Topic: A Discussion on Critical Trends in K-12 Education
Join us for this informative interview with Mr. Peter C. Davis, president of McGraw-Hill Education, as he discusses the digital transformation taking place in the education industry and how it will increasingly affect elementary and high schools nationwide.
Our host LeiLani Cauthen, publisher of ConvergeMag.com, and Mr. Davis also discuss the National Education Technology Plan and Common Core Standards, as Mr. Davis comments on McGraw-Hill Education’s point of view and the company’s strategy to incorporate the technology plan and the standards into assessment and curriculum resources.
Topics in this episode include
Educational change in Action
Educational Technology needs
Response to Intervention (RtI) opportunities
Impact of the Race to the Top on these trends
And much more.
District Leaders Podcast is always
Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background:
Peter C. Davis
President
McGraw-Hill Education
The McGraw-Hill Companies
As President of McGraw-Hill Education, Peter C. Davis is responsible for leading one of the world’s top educational publishers, serving teachers, students and individuals in a range of professions across virtually every aspect of the growing global education market from pre-K through professional learning.
Peter has spearheaded a range of important growth initiatives for McGraw-Hill Education, including developing strategies to help the company’s Pre-K through 12 education group compete effectively in the elementary and high school market, helping improve marketing and sales for its testing and assessment services business, and devising strategies to enter the career educational services markets internationally. He also is leading McGraw-Hill Education’s efforts to develop effective digital learning platforms and tools that are customized to the needs of each student and designed to generate positive learning outcomes at virtually every level of education.
He is on the board of directors of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute Foundation for Educational Leadership and Policy, and he is a member of the President’s Policy Council of the Alliance for Excellent Education.
Peter joined The McGraw-Hill Companies in 2006 as Executive Vice President of Global Strategy, where he worked closely with the Corporation’s senior management team to build global business opportunities, strengthen its presence in existing markets, and develop partnerships and new business opportunities for the company’s Education, Financial Services and Information & Media businesses.
Earlier in his career, Peter was a managing director at Novantas LLC and was senior partner at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led global client relationship development and delivery for the banking, brokerage and asset management segments.
Peter holds a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers College in New Brunswick, NJ, where he was a Henry Rutgers Scholar, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University.
Leilani Cauthen
Publisher, Converge Magazine
VP Sales, Center for Digital Education
divisions of e.Republic, Inc.
LeiLani Cauthen is the Publisher of Converge magazine, a national media and events organization providing context and content for education change using technology for the policy levels in both K-12 and Higher Education. LeiLani manages the Center for Digital Education, helping hundreds of IT companies with sales strategy, research and the Center’s advisory services. In 1987, LeiLani was part of the original team to launch Government Technology magazine for e.Republic, Inc., the first national publication devoted to technology solutions in state and local government. From 2000-late 2003, LeiLani handled marketing and sales at Entrust Software for the eight western States, SLED segment, and worked with individual government agencies, Community Colleges and Universities. LeiLani rejoined e.Republic in the Center for Digital Government in 2003 and was later promoted to Publisher and Vice President of Sales in the Center for Digital Education. LeiLani has more than 18 years of experience in assisting companies to understand, sell and market to state/local government and education, and is a frequent speaker at various market association conferences and vendor sales conferences.
Topic: Leading a School Community to Success through Change
Join us to listen as we interview Mr. Thomas Brady, the superintendent for Providence Public Schools, Providence, RI. What makes us the leaders we are? How do our life experiences surface when we serve as public school superintendents?
These and many other questions are answered in a stirring discussion and retrospect of Mr. Thomas Brady’s current career in public education. Our host Arthur Griffin and Mr. Brady discuss the challenges Mr. Brady has faced in the more than ten years he’s been working in public education, and the intersection and differences among his experiences in Philadelphia and Fairfax, VA.
In a unusual twist, listeners will also discover how Brady’s extensive military career has helped shape and prepare him for the unique challenges he has faced as a public education leader in the current educational climate. From making the tough decisions, to monitoring performance and finding the right management style, this episode provides compelling inspiration, thoughtfulness and support for educational leaders.
