Greenwich Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones on Friday announced that Dr. Jeff Beckley Jr has been appointed K-8 science program coordinator, effective April 13. He replaces Tara Fogel, who was recently named the district’s assistant chief officer of curriculum and leadership.
Dr. Jeff Beckley Jr
At Greenwich Public Schools, Dr. Beckley will serve as the K-8 science and library media program leader, liaison between the district and Board of Education, and collaborator with K-8 teachers, designing, evaluating, and revising program curricula and ensuring alignment with state standards. He will provide ongoing professional learning aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and analyze K-8 science assessment and instructional data to maintain GPS’s high standards as leaders in the State of Connecticut.
“Greenwich Public Schools continues to attract the best educators our region has to offer,” Dr. Jones said. “With almost two decades of K-8 public school experience in Connecticut, Dr. Beckley’s knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards and his passion for scientific inquiry, technology, and high-level mathematics will make him a tremendous asset to the Greenwich community.”
Since 2008, Dr. Beckley has been employed by Norwalk Public Schools, and, most recently, since 2021, he was an instructional coach at Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School and then at Concord Magnet School K-8, where he was responsible for ensuring classroom teachers implemented district-approved curriculum. As an elementary teacher at Jefferson, Kendall, and Brookside Elementary Schools, he taught classes in grades 2-5 for more than a dozen years. For nine years as a fifth-grade teacher, Dr. Beckley taught all core areas, including NGSS.
“I was drawn to Greenwich Public Schools by its strong investment in students, its tradition of excellence, and the supportive parent community that helps schools thrive,” Dr. Beckley said. “I am passionate about partnering with educators, families, and students to inspire a deep love of science. I am committed to empowering them to ask questions, innovate, and confidently meet the challenges ahead.”
Dr. Beckley received the 2020 Norwalk Public Schools’ Excellence in Education award for school culture and the 2011 Brookside Elementary School Teacher of the Year. He is also a two-time Fellow of the Funds for Teachers grant in marine science, a self-directed professional development program. In 2024, he received a substantial grant to fund the Building Thinking Classrooms project at Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School.
Dr. Beckley holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Central Florida with a minor in business, and a master’s in elementary education and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Bridgeport.