AASA president David Gee to address Study Council on June 9 about challenges of public education administrators

AASA president David Gee to address Study Council on June 9 about challenges of public education administratorsJune 07, 2006Patrick Farrellpmfarrel@syr.edu

David E. Gee, president of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), will address the executive council of the Study Council at Syracuse University on the challenges facing administrators in public education during a luncheon Friday, June 9, at SU’s Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center. His presentation, “Stand Up for Public Education,” is expected to begin at 1 p.m. The luncheon starts at 12:15 p.m. and is open to Study Council members (registration required); members of the media are invited to attend.

Gee will also lead a roundtable discussion at an executive council meeting prior to the luncheon, drawing on his experience meeting with administrators across the country.

A professor of educational leadership at the SUNY College at New Paltz and a long-time public school administrator, Gee has served as AASA president since July 2005. Before joining the New Paltz faculty in 2004, he served as superintendent of the Western Suffolk BOCES in Dix Hills, N.Y., and the Queensbury Union Free School District in Queensbury, N.Y. He also was president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents from 1999?2000. Gee received a bachelor’s degree from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University.

In his presentation, Gee will share his experiences traveling across the country defending public education, one of AASA’s most important missions. He will discuss a

number of critical issues facing administrators today, including the “65 percent solution,” assessment and testing, No Child Left Behind, vouchers and school choice, and rural education.

The American Association of School Administrators, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders across the United States and in many other countries. Stand Up for Public Education? is an AASA initiative to help educate members and the public about the good things schools are doing and the important role public education plays in American society.

The Study Council at Syracuse University is a membership organization of more than 160 Central New York school districts. More than 2,000 school district personnel participate annually in council services, which include topical conferences for educators, issues-related seminars, collaborative research and development, and grant writing assistance. The Council, founded more than 50 years ago, has a long and distinguished history of promoting and supporting excellence in education for Central New York schools.

For additional information about the Study Council conference, contact Sandy Trento, assistant dean for continuing education and global outreach in the School of Education, at (315) 443-5839 or e-mail strento@syr.edu.