Key topics covered include:
Leadership styles building upon prior life experience (military)
Building a core curriculum – A school district takes ownership and action
Change process perspective and strategies
Parents as partners in the learning process
Special education needs
Student achievement
Tough decisions: Resource allocation
Race to the Top: RI experience and comments
District Leaders Podcast is always
Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background:
Mr. Thomas Brady was appointed Superintendent for Providence Public Schools in March 2008. He officially assumed the role of Superintendent on July 14, 2008.
Before that, Brady served as Interim Chief Executive Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, the eighth largest school system in the country. He also served the Philadelphia district as Chief Operating Officer.Brady actually began his affiliation with Fairfax County as a parent leader, serving as President of the Hayfield Secondary School Parent-Teacher-Student Association for four years.
Prior to his nearly 10 years of service in public education administration, Brady had a distinguished 25-year career in the United States Army where he attained the rank of Colonel. He was the commanding officer at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and oversaw a $770 million budget, $660 million payroll, $94 million in contracts, and over 20,000 residents and military personnel.
Brady is a 2004 Fellow of the prestigious Broad Urban Superintendents Academy. The Academy is a rigorous 10-month executive management training program designed to prepare CEOs and senior executives from business, non-profit, military, government and education backgrounds to lead urban public school systems.
Brady holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Pepperdine University and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Social Sciences from Niagara University.
Topic: The Past and Future of Career and Technical Education in America
Gregg Betheil, the New York City Department of Education’s senior executive for Career and Technical Education (CTE), discusses the history of New York’s CTE institutions with Jeff Livingston. Gregg describes the role of his department in the current development and advancement of CTE programs through the city and state, and goes into a fascinating discussion on the different perceptions and distinctions, both true and false, found in the comparison between Universities and CTE institutions.
Join us as Jeff Livingston conducts an interesting and detailed interview, and listen in as he and Gregg discuss
The past, present, and future of CTE institutions,
Common misconceptions about the comparison between CTE institutions and Universities, and
How Gregg’s department is changing things- and their vision for the future.
District Leaders Podcast is always
Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background:
Gregg B. Betheil is the Executive Director, Office of Postsecondary Pathways and Planning with the New York City Department of Education. Through this newly formed office, he leads the NYCDOE’s ongoing efforts to ensure that all graduates are ready for postsecondary success, in two- and four-year colleges, apprenticeship programs and throughout their careers. His responsibilities include oversight of the NYCDOE-CUNY College Readiness & Success Initiative, as well as guidance to ensure there is consistent and coherent information on postsecondary planning for students and families from kindergarten through graduation.
He joined the NYCDOE in January 2008 to provide leadership to Mayor Bloomberg’s efforts to foster innovation in New York City’s portfolio of career and technical education options. He managed the Mayor’s Task Force on Career and Technical Education Innovation, and continues to provide oversight and support of the CTE portfolio, which includes 30 CTE schools serving over 30,000 students, and 345 CTE programs across city schools, serving over 110,000 students.
Prior to joining the NYCDOE, Mr. Betheil was Senior Vice President of the National Academy Foundation. He has served as Assistant Principal of Martin Luther King, Jr. High School in New York City, where he also taught American history and finance. He is former member of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education in New Jersey. Mr. Betheil is a public school graduate and holds a B.A. in Government & Law and History from Lafayette College, a M.A. in Social Studies Education and a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from Columbia University.
Topic: Cultural Border Crossing and Student Achievement in American Schools
Dr. Judy A. Alston, co-author of School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw-Hill), discusses hot topics in school leadership with guest host, David Patterson, in this 49th episode of District Leaders Podcast. The particular focus is about the importance and relevance of border crossings and student achievement in schools. Join us for a breakthro0ugh discussion about motivation, critical thinking and student achievement for a wide base of students you serve in your schools every day.
Topics covered in this interview include:
Research about effective schools by applying the concept of cultural border crossing.
Addressing issues of racism, classism, and sexism,
Recommendations for how school leadership can help students effectively cross borders and reach the highest possible levels of achievement.
