As a Chicago native who attended over ten urban public schools, Adonius's  desire to improve public education has always been personal.  Adonius began studying the history of Black student achievement in the U.S. as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. This sparked his interest in teaching. 

As a first-year middle school math teacher, Adonius's students outperformed all other 6th grade cohorts in the state. The following year  the school was awarded a National Blue Ribbon for High Academic Achievement by the U.S. Department of Education.  Adonius's efforts as an instructional coach and AP contributed to consecutive "A"/"A+" state report card ratings for his school. As principal, he led his school to perform in the top 1% of the state on academic assessments, earning additional "A+" state report card ratings, despite being located in the heart of the lowest performing district in the state. Adonius is a lifelong learner who continues to expand his impact through coaching and consulting with education leaders across the country to cultivate conditions for improved academic outcomes for all students. 

We're on a quest to cultivate exceptional schools in every 'hood by equipping the leaders who serve with the knowledge, skills, and tools to ensure excellent instruction.


Adonius holds a Doctorate of Educational Leadership (Ed.L.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and B.A. in Economics from Carleton College; he is a former Mellon Mays Fellow and a Teach for America alum. Adonius is also a published author whose academic areas of interest include systems leadership, continuous improvement, instruction, and leadership development. In his free time, he enjoys travel, cooking, exercising, discovering new music, and spending time with his family. Adonius currently resides in Houston, TX. 

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Supported increases of over 40% on overall Student Academic Growth metrics on state-administered assessments within the first year of partnership with new principals. 

Supported significant increases in NWEA MAP scores across ELA and math within one year of partnership with new principals. 

Contributed to improved leadership retention for leaders who opt into 1:1 coaching services








Worked with school leadership teams across the U.S. to immediately increase their individual and team capacity to create and execute instructional strategy 

Clarified instructional expectations and practices through hands-on workshop series for teachers across schools and districts

Received ratings of “Highly Recommend” or “Recommend” from 100% of participants when asked on feedback surveys, “Would you recommend Excel Learning to a professional colleague?”

Along the way, we have…

Excel Learning LLC was created to support novice school leaders and their teams with the training and coaching support to improve student achievement outcomes for their school - specifically in schools serving historically marginalized communities, and single-site or small charter networks. 

We know that leaders need more support. That’s why Excel Learning LLC provides transformative 1:1 and team-based professional learning opportunities that equip school leaders and their teams with the knowledge and skills to increase their impact on student achievement. 




Improved school leadership is possible with strategic support. 

Schedule a free call now to explore how Excel Learning can benefit your school or district.  

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