{"id":16,"date":"2022-08-10T16:18:11","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T16:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drphildowns.finninday.net\/?page_id=16"},"modified":"2025-02-06T00:52:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T00:52:40","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/drphildowns.com\/index.php\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About Phil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Choosing to leave a promising career at Taco Bell over artistic differences, Phil Downs began teaching in Fort Wayne Community Schools in 1989 where he taught social studies and language arts, and coached soccer for eleven years. In 2001 he moved to Northwest Allen County Schools where he was Assistant Principal at Maple Creek Middle School and then opened Cedar Canyon Elementary in 2006 as its first Principal. He became the Assistant Superintendent of Southwest Allen County Schools in 2010 and its Superintendent in 2014. He retired from K12 public education in 2021 and now is the Director of Education Graduate Programs and Accreditation at Trine University in the Franks School of Education where he also teaches classes on Issues in American Education, Social Studies Methods, and in the Education Graduate School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil is a proud Boilermaker, earning his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2012. He has been married to Joleen since 1989 and they have two children. He will prattle on and on if you ask him about his hobbies.<\/p>\n\n\n

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EDUCATION<\/strong>
Ph.D. in Education Leadership
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Graduate School of Education 2012 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Administrative Certification
Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (now known as PFW) 1999<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M.S. Education Administration
Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (now known as PFW) 1996<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B.S. Education
Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (now known as PFW) 1989<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B.A. History
Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (now known as PFW) 1989<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EXPERIENCE
<\/strong>2021-Present Director of Education Graduate Programs and Accreditation\u2014 Trine University<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2014-2021 Superintendent\u2014MSD Southwest Allen County<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2010- 2014 Assistant Superintendent\u2014MSD Southwest Allen County <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2006-2010 Principal\u2014Cedar Canyon Elementary\u2014Northwest Allen County Schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2001-2006 Assistant Principal\/A.D.\u2014Maple Creek Middle School\u2014Northwest Allen County Schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1989-2001 Teacher\/Soccer Coach\/Administrative Intern\u2014Fort Wayne Community Schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AWARDS
<\/strong>Independent Colleges of Indiana \u201cRealizing the Dream Award\u201d , 1995, sponsored by the Eli Lilly Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purdue Norbert Nelson Education Dissertation of the Year, 2012<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project Tomorrow Speak Up Shout Out National Superintendent of the Year 2016<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indiana Superintendent of the Year 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents Outstanding Educator Award 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024-present       EdLeader21\u2014 National Faculty<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021-present       Northeast Indiana Superintendent Study Council\u2014University Liaison<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2014-present: The Orthopedic Hospital\u2014Board Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2014-present: Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents\u2014Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017-present: Friends of the Lincoln Collection\u2014Board Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020-present: Purdue University EDST Advisory Board\u2014Board Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020-present: Anthony Wayne Foundation\u2014Board Member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018-2021: American Association of School Administrators\u2014National Governing Board <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2016-2021: EdLeader21\u2014National Advisory Board <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2019-2021: AASA Education Administrative Scholarship Award Committee<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018-2019: Battelle For Kids\u2014Problem of Practice Advisory Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020-2021: Comprehensive Center Network\u2014Region 8 Board member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2014-2021: Indiana Region 8 Education Service Center\u2014Advisory Board, past Chair<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2014-2021: Upper Wabash Superintendent Study Council\u2014Member, past President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2010-2014: Allen County Education Partnership\u2014Board member<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2007-2020: SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect)\u2014Board member, past Board President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2002-2022: Mike Downs Center for the Study of Indiana Politics at PFW\u2014Board President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COLLEGE TEACHING EXPERIENCE
<\/strong>2021-Present: Associate Professor, Trine University. I teach Issues in American Education to undergraduates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Summer 1996: Lecturer, Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (now known as PFW). I taught the graduate level course EDUC H530 \u201cPhilosophy of Education\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PERSONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS\/PRESENTATIONS
<\/strong>Downs, P. (2017-present). Don\u2019t worry, this won\u2019t affect you: The impact of Indiana\u2019s Choice Scholarship Program on the funding of its public schools. Executive summary retrieved from https:\/\/drphildowns.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P. (2016). A practical (albeit slightly unconventional) approach to transform through the seven steps. EdLeader21 Annual Event, Denver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P. (2016). Hacking technology into your lessons: Using the Stanford D-School protocol to fail forward, create small wins, and make progress. SACS In-service day, Fort Wayne, Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P., Kleber, J., & Ginder, P. (2015). Evaluating teachers on eLearning days. Standards for Success Conference. Indianapolis, Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P., & Kleber, J. (2015). eLearning in kindergarten. Upper Wabash Valley Superintendent Study Council Winter Seminar. Huntington University, Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P., & Yager, S. (2014). The Southwest Allen County Schools compensation model. Northwest Indiana Superintendent Study Council. Munster, Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Downs, P. (2012). The impact of school accountability laws on measures of trust between Indiana public school superintendents and teacher union leaders within the forum of mandatory discussion (Doctoral dissertation). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parker, J., Holtrop, S., & Downs, P. (1996). Situations of oppression in the classroom: Case studies. Pedagogy of the Oppressed Conference, University of Nebraska-Omaha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Choosing to leave a promising career at Taco Bell over artistic differences, Phil Downs began teaching in Fort Wayne Community Schools in 1989 where he taught social studies and language arts, and coached soccer for eleven years. In 2001 he moved to Northwest Allen County Schools where he was Assistant Principal at Maple Creek Middle … <\/p>\n

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