Bob Sonju

Bob Sonju is an award-winning educational leader, author, and educational consultant, recognized for his energetic commitment to building effective teams, developing RTI structures that support teachers and students, and creating an effective school culture committed to learning for all students. Bob was formerly the principal of nationally recognized Fossil Ridge Intermediate School and has also served as a high school administrator and special education teacher. Most recently, Bob was the executive director of teaching and learning for Washington County School District. After six years as a district-level administrator, Bob’s deep desire to work together with teachers and students again led him back to school as principal of Washington Fields Intermediate.

While leading Fossil Ridge Intermediate, Bob and his staff developed a true professional learning community that continues to produce extraordinary results today. In 2013 and 2016, Fossil Ridge received the prestigious National Breakthrough School Award by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Fossil Ridge continues to be listed as a PLC Model School. Their work as a school has been featured in Principal Leadership magazine and on allthingsplc.info. As a district leader, Bob led the implementation of the professional learning community process in a district composed of 50 schools.

Bob was named 2011 Principal of the Year for middle-level schools by the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals and was selected as one of three finalists for National Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. His work has been published in Principal Leadership magazine and in the Solution Tree publications It’s About Time, Best Practices at Tier 2, and Help Your Team.

Bob earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and an endorsement in school administration from Southern Utah University.

Certifications

PLC at Work^®

PLC at Work® experts have proven success in leading the PLC at Work process in a school or district. Work with them to implement a focus on learning, build a collaborative culture, and create a results orientation that leads to sustained, substantive school improvement.

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RTI at Work™

RTI at Work experts focus on learning for all students and will empower you to build your own timely, targeted, and systematic intervention program. Work with them to implement a results-driven program that provides targeted instruction at all tiers of intervention.

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Presentation Titles

Presentations by Bob Sonju

Help Our Team!: Solving Common Team Challenges
Getting Crystal Clear on PLC Question #1From Chaos to Clarity: Aligning the Work of Districts, Schools, and Teams
Better: Practical intervention Strategies for the Middle Level
Big Rocks: What Effective Teams Do to Increase Student Learning
If You Build It: Building and Sustaining an Effective School Culture
Answering the Bell: Developing Culture and Commitments That Drive Your School
Courageous Leadership in a Professional Learning Community
Building Managers vs. Those Who Lead