From 100 new teachers to every employee in the district.
- Jun 16
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
SUCCESS STORY: DOUGHERTY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, GA
At a Glance
~13,000 students
22 schools
~2,700 staff
Title I, high-need
(69% econ. disadvantaged), Albany, SW Georgia
Sponsor: Mr. Kenneth Dyer, Superintendent
Partners: Ka’isha Davis (Asst. Supt. of Curriculum & Innovation) Ginny D’Souza (Dir. of Instructional Technology)
The Problem
They believed in mentorship.
They could never staff it for everyone.
Dougherty knew mentorship was how people grow and stay, but a human mentor for every employee was never affordable. New teachers, veterans, principals, and classified staff mostly got an LMS and a directory, not real support in the moment.
What they did
They built Clara on Dougherty, their policies and their voice.
1,000 teachers across every school got a district-aligned mentor. Clara became the first stop for any question lesson planning, policy, IEPs, classroom management — grounded in Douglas's own systems.
The result that matters most
100 → 1,500+
from new teachers in year one to every FTE employee in year two
The strongest proof isn't a usage stat, it's the decision to expand. After launching with new teachers, Dougherty is extending the AI mentor to its entire workforce.
Early engagement - six weeks in
Feb – Mar 2026 · 100+ new teachers
800 support questions asked, in their workflow
1027 employee actions completed
~60% of staff using the AI mentor every month
In their words
AI isn’t scary when it solves a real problem. We started with our newest teachers and it worked so well we’re giving that same mentor to every employee, not just the few we could ever staff a human mentor for. -Mr. Kenneth Dyer · Superintendent, Dougherty County Schools
We always believed in mentorship, we just couldn’t give it to 1,500 people. Clara changed that. It knows Dougherty, it’s there in the moment, and now every employee gets that support, not only our new hires. - Jill Addison · Chief Human Resources Officer, Dougherty County Schools
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