Note: In addition to discussing her book, the interview includes reference to a recent article about border crossing in schools. The reference and abstract are Alston, J.A.(2004).The many faces of American schooling: Effective schools research and border crossing in the 21st century. American Secondary Education, 32 (9), 79-93.
District Leaders Podcast is always
Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background
Judy A. Alston, Ph.D. is Director/Professor of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies at Ashland University. She also teaches the following courses: Leadership Theories, Ethics and Leadership, Issues in Higher Education, and Dissertation Research Design. Her research foci include Gender and Educational leadership with a focus on Black Female school superintendents; Urban Education and Educational Leadership highlighting administrative reform in urban schools; and Diversity and Educational Leadership exploring how the intersections of class, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual diversity, and ability affect leaders. She is author of numerous articles and book chapters. She is the author of Multi-leadership in Urban Schools (University Press of America). Additionally, she is co-author of the 7th and 8th editions of the bestselling textbook, School Leadership and Administration: Important Concepts, Case Studies, & Simulations (McGraw Hill).
A native of Charleston, SC, she graduated from Bishop England High School in 1983. She then matriculated onto Winthrop College where she graduated with a B.A. in English in 1987. She taught English at Cainhoy High School during the 1987-1988 school year. She moved onto Brookland-Cayce High School (1988-1993). At that time she also completed a M.Ed. in Secondary English in 1990 and another M.Ed. in Educational Administration in 1992. In 1993, she began the Ph.D. program in Educational Administration at The Pennsylvania State University. She graduated in 1996.
Dr. Alston began her teaching in higher education at the University of Houston (1996-1999). She moved onto Bowling Green State University (OH) (1999-2005) where she was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor in 2003. In 2005, she was appointed Associate Dean and Director of the Center for Education at Widener University in Chester, PA. In 2007, she began teaching in the Doctoral Program at Ashland University as an Associate Professor and in 2008 became the Director of the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies. She was recently promoted to Full Professor.
Dr. Alston is an active member and leader in the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Currently she serves of Chair of the Queer Studies SIG. She was recently elected as Chair-elect of the Research Focus on Black Education SIG. She is also an active member of Columbus (OH) Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
American Education Research Association (AERA) www.aera.net
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2010. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
The School Board’s Role in Decision Making: Insights from the President
Elaine Cooper Reed, Cincinnati School Board President, discusses issues facing public schools today with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. Ms. Reid discusses the challenges she has faced with school funding and downsizing, as well as many other issues. This episode is revealing and helpful as she shares with us many insights she’s garnered over years as a member of the governance team.
District Leaders Podcast is always
Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background
After practicing clinical social work for several years, Eileen Cooper Reed attended the University of Cincinnati College of Law, graduating in 1984. Her Administrative Law Team won 1st place in the National Administrative Law Competition. She was awarded the Shmieg-Weil Award for being the Outstanding Moot Court Competitor in 1984.
After Law School, Eileen became a staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati. She served as a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor before being tapped as a Juvenile Court Referee. During her stint at Juvenile Court, Eileen spent three years handling truancy cases in Juvenile Court. These cases were heard at the school site and it was there that she developed a thorough understanding of attendance issues in the Cincinnati Public School system.
In 1992, then Mayor Dwight Tillery appointed Eileen to the Mayor’s Commission on Children. While serving on the Commission, she opened and became Director of Children’s Defense Fund in Cincinnati. For the next 11 years, Eileen advocated for children in Cincinnati and eventually, became the Director of the Children’s Defense Fund, Ohio advocating for children across the state. She and her staff documented the needs of Cincinnati and Ohio children in child health, child welfare, early childhood care and education, and K-12 education and used those statistics to propose sound policies to legislators from the local to the federal level.
Eileen was appointed to both the Ohio Department of Education’s Achievement Gap Task Force and the Early Childhood Task Force. While serving on those bodies, she learned about educational issues across the state and noted how Cincinnati did in comparison to other areas of the state. Under former CPS Superintendent Steven Adamowski, Eileen became the only community member of the CPS Redesign Team where she developed a thorough understanding of the CPS method of assessing school and student achievement. During that time, she and her staff at the Children’s Defense Fund were responsible for engaging parents and community in both the academic redesign process and, subsequently, the CPS community learning center and facilities programs.
