Introducing the 2018-19 NIET Educator Advisory Board Members

Santa Monica, CA—The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) has announced that 11 educators and district leaders will serve on its Educator Advisory Board for the 2018-19 year. Hailing from Arizona to Tennessee, they have a solid track record of placing educators at the center of school improvement efforts to benefit teachers and students alike.

Members will contribute their on-the-ground expertise working in high-need schools to help NIET advance its mission of improving educator effectiveness through policy, research and service. In NIET's work spanning K-12 to higher education, these partner leaders will:

1. Offer insights on NIET’s strategies for teacher recruitment, development and retention.
2. Lend their experiences in strengthening principal leadership.
3. Share their lessons in supporting high-need schools to significantly increase student academic achievement.

"Hearing direct experiences from our partner educators is essential to our daily work," said NIET Co-President and Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Patrice Pujol. "Our educator advisory board members not only give us a window into the classrooms we serve, but many are also teachers in those classrooms. They know their student populations well and how to tailor strategies to reach them. We benefit enormously from their leadership, and welcome them to our table as we look forward to another successful school year."

"Effective teaching leads to improved student outcomes," said new board member Shelia Banks, a teacher leader from Orleans Parish, Louisiana. "By supporting teachers, we ensure that schools are doing what it takes to improve student achievement and improve teacher practice."

"Our entire district has grown tremendously in the area of teaching and learning by creating an underlying framework for professional development and leadership," added Phoenix-area superintendent Betsy Hargrove, who is entering her second term on the board. "The collaboration and empowerment of all staff through these structures are strong factors in our district’s success. As a result of our efforts, we have outpaced the achievement growth in our state for three consecutive years."

For two decades, NIET has been a leading authority on how to use investments in educators to drive school improvement, particularly in high-need communities. The public nonprofit works with schools, districts, states and universities on developing teacher leadership and career paths; instructional frameworks and rubrics to help teachers improve their practice; on-site and virtual training and coaching by expert educators; human capital management systems; and structures and protocols for leadership and professional learning.

The 2018-19 NIET Educator Advisory Board members are:

Shelia Banks*

District Executive Master Teacher
Orleans Parish School Board
Louisiana

Cade Brumley

Superintendent
Jefferson Parish Public School System
Louisiana

Vickie Carpenter

Assistant Superintendent
Perry Township Schools
Indiana

Kevin George*

Superintendent
St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools
Louisiana

Betsy Hargrove

Superintendent
Avondale Elementary School District
Arizona

Pat Lewis

Deputy Superintendent of Innovation and School Improvement
Grand Prairie Independent School District
Texas

Lori Line*

Principal
West Goshen Elementary School
Indiana

Alex Patterson*

Mentor Teacher
Dodson Branch School
Tennessee

Mindy Searcy

District Executive Master Teacher
Cross County School District
Arkansas

Amber Simpson*

Master Teacher
Barrera Veterans Elementary School
Texas

Amy Whittington*

PK-6 Principal
Central Decatur Community School District
Iowa