Victoria Lightfoot encourages students to take responsibility for their learning. The instructional coach at Millbrook Magnet Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina, Lightfoot supports teachers in implementing high quality math instruction, with particular focus on beginning teachers and teachers new to the state. In her previous role teaching third grade at nearby Cedar Fork Elementary, Lightfoot developed engaging activities that encouraged students to exchange ideas and learn from each other. Her class theme was “Blast Off,” with students learning “in space”—fitting for the remote instruction that began the term. Lightfoot designed lessons that are culturally relevant and provided students with targeted, frequent feedback. She is known for her ability to incorporate art and music into daily lessons, displaying students’ poetry and watercolors in the hallway. Lightfoot’s students know they can depend on her and she is proud of them, especially when they speak up for themselves and show empathy to others. Lightfoot believes in the power of positive relationships to support student outcomes, and her students delivered. In 2018-19, her class scored 89.5% in grade-level proficiency and 73.7% in college and career readiness on the North Carolina Reading End-of-Grade test.
Lightfoot is committed to supporting colleagues in her school and district. At Millbrook, she co-chairs the school improvement team, serves on the instructional leadership team and facilitates ongoing professional learning on academic discourse. As grade-level chair, Lightfoot helped the team adjust to new curriculum. She sat on Cedar Fork’s school improvement team, led professional learning, sat on the district’s math focus group, and wrote curriculum for the district and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Lightfoot has written grants for the United Arts Council, served as a Discovery Education ambassador and presented at the National Science Teachers Association conference. She coordinated Cedar Fork’s mentor program for new teachers, initiated a buddy program that encourages teachers to partner together for improved student outcomes, and helped kick off a new group focused on equity issues.
Compassionate and caring, Lightfoot participated in Cedar Fork’s “M&M” mentor program, which pairs staff members with students who benefit from one-on-one attention. She was a member of Cedar Fork’s SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) committee and helped design a survey to collect best practices for fostering meaningful relationships with students. When the pandemic shifted instruction to the virtual classroom, Lightfoot led a presentation to help teachers find creative ways to provide positive feedback within Google Classroom.
Lightfoot earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 2010 and a master’s in K-8 math and science in 2014, from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
Press release: Raleigh Educator Surprised with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award During Teacher Appreciation Week
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