Champions for Equity to Receive Humanitarian Award at AASA’s 2019 National Conference on Education
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
James Minichello
703-875-0723
703-774-6953 (cell)
jminichello@aasa.org
Alexandria, Va. – Dec.
21, 2018 – AASA, The School Superintendents
Association, is pleased to announce the honorees who will receive the Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian
Award at AASA’s National Conference on
Education, during the first general session, Feb. 14, 2019, at the Los
Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
This award recognizes leaders who exemplify the qualities
modeled by the late Effie Hall Jones, a school administrator, teacher,
counselor and former AASA associate executive director. These distinctive
attributes included her professional and personal commitment to diversifying
the field of education with high quality leaders and ensuring the best
education for all students. She was profiled in the film “Women at the Top” for
her work with women who aspired to the superintendency.
The 2019
recipients are:
- Wanda
Cook-Robinson, superintendent, Oakland Schools, Waterford, Mich.
- Traci
Davis, superintendent, Washoe County School District, Reno, Nev.
- Karl V.
Hertz, retired superintendent, Mequon-Thiensville School District, Mequon,
Wis.; AASA president, 1997-98
“I am honored to congratulate
these three outstanding individuals who are steadfastly committed to equity for
all students and social justice for all children, as well as the advancement of
women into positions of educational leadership,” said Daniel A. Domenech,
executive director, AASA. “Dr. Effie H. Jones, a change agent who worked
tirelessly to diversify the field of education, would have been proud of the
way our honorees carry the torch of equity.”
As an African-American woman in an educational leadership position, Cook-Robinson recognized early on that she had a responsibility to promote,
develop and support women and educators of color around her. She has led Oakland
County Schools as superintendent since 2015. In this role, she supports the
academic achievement of the 207,000 students in Oakland County’s 28 public
school districts, public school academies and non-public schools. Furthermore,
through her membership in organizations such as the Michigan Education Justice
Coalition and the Oakland County Employment Diversity Council, she is an
outspoken advocate on equity issues for women and educators of color. In 1992,
she co-founded, and continues to serve on the board of, the Minority Women’s
Network, which supports women and educators of color across the country to
return to school and provides guidance through the doctoral degree process.
Davis’ educational leadership has resulted in dramatic increases in academic
proficiency rates for special education students and students of color, both
while principal of Clark County from 2004 to 2011, and now as superintendent of
Washoe County School District. She was appointed to her current role as
superintendent in 2014 after serving as deputy superintendent there for two
years. Davis strengthened the equity and diversity department in 2013,
increased supports for re-engagement and expanded the department of family-school
partnerships. She established an equity
task force, which now has 15 members who provide input in the development,
implementation and monitoring of board policies and programs that directly
impact diverse groups in the district. These
changes have resulted in improved services, access and outcomes for students
and families. Her advocacy on behalf of all Nevada children provided powerful
support for historic statewide education legislation passed during the state
legislative sessions of 2015 and 2017. The 2015 legislation included
increased resources for students with disabilities, English Language Learners
(ELL) and at-risk students, required data collection by race and ethnicity, and
permitted superintendents to deviate from discipline policy so they could
create alternatives to out-of-school suspension. The 2017 legislation
included the elimination of private school vouchers and provided additional
funding for low income, ELL and at-risk students, and to attract teachers to
Title 1 and underperforming schools.
As an educational and civic leader, Hertz has been a staunch advocate for social justice and equity his
entire career. He is a champion of women in the superintendency, providing sage
advice during the hard times and through the pitfalls of school leadership.
Among those he has mentored are three female superintendents who led or will
lead AASA as president of the association. For 12 years, he was superintendent of the Mequon-Thiensville School
District where he led the establishment of the Chapter 220, which provided
a pathway for urban students to attend schools in the suburbs and for suburban
students to attend schools in Milwaukee. As a result, many urban and
underserved students, as well as suburban students, had expanded opportunities
to broaden their knowledge and experience. From 1997 to 1998, Hertz led AASA as president, where he thoughtfully and deliberately laid out a roadmap for addressing the challenges and created a school system that served and embraced the needs of all students.
For information about NCE and to register for the Dr.
Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award luncheon, visit http://nce.aasa.org.
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About AASA
AASA, The School
Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional
organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and
throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school
system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the
highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.