Bringing a message from Gwinnett County to the Capitol Hill is a vital responsibility. As part of the 2012 Federal Relations Network of the National School Boards Association, I joined 25 other school board members from the State of Georgia in bringing messages to our federal elected officials about the interests in public education of our constituents back home. The messages had to do with current legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives and by the U.S. Senate. Our visit to Capitol Hill took place on Tuesday, a day when many legislators have returned to the nation’…

  Members of the National School Boards Association are in Washington, DC, to meet with members of Congress to discuss a framework for reauthorizing Elementary and Secondary Education Act priorities. The priorities are based on input received from local school boards across the nation and the formal actions taken by the NSBA Delegate Assembly. Such actions are aimed at improving the quality of educational services while ensuring maximum authority and flexibility to local school districts that provide such services. The following are key priorities being proposed to U.S. House and Senate …

Reforming schools and preparing the next generation of students for success in college and career is urgent. Education and community leaders report that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation conflicts with achieving education reform.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is proposing to replace the NCLB system with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility approach in the following areas: 2014 Timeline. Provide States with flexibility around how they set their annual targets for schools and student subgroups. Federal Labels and Federally-Mandated Interventions. Waive …

In 2010, the National Governors’ Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers led a national effort to develop Common Core Standards for K-12 students in the nation’s public schools. To date, 44 states have approved and adopted the standards. In Georgia, former Gov. Sonny Perdue and former State Superintendent Kathy Cox led the effort.  Gov. Nathan Deal and Superintendent John Barge support the standards and are implementing them throughout Georgia’s public schools. Common Core Standards are based on skills that students should develop as they move through grades K-12. They are …

  What is the appropriate role of a School Board member?  What is the appropriate role of the Superintendent in relation to School Board members? In May 2010, former Gov. Sonny Perdue signed Senate Bill 84, landmark school board governance legislation in the making over more than two years.  The legislation answered those questions and many others about school board service and its distinct role as it differs from other locally elected public office positions. The legislation came as the result of the efforts of the Commission for School Board Excellence, a group of business leaders that held…

  As the Georgia General Assembly gathers for its 2012 session, it is important to remember two gifts that the elected body has provided to public education in the State.  Twelve years separate these two initiatives that have positioned Gwinnett County Public Schools to lead Georgia and states beyond in student achievement excellence and in physical plant development. The first gift was made in 1996 when, after 15 years of deliberation, the General Assembly passed enabling legislation for the 180 school systems in Georgia to bring a referendum to voters.  The referendum asked voters to vote …

  Washington, D.C. will be the site of the February 2012 Federal Relations Network Conference drawing school board members from the 50 states to the nation’s capital. I will be among the elected school board members who will participate in our Georgia delegation.  After attending a two-day conference where education issues will be highlighted, our assignments will be to meet with our elected House members and then as a group with our two elected U.S. Senators. The Federal Relations Network is part of the National School Boards Association’s annual advocacy meetings in the nation’s capital.  …

  For the last decade and more, the Gwinnett County School Board has worked closely with community members to establish ways to communicate with the many constituencies that we serve in the largest school system in Georgia as follows: Constituent Services and Communications. Constituent services and communications provide a vital means of building support for public education.  Parents, teachers, principals, staff members, business and civic leaders—all have insights into how public education is faring in our community and on ways public education could be improved.  Our work begins at the …

  As our nation and community prepare to enter 2012, the School Board and Superintendent are updating Gwinnett County Public Schools’ Strategic Priorities for 2010-2020. Also, we are seeking community input related to the Academic Knowledge and Skills Curriculum through meetings of the GEMS Oversight Committee. At the five GCPS Area Board meetings in March and April of 2012, we will report to community members feedback that we have received related to these two important initiatives. We invite this feedback to help the school system collaborate with those whose support is vital to sustaining …

  As we prepare to enter 2012, what are the issues to resolve in educating all students to their capacity and utilize public education to advance the productivity of Gwinnett County and our nation? One of the first issues to resolve is developing a standard measure of graduation rates state by state, regionally, and nationally.  Why is this of such importance?  Students who earn high school diplomas increase their options for employment in the global workforce.  Dropping out before graduation reduces workforce opportunities. In 2005, the nation’s 50 governors signed a compact that by 2011 all…

  In the next five years, Gwinnett County Public schools will need to employ more than 100 principals and 500 assistant principals for its growing student population, projected to increase from 163,400 in 2011 to 175,000 in 2015. To help meet this need, Superintendent/CEO J. Alvin Wilbanks has created two pipeline programs—the Quality Plus Leader Academy to develop new principals and the Aspiring Leader Program to develop new assistant principals. Dr. Glenn Pethel, director of the Quality Plus Leader Academy, has provided leadership in the development of the curriculum, the timetable, and the…

Since June 2010, many additional friends and supporters in Peachtree Corners, Berkeley Lake, Norcross and Duluth have come forward to lend their names and add value to each of the public schools in the Norcross and Duluth clusters. Under the umbrella of the Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) organization, the Norcross Community Schools Partnership and the Duluth Cluster Schools Foundation have organized community volunteers and other leaders to the seven Duluth and nine Norcross elementary, middle, and high schools. In each cluster, parents, teachers, business, and …

  As we prepare for Thanksgiving 2011, I thank the community members, parents, teachers, students, staff, business partners, and all others in Peachtree Corners, Norcross, Berkeley Lake, and Duluth for serving as volunteers in support of public education in Gwinnett County Public Schools. The following are some of the ways volunteers served our public schools in 2011: 1.  Passage of E-SPLOST IV.  Thank you to the more than 50 volunteers across Gwinnett County and in District III who provided leadership in communicating the importance of voting for continuation for five years of the Special …

A significant community resource provides studies and reports that advance our knowledge of the importance of public education to our community.  A major resource free on the internet is available through the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta.   Over many years, I have found SREB materials to be most helpful to me in my role as a member of the Gwinnett County Board of Education.  I have long been familiar with the work of SREB, having the privilege of working as a staff member of the organization early in my career during the leadership era of Dr. Winfred Godwin, President of SREB…

As your Gwinnett County Public Schools District III School Board member, it is my privilege to communicate with you through this opinion column in the Peachtree Corners-Berkeley Lake Patch.  The Gwinnett County Public School System’s goal is to be a good neighbor for Gwinnett and to share best practices about teaching and learning and community development with those who can benefit.  I am grateful for the support of those community members who are parents with children in our public schools as well as those with no children in our schools for helping us create and sustain the best urban …