William Gretzula, EdD

“In three decades of public education, I’ve watched student data accumulate in systems largely disconnected from daily classroom instruction. I joined UW-Madison’s Learning Analytics program to develop the expertise needed to bridge that gap—transforming data into actionable insights that generate meaningful feedback loops for teachers and, ultimately, more equitable outcomes for every student I serve.”

THREE DECADES LEADING SCHOOLS ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA

Dr. William J. Gretzula currently serves as Assistant Principal (Grades 4–8) at Franklin Towne Charter Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A veteran educational leader throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, with over three decades of experience, he previously served as District Superintendent of Pennsbury and Bensalem Township school districts, and held district and building leadership roles across Upper Dublin, Quakertown Community, and Neshaminy school districts. He holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania (Defense of Dissertation with Distinction), an M.A. in Educational Administration with Distinction from Rider University, and a B.A. in Elementary/Special Education from LaSalle University. He is also a Graduate of the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program with Distinction. Having gone full circle, he is excited that his current role has placed him closer to classroom teaching and student learning, and he looks forward to learning with, and from, a new cohort of passionate educators.

DATA-DRIVEN LEADER FOR EQUITY IN EDUCATION

Dr. Gretzula is deeply committed to using data as a tool for equity. As superintendent of Pennsbury School District, he co-championed a landmark equity audit that surfaced systemic disparities in discipline, course access, and student belonging—leading to a district-wide Theory of Action with six strategic goal areas. He brings that same urgency to his current school, where he supports teachers in translating benchmark and formative assessment data into targeted instruction. As an adjunct professor in Gwynedd Mercy University’s Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, he has taught Transformational Leadership, Labor Relations and Fiscal Policy, and School and Board Governance. He aspires to publish research that supports building-based data teams nationwide, and he is in process of developing a tool to improve the teacher observation process making it more evidence-based and coach-like.