John LaRue, Partner, Operations and Education Practice

John LaRue is a high-performing school leader and education innovator with over 15 years of experience supporting public and private schools. As Partner at Education Practice of Causa Strategies, John leads engagements related to educational leadership, adult learning (particularly teachers), integration of educational technology, and school-wide reforms that place students at the center of all decisions. In addition, he leads all operational affairs at Causa and provides technical expertise to clients in the space of K-12 education.

Before Causa, John was the Dean of Academics at Saint John's School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. During his time at Saint John's, he was an agent of change in all layers of the school’s academic life. He succeeded in establishing productive working relationships that led to the revamping of all core curriculums, the shift towards a data-driven instructional culture, and eventually the improvement of student achievement.

John co-founded Lead Collaborative, where he served as a pivotal figure in program design and leadership development. Collaborating with a diverse team, including members from the Harvard School of Education, John was the primary architect behind the program that teaches principals and teacher-leaders the fundamentals of evidence-based instructional leadership. Addressing fundamental flaws in leader training, the program focuses on context and prioritizes immediate, actionable solutions tailored to leaders' unique challenges.

Prior to his roles at Saint John's and Lead Collaborative, John was the Director, School Partnerships Coach at the Flamboyan Foundation, advising a caseload of ten school leaders on family engagement training, practice, observation-feedback, and debrief sessions with teachers at their schools. His work at Flamboyan was built on a foundation of nine years in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) as a Special Education Teacher, Instructional Coach, and Special Education Coordinator, where he earned the prestigious Highly Effective Teacher designation.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from The University of Iowa and a master's degree in Transition Special Education from The George Washington University.