MRL Associates - Sharon Kramer

Sharon Kramer, PhD, knows firsthand the demands and rewards of working in a professional learning community (PLC). As a leader in the field, she emphasizes the importance of creating and using quality assessments as a continual part of the learning process. Dr. Kramer served as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction of Kildeer Countryside School District 96 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. In this position, she ensured all students were prepared to enter Adlai Stevenson High School, a model PLC created by Dr. Richard DuFour. A seasoned educator, Dr. Kramer has taught in elementary and middle school classrooms and served as principal, director of elementary education, and university professor.

In addition to her PLC experience, Dr. Kramer has completed assessment training by Rick Stiggins, Steve Chappuis, Larry Ainsworth, and the Center for Performance Assessment (now the Leadership and Learning Center). She has presented a variety of assessment workshops at institutes and summits and for state departments of education. Dr. Kramer has also worked with school districts across the country to determine their power standards and develop assessments. She has been a Comprehensive School Reform consultant to schools that have received grant funding to implement PLCs as their Whole School Reform model, and her customized PLC coaching academies have empowered school and district leadership teams across the nation.

Dr. Kramer has presented sessions at state and national conferences sponsored by National Staff Development Council, National Association for Gifted Children, American Federation of Teachers, and California State University. She has been instrumental in facilitating professional development initiatives focused on standards-based learning and teaching, improved understanding and utilization of assessment data, interventions and differentiation that meets the needs of all learners, and strengthened efforts to ensure K–12 literacy. Dr. Kramer is a contributor to the anthologies The Teacher as Assessment Leader and The Collaborative Teacher.

Dr. Kramer earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University Chicago.


To request professional development, submit your requests here or call 888.849.0851.


Rave Reviews

“Wow! I can't even tell you how much I learned and how much I've enjoyed Sharon's presentation! Clear, focused, entertaining, knowledgeable, credible.”
—Ann Mylrea, ESL teacher, Monroe Elementary, Minnesota

“I wish I could walk with and talk with Sharon Kramer for a week to observe and garner all the information I can absorb.”
—Colleen Maxwell, teacher, Morris Bye Elementary, Minnesota