Having previously served on numerous boards, Eileen currently chairs the SC Ministry Foundation Board of Trustees, is a Director of the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati and is a member of the Xavier University President’s Advisory Council.
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
Handling the Tough Decisions: Preserving Student Achievement during Budget Cuts
Dr. Eugene G.White, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in Indiana discusses difficult choices in district leadership with host Mr. Arthur Griffin. An accomplished author and recipient of 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year award (also in 2002). Having experience through the ranks from school principal through medium to large urban districts, he has much to share on leadership and coping with the difficult decisions faced in these roles.
Dr. White has authored two books for school leaders including Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.
Specific topics included in this interview with Dr. White:
Most difficult decisions faced across 30 years of school and district leadership
Coping with large budget cuts while maintaining educational excellence
Describing priorities, equity, and negotiation during process of budget cuts
Effective strategies to promote student achievement
Role of early childhood education
Challenges facing district leaders today
District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background
Dr. Eugene G. White was born in Phenix City, AL, to a single 17-year-old mother in December 1947. He was the first person in his family’s history to graduate from high school. He grew up in a time of segregation and Jim Crow practices in Southeast Alabama. In high school, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His mother, grandmother and athletic coaches heavily influenced him. He was a starting member of the 1966 Alabama State Championship Basketball Team and accepted a basketball scholarship to Alabama A&M University. He graduated with academic honors and set career scoring marks at Alabama A&M University.He was a teacher, coach and school administrator in the Fort Wayne Community Schools for 19 years. He was the first African American high school principal in the Fort Wayne Community Schools, where he served as principal of Wayne High School from 1985 to 1990. In 1990 he became the first African American high school principal of North Central High School in Indianapolis, serving until 1992. He was Deputy Superintendent of the Indianapolis Public Schools from July 1992 to January 1994. He served as Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Washington Township for 11 years. In 2005, Dr. White was named Superintendent of the state’s largest school district, IPS.
Dr. White has served in a large number of leadership capacities over the years, most recently as President of the American Association for School Administrators in 2006-07.
Dr. White has received a wide variety of honors over his career, including:
2002 and 2009 Indiana Superintendent of the Year
2007 National Association of Black School Educators (NABSE) Superintendent of the Year
2006 Modern Red Schoolhouse Distinguished Service Award
2001 Alabama A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee
1997 Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding Superintendent of the Year
1995 Center for Leadership Development Education Award
1992 named by Redbook magazine as a “visionary leader” as principal of one of America’s Best Schools
Dr. White is the author of the book, “Leadership Beyond Excuses: The Courage to Hold the Rope.” He co-wrote a second book, “Leading Schools of Diversity.”
He received an Ed.D. in Education Administration and Supervision from Ball State University in 1982, an Ed.S. in Superintendency from Ball State University in 1977, an M.S. in School Health from the University of Tennessee in 1971, and a B.S. in Social Studies, Health and Physical Education from Alabama A & M University in 1970. He is a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
Dr. White is married to Jetties White and has two children: Reginald E. White, Dean of Students and Head Girls Basketball Coach, Arsenal Tech High School in IPS, and Kimberly R. White, a teacher and coach at John Marshall Community High School in IPS.
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
Handling H1N1: With Your Community, The Media, and Social Media
Neil Rochelle, Superintendent of the Iroquois Central School district in Western New York, provides a riveting account the real needs facing district leaders across the USA and globe today regarding community issues such as H1N1. He discusses the topic, the unfolding of the experience in his district in fall 2009 and the strategies he employed, including social media communication. All of these details are included in this interview with District Leaders Podcast host Dr. Kathleen P. King. Bonus topics include social media decisions, relationships with the State Health Department, and what to do when the experts disagree!
Specific topics include the following issues:
In the fall 2009, when your district had 500 of 3000 students home sick, why and how did you decide not to close the schools?
How did you seek to control panic in the school community as H1N1 and other disease related issues were threatening to emerge?
