About Jon

Jonathan G. Vander Els, M. Ed; Ed. S, is the Director of Innovative Projects for the New Hampshire Learning Initiative, overseeing the personalized and competency-based work related to ALP: Collaborative Learning Design and the State of New Hampshire’s efforts integrating work study practices into curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Formerly, Jonathan was an elementary school principal of an innovative competency-based school system in New Hampshire. Under his leadership, his school became a nationally recognized model professional learning community (PLC) on All Things PLC (allthingsplc.info) and competency-based learning elementary school. Jonathan is a Solution Tree PLC Author and Associate, and his book, Breaking With Tradition: The Shift to Competency-Based Learning in PLCs at Work, co-written with Brian Stack, was released in September, 2017.

Jonathan has consulted, coached, and presented at conferences and Institutes throughout the United States on building highly effective PLCs, implementing competency-based learning, and developing rigorous performance assessments.

Jonathan has an education specialist degree from the University of New Hampshire in educational administration and supervision, a master’s in elementary education, a bachelor’s in history, and is certified as a superintendent, principal, and teacher. Jonathan is currently enrolled at the University of New Hampshire in their Ph. D. Educational Leadership and Policy strand, with a focus on competency-based learning. Jonathan lives with his wife and three children on the New Hampshire Seacoast.