Superintendent of Beaumont Texas Independent School District Dr. Carrol Thomas:
Vision in Leadership: Urban Education, Improving Student Performance

Key Topics include: Leadership · Improving Student Performance · Urban Education · Teacher Training · ARCHIVE ·

Dr. Carrol Thomas, Superintendent of schools for 19 years and president-elect for the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) is interviewed by Sheryl Neal about his successful work in closing the gap of student performance. This informative interview provides firsthand insight into the strategies used in the Beaumont Texas Independent School District to make them among the TOP 50 schools in student improvement.

From adopting inclusion methods, to data gathering, multiple teaching strategies to teacher instructional feedback and direction, Dr. Thomas fills this podcast interview full of concrete examples of approaches district leaders may explore for consideration to close the student achievement gap. No doubt this is part of the reason he has been successful in his quest and is now best known in Texas for turning around one the lowest performing school districts in Texas in one year. Superintendent Thomas does not shy away from the hard questions of race, special education tracking, nor parent and civic responsibility; however we also hear his vital vision for education of every child to be understood as a civil right.

Tune in to this interview for a very different look at

leadership in our schools on the District Leader’s Podcast.

Leading today for success tomorrow.

Biographical Background

Dr. Carrol Thomas has served as the Superintendent of Schools for the Beaumont Independent School District since July 11, 1996. Dr. Thomas came to Beaumont from North Forest Independent School District in Houston, Texas, where his work earned him the Texas Superintendent of the Year in 1999. Under Thomas’ leadership, North Forest I.S.D. was the first and only school district to move from “Accredited Warned”, the lowest level the State places on a district, to “Fully Accredited” in one year.

When Dr. Thomas came to BISD, the district was one of the lowest performing districts in the state. BISD is now ranked among the top school districts in Texas for improving student performance. The district has gone from only one campus receiving state recognition in 1996, to over one-third of the 32 sites receiving either recognized or exemplary status in recent years. The district also had 12 campuses to receive the prestigious Successful School Award granted by the Texas Education Agency.

Dr. Thomas is the President-Elect for the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE). Thomas will serve as NABSE leader for the two-year term that starts this fall, followed by a two-term presidency from 2009-2011.

Related Web Links:

• ISD Beaumont, Texas
• National Alliance of Black School Educators

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. 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.

Former Superintendent of Jackson Mississippi Public Schools Dr. Earl Watkins:
Urban Education, Leadership, Student Success: Schools as Transformation Opportunities

Key Topics include: Improving Student Performance · Urban Education · Leadership ·Teacher Training

Dr. Earl Watkins, Superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, Mississippi (2002- Aug. 2008) provides an inspirational interview with host Arthur Griffin. Dr. Watkins addresses issues of the difficult challenges of urban education and shares his vision of schools as an opportunity for student transformation. This podcast illustrates the dynamic relationship and impact which authentic leadership can have on student performance and their schools. Bringing all efforts to bear on this purpose can have dramatic results. Don’t miss this vibrant exchange which provides strategies from his experience for leadership, improved student performance, teacher training and school change.

Join us for this episode of Vision and Action from

the District Leader’s Podcast.

Leading today for success tomorrow.

Biographical Background

Dr. Earl Watkins, Superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, (2002- Aug., 2008) is a native Mississippian. He was raised in the heart of the Delta and attended the public schools in Belzoni. He has degrees from Mississippi Valley State University and Jackson State University.

He brings a wealth of experience to this post. He has served JPS as a teacher, a math curriculum coordinator, an assistant principal, a middle school principal, a high school principal and as executive principal for the Jim Hill feeder pattern. He has also been an adjunct professor at Jackson State University in the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership since August 2000.

With Dr. Watkins serving as superintendent of Jackson Public Schools June  2002 – August 2008, he became the district’s youngest superintendent in recent history.

In addition to being a dedicated employee of JPS, Dr. Watkins also is active in the community. Besides serving on several boards for educational entities, he has also been vitally involved in his home church, World Overcomers Ministries Church, where he serves as a lay minister and a board member. He and his wife, Cassaundra, have founded an organization called, Up From the Ashes, a faith-based organization (ministry) that was developed to provide services to people who need help in areas such as education, Biblical teaching, and personal development.

Related Web Links:

• Jackson Public Schools
• Jackson State University

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. 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.

Interview with Jericho School District Long Island, NY Superintendent
Henry Grishman
Leadership- Innovative Approaches to Curriculum – The Role of the Superintendent

Key Topics include: Vocational Education · Career and Technical Education · Teacher Training · High Stakes Testing · Leadership ·

Henry (Hank) Grishman, Jericho School District (Long Island, New York) Superintendent of Schools, is interviewed by our podcast co-host Ed Milliken on the subjects of leadership and how to improve student performance. This vital interview emphasizes the achievement focus driving today’s schools, while Hank Grishman recognizes the learning disparities and raises concerns about the performance gap. School leaders around the country are not alone in coping with the variety of issues that arise from the situation. Listen in to this episode of the District Leader’s Podcast to gain support and additional strategies in leading your district and schools. What are the stress on schools and teachers? How can testing, school calendars, teacher professional development, curricula and programs be changed to bear results in this volatile matter?

