July 10, 2008 03:45 pm
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Submitted by the office of the governor
ATLANTA Gov. Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of a working group tasked with investigating innovative ways to create long-term, comprehensive education reform to make Georgia more globally competitive.
This working group, chaired by Charles Knapp and Dean Alford, will build off the work of the Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) Task Force and review a provocative national report called Tough Choices or Tough Times to determine how Georgia might reform its education policies and practices to cause needed change for its educational system.
I believe the experts serving on this group fully understand the urgency of the challenges we face in education in Georgia, said Perdue. I am confident that they will create a blueprint for change that will facilitate higher achievement, thereby increasing Georgias economic competitiveness through our most valuable resource our children.
The working group will meet for the first time on July 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Empire Room of the West Twin Tower in Atlanta to focus specifically on several areas of education policy reform:
Moving students to postsecondary-level work as soon as they demonstrate the necessary ability;
Enhancing the quality of preschool education opportunities;
Improving P-12 teacher quality;
Creating high performance school systems (in collaboration with the State Board of Education);
Improving the academic performance of underachieving students;
Further enhancing and supporting a world-class P-12 curriculum; and
Ensuring the efficient use of the financial resources Georgia devotes to education.
Perdue has charged the group to identify the policy changes that should be put into place quickly in order to make Georgias educational system more competitive in the next 15 years. He has asked them to work swiftly and submit recommendations to him in time for consideration for possible legislation in the 2009 session of the General Assembly.
Those chosen to serve on this working group include:
Charles Knapp (Co-Chair), Chair of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce (which produced the Tough Choices or Tough Times report), President Emeritus of UGA, and Chairman of the East Lake Foundation
Dean Alford (Co-Chair), Chair of the IE2 task force, former state legislator, former State Board of Education member, current member of the Technical College System of Georgia Board, businessman
Julia Bernath Board Member, Fulton County Schools
Veronica Biggins Senior Partner , HNCL Executive and Board Search Firm
Michael Bull Superintendent, Glynn County Schools
Rep. Brooks Coleman Chair, Georgia House Education Committee
Tim Connell President, Georgia Student Finance Commission
Kathy Cox State Superintendent of Schools
Stephanie Laverne Haynes - Master Teacher/Academic Coach, Clifton Ridge Middle School, Jones County
Kelly Henson Executive Secretary, Georgia Professional Standards Commission
Susan Herbst Executive Vice-Chancellor, University System of Georgia
Molly Howard - Principal, Jefferson County High School, 2007 National School Principal of the Year
Ron Jackson Commissioner, Technical College System of Georgia
Rep. Jan Jones Chair, Georgia House Education Appropriations Sub-Committee
Sen. Dan Moody Chair, Georgia Senate Education Appropriations Sub-Committee
Jose Perez State Board of Education member
Jennifer Rippner Buck Executive Director, Governors Office of Student Achievement
Holly Robinson - Commissioner, Bright From the Start Department of Early Care and Learning
Ben Scafidi Associate Professor of Economics, Georgia College and State University
Ed Smith Superintendent, Troup County Schools
Carl Swearingen Chair of the Technical College System of Georgia Board, businessman
Sen. Dan Weber Chair, Georgia Senate Education Committee
Alvin Wilbanks Superintendent, Gwinnett County Schools
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