Where can district leaders turn for assistance and guidance?
How did you use social media to communicate and build support and which ones did you use?
What do you suggest superintendents do now and if facing the introduction of the flu into their school district populations?
District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background
Currently, Neil Rochelle is Superintendent of Schools of Iroquois Central School District. Previously, he was not only superintendent of schools at Keshequa Central School, but prior to that elementary principal at Keshequa Central School.
Having been a teacher for 13 years, he has now been a superintendent for 10 years. His teaching roots are in special education. He also has a specialty in Traumatic Brain Injury and served as a consultant for the NYS Education Department. Before becoming a superintendent he was a Director of Special Education and an Elementary Principal.
Neil states his goals as a superintendent simply,
My goals are simple. Provide the best leadership I can for students to be successful 21st Century Learners. In the long-term, for students to be prepared for college or post-secondary plans and eventually successful in a competitive, global economy.
Neil was born and riased in New York City. He earned his degrees at State University of New York College at Brockport (CAS, Educational Administration) and State University of New York College at Genesco (MSE, Special Education)
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
Dr. Bruce S. Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy, Fordham University, prolific author, well-known expert in school policy and finance and former President of the Politics of Education Society (PEA)is our guest for this special interview with District Leader’s Podcast joining our guest host Dr. Kathleen P. King. In the field of educational administration, policy, and finance, Dr. Cooper is a trend setter and prolific author, research and mentor of school leaders and superintendents around the globe. In 2009, he also received the Scribner Award for Mentoring from UCEA. Join us for this vibrant discussion as Cooper and King share how school superintendents strategize to succeed during a time of decreased funding and increased demands.
Specific topics include the following hot topic issues in policy and finance related to stimulus funding:
How can the stimulus funding money be allocated and distributed equitably to your schools?
How can superintendents efficiently distribute monies across schools, children and special needs?
Is there a proven method that will help school leaders?
Why is school effectiveness demanded, and is there anything new about how it can be measured?
District Leaders Podcast is always Leading Today for Success Tomorrow!
Biographical Background Bruce S. Cooper, Ph.D. is Professor in the Division of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Policy (ELAP) in the Graduate School of Education at Fordham University. A graduate of the University of Chicago (Ph.D. ’74 and M.S. ’72), Dr. Cooper has done extensive research on school finance, organization, policy, and reform, working at Coopers & Lybrand in the development of the In$ite finance model, with Mayor Guiliani on analysis on school-site funding in NYC public schools, and the decentralization of governance in the nation’s most centralized school system (no local districts, boards, or superintendents).
Drs. Ouchi and Cooper received a $1 million grant to analyze organization and funding in six North American districts (NYC, Chicago, LA, Edmonton, and Houston), looking at the relationship between funding, management, and student achievement. He has served on the editorial boards of The Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, and Policy and Leadership in Schools. He has authored and coauthored 22 books, and over 275 articles, chapters and papers, and serves these last years as national president of the Politics of Education Association.
Cooper co-edited Better Policies, Better Schools with (Allyn & Bacon, 2004) and Handbook on Education Politics and Politics for Lawrence Erlbaum (Drs. Lance Fusarelli and Jim Cibulka). His newest work is The Rising State: How State Authority is Changing our Schools Albany, NY: SUNY Press with Bonnie Fusarelli (2009).
Other recent books and very relevant include
Better Policies, Better Schools (2004, Allyn and Bacon) with L.Fusarelli;
Promises and Perils Facing Today’s School Superintendents (Rowman and Littlefield, 2003) with L.Fusarelli;
Truancy Revisited (Scarecrow Press, 2003) with R. Guare;
Optimizing Educational Resources (Greenwood Press, 1999); and
Career Crisis in the School Superintendency? The Results of a National Survey , with L. Fusarelli, & V. Carella (Arlington, VA: National Association of School Administrators, 2000),
Home Schooling in Full View (Information Age Publishing, 2006) was one of the first books on this new form of private education.
His consulting has included a national survey for Pres. Nixon for the President’s Commission on School Finance, work with Coopers & Lybrand LLP and SchoolNet, and with Mayor Guiliani in NYC on school finance and student achievement and high school to college transition. He’s currently an expert witness in a NY State equity/adequacy case.