With the many demands on schools, educational leadership positions are not particularly attractive. These conditions result in fewer career educators aspiring to the position of superintendent. Interesting information revealed in this interview shows that when asked, some of the elementary pupils in the Jericho School District offer their perception on the role of the School Superintendent.

Join us for another episode filled with insights for leadership success!

Biographical Background

Hank Grishman has been a superintendent of schools for 29 years. In 2008, he will celebrate a 30 year longevity anniversary as a New York State school superintendent. For the last 12 years, Hank has been Superintendent of the Jericho School District which has been recognized for its students’ high academic performance.

With his extensive background in educational leadership, Hank serves as the current President of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. Also, he is Vice President of the Nassau County (NY) Council of School Superintendents. An advocate of extra curricular and support programs for students, Hank is a member of the Executive Board of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association and Chairman of the Nassau County Superintendent’s Board for Athletics.

He began his education career as an elementary and middle school mathematics teacher. His first administrative assignment was as an Elementary School Principal in the Yonkers City, NY, School District, where he grew up. In 1978, he received his first appointment as a Superintendent of Schools in the Sharon Springs School District.

His collegiate experience includes an undergraduate degree from Penn State, a master’s degree from William Patterson University, and an educational leadership program at NYU.

Related Web Links:

• Jericho School District Long Island, NY

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. 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.

Interview with Superintendent of the Sayville School District
Dr. Rosemary Jones
Alternate Paths to Academic Success

Key Topics include: Teacher Training · High Stakes Testing · Leadership · Improving Student Performance · Professional Development

Dr. Rosemary Jones, Superintendent of Sayville, New York joins District Leaders Podcast co-host, Ed Milliken for an interview focusing on student achievement. Dr. Jones shares her recommendations and experiences that teachers and district leaders need to fully understand learning, how the role of classroom teachers have changed and the continuing learning gap among populations of students. This interview shares insights that current accountability programs may increase learning. Examples of programs and success cited in this discussion include the impact of preschool on early grade school adjustment and success and high school pre-engineering experiences.

Biographical Background
Dr. Rosemary F. Jones has been Sayville Superintendent in Eastern Suffolk County for several years. Prior to this position she was a principal and classroom instructor. Recognition of her achievements includes an appointment by New York State Commissioner of Education Dr. Richard P. Mills to fill an unexpired term on the 10-member board of the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS) in 2006. Dr. Jones participated in overseeing operations and policy for the approximately 400,000-member System which manages $89 billion holdings. (Such board members serve without compensation and represent the varied membership of the NYSTRS.) In addition to that appointment and her duties as superintendent, during the 2006-2007 school year, Dr. Jones also served as President-elect of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association (SCSSA).

A graduate of Nova Southeastern University, Superintendent Jones is often conducts inspiring and informative professional workshops for her colleagues as she did for an Aspiring Administrators workshop, sponsored by the SCSSA.

Related Web Links:

• Sayville Public Schools

District Leader’s Podcast is produced and copyrighted by The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2007-2008. 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.

Interview with Rockville Centre, New York, School District, Superintendent
Dr. William Johnson
Improving Student Achievement and Teacher Professional Development Recommendations

Key Topics include: Teacher Training · Improving Student Performance · Urban Education ARCHIVE ·

Podcast host Ed Milliken engages Dr. William Johnson in an informative and moving interview about critical issues that continue to face schools across the world. With 22 years as a school Superintendent and a successful student and school improvement record Dr. Johnson provides compelling insight into the potential for all students to succeed. In this episode of the District Leader’s Podcast listeners also hear strategies for success working with large districts, diverse student populations, poverty, seeming student learning gaps, and effective teacher professional development to meet these needs at the Rockville Centre School District, New York. This interview does not shy away from the difficult questions. Listen in as Dr. Johnson and our podcast host Ed Milliken bring more support, insight and stirring discussion always, Leading Today for Success Tomorrow.

(Note to our listeners: please the excuse background noise for which we needed to compensate; however, we believe this is a very valuable resource for school leaders.)

Biographical Background

Dr. William Johnson has served as Superintendent of Schools for the Rockville Centre, New York School District, since 1986. During his years as Superintendent, the Rockville Centre School District has continued to grow in excellence and prestige. It has been part of virtually every list of “best schools and/or districts” at the regional, State and national level. South Side High School became an all Regents high school seven years before New York State Standards for School Excellence were announced. In addition, South Side High School, an International Baccalaureate school with its rigorous educational program, has achieved a Regents graduation rate of over 97%.

Dr. Johnson was named New York State’s Superintendent of the Year in 2005. He is past-president of the Nassau County and New York State (NYS) Council of School Superintendents and is currently co-chairperson of the NYS Council of School Superintendents Curriculum Committee. He served on the Salerno Commission on Financial Reform and was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Governor’s Education Reform Commission.

He is also a speaker and lecturer to various state and regional associations concerning teaching, curriculum and instruction, social and emotional learning, and financing public schools, he serves on numerous regional and statewide committees. He has been a member of the Commissioner of Education’s Advisory Council for more than ten years. He is currently an adjunct professor at Teachers’ College, Columbia University. Named Educator of the Year by the Hofstra University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa and received the Distinguished Service Award from the School Boards Association of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

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.