. Gourley thanks the District 88 Board of Education and administration for their support of her academic success.

During its Jan. 14 meeting, the District 88 Board of Education, along with the District 88 administration, recognized and congratulated Willowbrook Assistant Principal Dr. Jamie Gourley for earning her doctoral degree.

Dr. Gourley received her doctorate in Ethical Leadership on Dec. 11 from Olivet Nazarene University. She joined Willowbrook in 2006 and has served as a reading teacher, an ESL teacher, an instructional coach in literacy and technology, Literacy Department Head and Assistant Principal (since July 1, 2017). Dr. Gourley received her bachelor’s degree in English from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned master’s degrees in the Teaching of Reading, Curriculum and Instruction with ELL concentration and Educational Leadership. She also earned a Learning Behavior Specialist I (LBS1) Endorsement. Dr. Gourley has coached the Willowbrook boys and girls swim teams and has been the sponsor of Student Council as well.

“I look forward to using what I have learned about educational leadership to empower others and to support progress at Willowbrook High School and within District 88,” Dr. Gourley said. “In addition to increasing my skills in educational leadership, I was able to pursue an in-depth study into effective professional development for teachers. I hope to use the outcomes of my data to continue to provide teachers with professional development opportunities to support teacher effectiveness for all learners.”

During the meeting, the Board presented Dr. Gourley with an engraved clock in honor of her dedication and commitment to enhancing the educational environment for the students, staff and community of District 88. To watch a video of the presentation, click the video above.