Category Archives: Education
Washington, DC’s, Dr. Lillian Lowery: Educator extraordinaire
Dr. Lillian Lowery: Educator extraordinaire
I love to share stories about teachers who have accomplished remarkable achievements over the course of their careers. One of these is English teacher Lillian Lowery: Educator extraordinaire. Originally from North Carolina, Lillian now hails from Washington, DC.
Lillian was born in Gastonia, Northampton County, North Carolina. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from North Carolina Central University in Durham. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She completed the requirements for her Ph.D. in Education and Policy Studies from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Lillian inaugurated her teaching as a middle school English teacher at Gaston County Schools in Gastonia, North Carolina. Before long she relocated to Alexandria City Public Schools in Alexandria, Virginia, then on to Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Virigina, and then Fort Wayne Community School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With each new position, Lillian expanded her experience as an educator, serving as a high school English teacher, an assistant principal, minority student achievement monitor, a principal, and an area coordinator.
In 2004, Lillian was appointed the Secretary of Education in Delaware, and then as the Superintendent of the Christina School District in Newark, Delaware. While living in that state, she also served as the Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. Next she moved to Maryland, where she served as the Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education.
In September, 2015, Lillian became the first President and Chief Executive Officer of FutureReady Columbus, a non-profit organization specializing in early childhood education located in Columbus, Ohio. In March, 2017, she was appointed Vice President for PreK-12 Policy, Research, and Practice at Washington, DC’s The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization working to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps in K-12 education.
For her work as an educator, Lillian has earned many prestigious awards. In 2015, the National Association of State Boards of Education honored her as the “Policy Leader of the Year.” This honor is awarded annually to a national or state policymaker in recognition of his or her contributions to education. Lillian has also garnered the Second Mile Award from the University of Delaware; Wilmington, Delaware’s Junior Achievement Award; the City of Fairfax Mayor’s Service Award; and the Outstanding Service Award from the City of Fairfax School Board. Lillian has also served on several organizational boards including, Delaware State University, edreports.org, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Dr. Lillian Lowery: Educator extraordinaire.
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Dance Theater shares moves in Black History Month celebration
Below is a marvelous video about the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, which offered two free dance classes for elementary and junior high school students in Miami on February 7, 2019. The classes helped the students to commemorate Black History Month. You can read more about the dance theater at the following link: at Miami Herald.
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Sandra Deal: Retired teacher and former First Lady of Georgia
Former Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher, has visited over 1,000 classrooms throughout her state to read aloud to children.
Many times talented educators find themselves navigating within the political sphere. This is true of Sandra Deal, a retired Language Arts teacher who is the former First Lady of Georgia.
Sandra was born Emilie Sandra Donagan in Gainesville, Hall County, Georgia. Both her parents were teachers. Following her high school graduation in Gainesville, Sandra earned her college degree from Georgia College and State University. She then followed in her parents’ footsteps and also went into teaching. She taught Language Arts at public schools for over 15 years. When she retired, she was working as a sixth-grade middle school teacher.
Sandra is the wife of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who served in office from 2011 to January, 2019. As Georgia’s First Lady, she became a strong advocate for literacy and education throughout the state. Through her Read Across Georgia project, Sandra visited every one of Georgia’s 159 counties to read to students. Over the course of her husband’s eight years in office, she visited more than 1,000 classrooms, sometimes as many as eight in a single day.
On her classroom visits, Sandra read aloud to the children and encouraged them to use the library. “My goal is to encourage students to enjoy reading so that they will be prepared for a lifetime of learning,” declared Sandra. “Reading is the gift that keeps on giving, and education is essential for all children to succeed in their pursuits,” she continued. “I believe that knowledge is power, and when we teach students to love reading, we give them the confidence to learn on their own and acquire that power far into the future,” she concluded.
For her efforts as an advocate for education, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters recognized Sandra as their 2016 “Georgian of the Year.”
