ADE Briefs

Dr. Diana Julian will assume the duties of interim commissioner of the Arkansas Department of Education beginning Wednesday, July 1. Julian has served the state as deputy commissioner of education since 2007 and, prior to that, as assistant commissioner for the division of learning services. The Arkansas State Board of Education appointed her as interim upon the departure of Dr. Ken James.

“The State Board of Education is pleased that Dr. Julian has agreed to serve as interim commissioner,” said Naccaman Williams, chair of the Arkansas State Board of Education and head of the search committee for the new commissioner. “I am confident that her experience and professionalism will provide continuity and stability for the state’s public education system as we engage in the search for a permanent replacement for Ken James.”

Julian’s career has always centered on education. She was an elementary teacher for the Selma City (AL) School District, Jonesboro School District and Holcomb (MO) Public Schools. She later became the principal of Holcomb Elementary School in Holcomb, Missouri. In 1986, she began working for Bryant Public Schools. During her time there she served as special education director, principal of Robert L. Davis Elementary School and finally as superintendent. After a stint with the Arkansas Department of Education from 1994 to 1997 as deputy director under then-director Gene Wilhoit, Julian became superintendent of the Benton School District until she returned to ADE in 2005. She was named 2005 Arkansas Superintendent of the Year.
Posted by JJT.

America’s Choice announced today that Dr. Ken James, whose last day as Arkansas Commissioner of Education is today, will join its organization as executive vice president and chief operating officer. A video address from Dr. James as well as the official announcement are available on the America’s Choice Web site.
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas’s public high school graduation rate is above the national average, according to Diplomas Count 2009, the fourth annual report issued by Washington-based Education Week that outlines high school graduation policies and trends. Arkansas’ graduation rate for 2006, the year for which the most recent data is available, was 71.9 percent, while the graduation rate for the nation was 69.2 percent.
Posted by JJT.

Just in from the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators:
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Richard Abernathy, superintendent in the Bryant
School District, has been elected secretary-treasurer of the Arkansas Association of
Educational Administrators. As secretary-treasurer, Abernathy will serve a one-year
term on the Board of Directors and will assume the position of president-elect in 2010
and of president in 2011.
Abernathy’s experience includes classroom teacher and coach at Alma High School;
principal at Lavaca High School; principal at Clarksville High School; assistant
superintendent at Ozark Public Schools; superintendent at Paris Public Schools and
currently superintendent at Bryant.
Posted by JJT.

Dr. Naccaman Williams of Springdale was elected to serve as the 2009-2010 chair of the Arkansas State Board of Education. Dr. Williams, who will be taking the place of outgoing board president Randy Lawson of Bentonville, will assume his duties July 1. Vice-Chair will be Jim Cooper of Melbourne.
Lawson and board member Diane Tatum of Pine Bluff, who served as board president for the 2007-2008 fiscal year, both complete their service to the board in this month. Governor Mike Beebe will appoint two new members to the State Board to fill the vacancies.
Posted by JJT.

The Arkansas State Board of Education appointed Dr. Diana Julian, Deputy Commissioner of Education at the Arkansas Department of Education, as Interim Commissioner of the agency beginning July 1. She will assume the role after the June 30 departure of Dr. Ken James, who has served as Arkansas’ Commissioner of Education since May 2004.
The State Board announced the appointment of Dr. Julian after meeting in executive session after Monday’s regularly scheduled board meeting. Dr. Naccaman Williams will steer the search committee for the next Commissioner.
Posted by JJT.

The U.S. Department of Education notified the Arkansas Department of Education that Arkansas meets the requirements for Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). “We commend Arkansas for its performance,” the letter stated. This is the second year in a row for the state to meet all requirement.
Posted by JJT.

Voluntary, state-led national standards are closer to becoming a reality than many educators would have dreamed possible. On June 1, several national organizations working together on this effort announced that a total 49 states, territories and the District of Columbia have signed agreements to pursue this goal. Arkansas was one of the first states offering support, with commitments from both Governor Mike Beebe and the Dr. Ken James, Arkansas Commissioner of Education.
Already, content experts are putting together a common core of standards in mathematics and English language arts. This common core will be announced later this summer and, by year’s end, the standards will be produced for each grade level K-12. The overriding goal is to produce a set of standards that are higher, clearer and fewer than what exists already in most states.
Posted by JJT.

The Arkansas Department of Education is grateful to Dr. Ken James for his five years of service at the agency, during which he worked daily to improve the academic performance of ALL public school students in Arkansas.
On May 29, Dr. James notified ADE staffers and others of his decision, saying that his last day as Commissioner of Education will be June 30.
In a news release, Governor Beebe praised Dr. James, saying, “Ken James has played an invaluable role in moving Arkansas’s education system out of the courtroom and onto the path of excellence. The educational advancements he oversaw have already produced measurable improvements for our students, but the true extent of those advancements will be revealed further with each additional school year. On behalf of all Arkansans, I thank Ken for his tireless, single-minded efforts to improve the education of our children.”
Posted by JJT.