A diverse audience approaching 200 members and guests gathered for the First Annual Meeting of Arkansas Learns at noon, Thursday, May 30th in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
The event was presented by Delta Dental of Arkansas, in partnership with:
- Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas
- Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce
- North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce
With printing by TCPrint Solutions, table sponsors included:
- Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Arvest
- AT&T
- Barbara Graves Intimate Fashions
- Brent Stevenson Associates
- Delta Trust & Bank
- First Security Bank
- Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce
- Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce
- Paris Chamber of Commerce
- Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects
- Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce
- Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, Inc. Architects
- Diane Zook
Featured speaker was Dr. Terry B. Grier (bio below), superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, on the importance of business community leadership in successful public schools. Dr. Grier came highly recommended by Randy Zook, president and CEO of the Arkansas State Chamber, who heard him speak at the KIPP National Board Meeting.
The event also honored the Arkansas State Senators and Representatives achieving at least a 100% A Voting Record on the First Arkansas Learns Legislative Report Card.
Entertainment was provided by the Central High School String Quartet. The colors were presented by the Parkview Arts Science Magnet High School Junior ROTC Honor Guard, with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Monica Velasquez (eStem High Public Charter School). Fellowship of Christian Athletes Student Leader Jonathan Watson (Central High School) delivered the invocation.
All proceeds from the event benefited Arkansas Learns, the nonprofit, nonpartisan private sector alliance – employers, parents, citizens – dedicated to excellent education for all students to ensure the talent and workforce necessary for Arkansas to successfully compete in a global economy. Efforts already underway include:
- Advocacy (State Government, Local School Boards)
- Parent, Community Mobilization (Traditional School District Responsiveness, Charter School Creation)
- School Board Candidate Recruitment, Training
- School Election Voter Turnout
- Public Awareness of PreK-16 Performance
For more information, contact Gary Newton, 501.804.2048.
| About Dr. Terry B. Grier Terry B. Grier, Ed.D., became the Houston Independent School District’s superintendent of schools after a unanimous vote of approval by the district’s Board of Education in September 2009. Since that time, the Board of Education has extended his contract through June 2016.Before coming to Houston, Dr. Grier served as the superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District for eighteen months and superintendent of the Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, North Carolina for almost eight years.Under his watch, HISD’s dropout rate has decreased to its all-time low (10.8 percent) and its graduation rate (78.5 percent) has increase to its all-time high. Scholarship dollars offered to HISD seniors have increased from $51M to $180M. And, the number of students scoring three or higher on Advanced Placement exams increased by 45 percent—from 4,915 to 7,106.Dr. Grier is widely recognized for his leadership in turning around failing schools. The district’s Apollo 20 program has received state and nation recognition. He is committed to placing an effective teacher in every HISD classroom and an exemplary principal in every school. This district’s teacher and principal evaluation models contain indicators of student success.HISD was one of four school districts in America named as finalist for the prestigious Broad Prize in Education in 2012. In April 2013, the district was notified that it had been selected as a finalist again—two years in a row! HISD received high marks for its progress in decreasing the achievement gap and increasing the number of minority students taking advanced placement test and scoring three or higher on the exam.In November 2012, HISD citizens approved a $1.89B school construction bond—the largest in the history of Texas–by an amazing 69 percent margin. These funds will be used to rebuild 28 of the district’s high schools, making HISD the only major school district in the country with all high school building being re-built since 2000.Dr. Grier has received numerous awards in recognition of his accomplished leadership, including the North Carolina Association of School Administrators and the North Carolina School Boards Association’s 2008 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year Award and The American Association of School Administrators’ prestigious Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award for his support of women and minorities in education. He has received “Outstanding Alumni” awards from East Carolina University where he received his Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees and from Vanderbilt University where he received his Educational Doctorate. This past year, he was one of seven educators in the country to receive a Life Changer of The Year award from the National Life Group.He and his wife Nancy, have four grown children. |