Project Description
Jennifer Dichter
Principal, Vaughn Elementary
Aurora, Colorado
Fellow
Jennifer Dichter is the current Principal at Vaughn Elementary in Aurora, Colorado where she has served for the past two years. She was the former Principal at Sable Elementary in Aurora, Colorado for seven years. She has been part of Aurora Public Schools for the past twenty years serving in title one schools.
Born and raised in Iowa, Jennifer moved to Colorado to pursue her educational career in Early Childhood Special Education before becoming a third-grade teacher and district literacy coach. She then moved into administration. Jennifer has early childhood special education experience and expertise She holds a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and she attained her Administration license through Denver University in 2006.
She participated in the University of Virginia Partnerships for Leaders in Education in 2014 for three years and has worked to support her schools using the organizational frameworks embedded within the program. She was able to move Sable Elementary into a Performance school within two years of her work with UVA. When she took over Vaughn Elementary, she was able to move the school out of Priority Improvement to Performance within one year. She is looking forward to continuing her professional learning with the Cahn's Fellows Program and working alongside other aspiring Principals.
With two children under 9, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, taking in the sunny days of Colorado, and watching the Denver Broncos and Iowa Hawkeye football.
Jennifer Thomas
Assistant Principal, Vaughn Elementary
Aurora, Colorado
ALLY
Jennifer Thomas is the current assistant principal at Vaughn Elementary in Aurora, Colorado where she has served for the past two years. Prior to Vaughn, she was the Dean of students at Sixth Avenue Elementary in Aurora for four years. Jennifer has been a member of the Aurora Public Schools for fifteen years.
After growing up in Durango, Colorado Jennifer moved to Denver to pursue her educational career earning her Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and a minor in Early Childhood Education at Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2005. She taught first and second grade for four years. Jennifer earned her Masters’ degree in Special Education from the University of Colorado Denver in 2010. She taught special education, supporting students with affective needs in the self-contained classroom for six years. Jennifer moved to a Dean of Students role where she became interested in leadership and then earned a Master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver in 2017.
Jennifer Thomas is a member of the Turnaround Leadership at Vaughn Elementary who moved the school on Colorado’s School Performance Framework from Priority Improvement to Performance in one school year during 2018/2019. She led the development and implementation of a behavior system that reduced total referrals by 79%, referrals from the classroom 81%, and suspensions by 87% during the 2018/2019 school year.
When Jennifer is not at school, she enjoys spending time in the Colorado mountains or playing with trains with her two sons and husband.