James J. Shaw is currently superintendent of schools in Racine, Wisconsin. Racine is an urban school district of 21,000 diverse students located between Milwaukee and Chicago. Before serving as the Racine superintendent, Shaw was the clinical professor and director of the Wisconsin Idea Executive PhD Program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His major interest at the University was advancing equity in student learning by creating partnerships in K-16 education to promote the integration of theory, research, and practice to improve public schools. His research interests are social learning and social development theory and its relationship to school leadership and leadership development.
Before going to the University of Wisconsin, Shaw was a highly acclaimed educator and administrator in K-12 public education. He served for ten years as the superintendent of schools in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. He is a former Wisconsin Superintendent of the Year and has been recognized by numerous organizations for his leadership and contributions to public education.
