Michael Black
With decades of experience in driver education, classroom teaching, and school leadership, Michael supports NextDoorDriving.com's Texas programs and nationwide learner resources as a TDLR-licensed Texas driving instructor.
Michael plays a direct role in NextDoorDriving.com's Texas driver education and driver safety programs, helping guide curriculum development, course review and compliance support as a TDLR-licensed Texas driving instructor. He also contributes expert guidance to nationwide learner resources, drawing on decades of experience in driver education and classroom teaching.
Teaching Experience
Michael Black's education career began in 1972 and has included work as a classroom teacher, principal, superintendent, educational consultant, professor of education, and field supervisor for teacher and administrator candidates. His driver education experience dates back to 1977, later including driving school ownership, program management, and Director of Training work for a national driver education provider.
At NextDoorDriving.com, that background supports the creation and review of Texas driver education and driver safety programs, as well as learner resources built for students nationwide. His experience helps connect course materials to real instructional practice, school-level accountability, and the safety habits students need beyond the screen.
Areas of Expertise
Texas driver's education
Helps shape NextDoorDriving.com's Texas driver education programs through curriculum input, course review, and licensed instructor guidance, with a focus on clarity, compliance, and student usefulness.
Driver safety and defensive driving
Brings practical experience in driver safety instruction, defensive driving programs, risk awareness, and safe-driving habits that help students make better decisions on the road.
Instructor training
Trains and supports driving instructors, bringing a teacher-of-teachers perspective to course quality, lesson structure, and student-facing driver education materials.
Driving school operations
Applies hands-on experience from owning and managing Texas driving schools, including student instruction, program administration, compliance-related processes, and school operations.
Nationwide learner resources
Supports broader NextDoorDriving.com materials, including DMV practice tests, CDL practice tests, permit prep courses, licensing instructions, state-specific guidance, and safe-driving resources.
Licenses, Certification and Training
- License No. 6541
TDLR-licensed driver education instructor
Holds Texas Driver Education Instructor License No. 6541
Issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- TDLR-designated Supervising Teacher
Upgraded to Supervising Teacher status in 2012
Authorized to train and mentor driver education instructors in Texas
Issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- 01
State administrator and driver education certifications
Earned through Texas A&I University at Kingsville in 1977.
- 02
Academic doctorate in school administration
Ph.D. in School Administration, with background in educational accountability, program oversight, and instructional quality.
- 03
Instructional operations and training leadership
Director of Training and Assistant Operations Manager for DriversEd.com from 2009 to 2020, supporting instructor development, curriculum quality, and multi-state program compliance.
- 04
Texas public-service and historical leadership
Chairman of the Collin County Historical Commission from 2012 to 2018, supporting Texas State Historical Marker work and regional documentation.
Professional Background
Driver Education and Regulatory Compliance
- Current
Program Development & Review
Directs instructional compliance and curriculum validation for NextDoorDriving.com's Texas programs, helping ensure course materials and nationwide learner resources align with current regulatory standards.
- –present
Driving School Ownership
Manages operational quality and compliance practices as co-owner of Five Star Driving School LLC in Haltom City, Texas.
- –
Director of Training, DriversEd.com
Led instructor development, curriculum quality, training operations, and multi-state program compliance as Director of Training and Assistant Operations Manager for DriversEd.com.
- –
Driving School Founder & Operator
Owned and operated Eagle Driving Schools, providing behind-the-wheel and classroom instruction in Allen and Frisco, Texas.
- –
Public School Driver Education Instructor
Taught driver education across multiple Texas public school districts, including Mirando ISD, United ISD, Webb Consolidated ISD, Jim Hogg ISD, Harper ISD, Lueders-Avoca ISD, and Lewisville ISD.
Academic Leadership and Institutional Governance
- –
University Field Supervisor
Supervised and evaluated principal, superintendent, clinical teacher, and teacher intern candidates for Angelo State University and the University of Texas Permian Basin.
- –
Master Faculty and Professor of Education
Taught future educators and supervised master's and certification candidates within the PACT/TEACH and MED programs at LeTourneau University.
- –
Special Education Teacher, Dallas ISD
Served as a special education teacher at the Seagoville Alternative Center, receiving Teacher of the Year honors in 2003.
- –
Texas Superintendent of Schools
Directed district-level educational governance, budget operations, and compliance reporting as Superintendent of Schools for Harper ISD and later Lueders-Avoca ISD.
Public Education Career Launch
Began working in Texas public education after earning a B.S. in Secondary Education, with teaching fields in history and government, from Texas A&I University at Laredo.
Curricular Contributions
Online course development
Directs the development, review, and validation of NextDoorDriving.com's Texas course materials, including Texas adult driver education (Eng/Esp), Texas parent-taught driver education (Eng/Esp), Texas instructor-taught driver education (Eng/Esp), and Texas defensive driving (Eng/Esp), with a focus on instructional quality, compliance alignment, and student usefulness.
Regulatory accuracy review
Provides TDLR-licensed instructor guidance for Texas course materials, course updates, instructional accuracy, and compliance-related content used across NextDoorDriving.com's Texas programs.
Driver safety and defensive driving
Applies decades of Texas driver education experience to driver safety and defensive driving materials, helping connect course lessons to real road risks, student decision-making, and practical safe-driving habits.
Nationwide learner resources
Contributes expert review to broader NextDoorDriving.com learner resources, including DMV practice tests, CDL practice tests, permit prep materials, licensing instructions, state-specific guidance, and safe-driving publications.
Select Publications
Driver Education and Safety Curricula
Parent-guided driver education
Authored A Parent's Guide to Teaching Driver Education, published by Eagle Educational Services in 2001, reflecting his long-standing work in parent-taught driver education, home-study instruction, and student driver preparation.
Defensive driving curriculum
Co-developed ADS Defensive Driving Program and Eagle Defensive Driving Program, published by Reyna Educational Services in 1992 and revised in 1994, supporting structured driver safety and defensive driving instruction.
Texas History and Regional Research
Texas state historical documentation
Authored Volume 1, Texas State Historical Markers of Collin County and Mirando City: A New Town in a New Oil Field.
Historical monographs and biographies
Authored The Day the Bridge Fell: The Story of the 1913 Brazos River Bridge Collapse at Marlin, Texas, Citizens Cemetery, Marlin, Falls County, Texas, and The Warden: The Life of Thomas J. Blackwell.
Regional preservation features
Contributed historical research and regional features to Texas Escapes, including Texas Gas Stations: The Early Days, Westphalia, Falls County, Texas, and Blue Ridge, Texas.