Biography
Michael R. McCormick is the inaugural Superintendent in Residence for AVID. Prior to his most recent position, he served as the superintendent of the Val Verde Unified School District for nine years. He is known for his passion for innovation and helping students acquire their higher education aspirations. Before becoming superintendent, Michael served for six years as the Assistant Superintendent for Education Services for Val Verde USD. Mr. McCormick was an elementary school teacher and mentor, a Student Advisor, and proudly served as a middle and high school principal where he led significant increases in student achievement. Michael was also instrumental in teacher and administrator preparation by serving as an adjunct professor at two universities.
Under his leadership, VVUSD was recognized by AASA as a "Learning 2025 Lighthouse District" and the California Department of Education as a "Pivotal Practice District" in 2022. Val Verde USD has also been recognized by the Leadership Policy Institute (2019) as a California school district that is “Beating the Odds” for African American and Hispanic student achievement and Education Trust West named Val Verde USD as, “tops among California districts Closing the Achievement Gap.” He participated as a member of the Riverside County contingent of educators summoned by the White House to a meeting at the U.S. Department of Education to create the Riverside County Education Collaborative and connected with the College Day of Opportunity. In 2023, Michael was invited to be part of a White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.
Through his involvement with the Riverside County Education Collaborative, Michael has been instrumental in helping trail blaze effective FAFSA/California Dream Act Application completion strategies. Under Michael’s leadership, the Val Verde Unified School District has emphasized the importance of FAFSA completion by participating in the countywide FAFSA completion initiative “Race to Submit.” This work led to hosting the statewide kickoff event for “Race to Submit” in Val Verde for the California Student Aid Commission and ultimately becoming a statewide requirement for FAFSA completion. Over the years, Val Verde USD has been recognized as having the highest FAFSA/CADAA completion rates in the state of California.
Michael frequently gives presentations statewide, nationally, and internationally, where he offers audience members effective strategies and inspiration to create Future Ready organizations focused on STEAM and the 4Cs: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. The Val Verde Unified School District is known for its emphasis on technology integration and Michael has presented multiple keynotes at Google Symposiums focusing on the successful implementation of instructional technology in a K-12 school district. In 2023, Michael was inducted to the inaugural class of Google GSV Fellows.
Michael was named Administrator of the Year by the Riverside County Office of Education in 2012, and by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) in 2015. He was named Superintendent of the Year in 2018 for Riverside County by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) and Instructional Leader of the Year in 2019 by the California Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Recently, Mr. McCormick was awarded Transformational Leader of the year by Quantum 10 Equity in Education and in 2024 Michael was recognized by Western Riverside County Association of School Managers with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Legacy Award by Moreno Valley College. Michael regularly provides testimony on College Access to Senate and Assembly Education Committees. In addition, Mr. McCormick was proud to serve on Tony Thurmond's first ever Superintendent's Advisory Committee.
Michael is also active on numerous boards, including Google K12 Advisory Board Member, Operation New Hope Chairman of the Board, Advisory Board Member, Science Technology Education Partnership (STEP) He is a former State Board member and Region XIX President for the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).
