MEDIA CONTACT: Debbie Caputo,
State Board of Education Administrative Assistant, dcaputo@doe.k12.ga.us, 404-657-7410
The Georgia State Board of
Education has announced the “core competencies” they are looking for in their
search for a chief turnaround officer (CTO). The board is currently
interviewing for this new position, created by House Bill 338 during the last
legislative session.
Working with the Education
Turnaround Advisory Council, which includes representatives of many state
education organizations and is chaired by Dr. Jimmy Stokes of the Georgia
Association of Educational Leaders, the state board identified priorities for
the new turnaround officer:
- Technical leadership. The CTO needs an
understanding of schools and school system complexity and an ability to see the
big picture of school operations. The CTO should possess deep skills in data
analysis, issue diagnosis, and program implementation.
- Human leadership. The board recognizes
the critical role of interpersonal relationships. They are looking for a CTO
who models empathy, integrity, and emotional intelligence.
- Educational leadership. The CTO needs
experience working with students and supervising educators in multiple, diverse
settings and across a wide range of levels. He or she also must display a deep
understanding of research on effective school turnaround models and practices.
- Cultural leadership. The new CTO should
be able to work collaboratively with stakeholders in local communities, school
districts, and statewide; build teams and trust in order to make staff
effective; and build a culture of innovation and risk-taking that moves beyond
a compliance mind-set.
- Symbolic leadership. The board is
seeking a CTO who can champion public education, convey the importance of the
work and a sense of urgency in launching it, and who will actively solicit
public engagement in the turnaround process.
The board received over 60
applications for the job. Mike Royal, chair of the State Board of Education,
noted, “The applicant pool is deep, diverse, and includes a number of highly
experienced educational leaders.”
After a first round of
telephone interviews, the board will now conduct in-depth interviews with
approximately ten candidates. Then a small group of finalists will come to
Atlanta for in-person interviews with the State Board of Education and the
Education Turnaround Advisory Council. Once the board has narrowed its
selection to the top tier of candidates, their names will be released to the
public.