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
Like us, we hope you are enjoying a 1 week Late Summer Break!
As we commence the new school year, District Leader’s Podcast will be back next week to continue our programming and providing you with inspiration and support from your colleagues. In addition, here is a preview of our next episode!
Upcoming Episode 45 : Interview with Dr. Bruce Cooper, Professor of Educational Leadership, and Policy, Fordham University. Solutions for School Finance and Policy Issues
Join us for this vibrant discussion as Cooper and King share how school superintendents strategize to succeed during a time of decreased funding and increased demands.
Specific topics include the following hot topic issues in policy and finance related to stimulus funding:
How can the stimulus funding money be allocated and distributed equitably to your schools?
How can superintendents efficiently distribute monies across schools, children and special needs?
Is there a proven method that will help school leaders?
Why is school effectiveness demanded, and is there anything new about how it can be measured?
Enjoy your much deserved Labor Day Holiday and August Break!
However, if you are looking for some great continuing professional development and encouragement, catch up on our previous episodes!
From your District Leader’s Podcast Team
Arthur Griffin Jr., Carolyn Pearson, Ed Milliken, Stan Paz, Sheryl Neal, and Kathy King
*For your convenience, you can click on Part 1 & 2 separately, above.
In this podcast episode, Dr. Smiley shares how Broward County Public Schools has been able to achieve an “A” rating in the state of Florida and become a two time Broad finalist. Dr. Smiley describes the way she and her staff made strategic decisions to put teaching and learning center in the planning and resources process. She also reveeals how she cultivated teacher, parent and community support and provides many examples of instructional and adminsitrative technology adoptions to scale and improve instruction and essential services. Finally Dr. Smiley tackles what it is to be a woman in a leadership role in public education. This interview with Dr. Smiley was stimulating as well as inspiring. She clearly knows what has brought success to the district and captured that success in our 2 part series which comprise a one hour interview. Dr. Smiley is extremely proud of the progress the system has gained throughout the years she has been there.
Biographical Background
Dr. Earlean Smiley is employed as the Deputy Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction/Student Support for Broward Public Schools, the sixth largest fully accredited school district in the nation. She supervises all aspects of administration including local, state, and federal programs, with an instructional and non-instructional staff of approximately 800 employees in 29 departments. She manages a budget of $185 million within a district operating budget of approximately $5 billion.
Dr. Smiley grew up in the “free state of Jones County,” in that part of south Mississippi’s “Piney Woods” that lies between the opulent country club elite and the impoverished cotton fields of sharecroppers. Smiley was an active participant in student activities and held a number of leadership positions in school and community organizations throughout high school and then in college. Earlean received financial aid based on her academic record and attended Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where she majored in Drama, Speech and English. Graduating with honors early, she married and moved to Fort Lauderdale where she began her career as a special education teacher at Northeast High School in Broward.
In the mid-eighties, Earlean pursued graduate studies in Administration and Supervision at Nova Southeastern University, where she received a Master of Science degree. In 1991 she earned her Doctorate Degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Dr. Smiley’s tenure in education includes serving as an assistant principal; curriculum specialist (North Carolina); a TRIO Talent Search Director (Sioux City, Iowa); principal; and as an adjunct professor at Nova Southeastern University.
Smiley has been highly recognized by the community for her accomplishments. This year she was honored as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Black Women in South Florida; the NAACP presented her with its Advocacy Award; Carrie P. Meek presented her with the Carrie P. Meek Outstanding Leadership Award; she was honored by the Sistrunk Historical Festival Outstanding Achievement Award 2007, and was recognized by the American Association of University Women at its International Women’s Day 2006.
With the experience of an accomplished administrator and the admiration of the community for her leadership, Dr. Earlean Smiley continues to guide Broward County Public Schools in their pursuit of student achievement.
District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007. All rights reserved.
For more information email us at podcast@districtleaderspodcast.org or phone us at 1-866-435-5337 (toll free) and leave a voice message for our co-hosts.
