Mooresville's Edwards Named National Superintendent of the Year

Published February 23, 2013

The American Association of School Administrators recently honored Mark Edwards, Superintendent of the Mooresville Graded School District, as National Superintendent of the Year. In making the announcement the AASA executive director said,  “Mark Edwards is exactly the kind of superintendent we need to carry public education deep into the 21st century. He gets it. He has combined the savvy to lead a digital revolution in his schools with the wisdom to know that teachers teach their best and children learn their best in an environment that promotes mutual caring and respect.”

The award merely affirms what many throughout the national already knew. Edwards is an education innovator who issued laptop computers to all students after making sure teachers fully knew and understood how to use the new technology  themselves as well as how it  helped students in learning. He has been featured on national television, magazine and news articles and in education circles around the country. Last September, NC SPIN featured Edwards in a program discussing public education in North Carolina and we wrote a column about the Mooresville model.

In talking about the 5,600-student school district we said, “Edwards admits small school systems have a greater probability of success with reforms, but quickly adds that 40 percent of his students qualify for free and reduced lunches, a group who often fall behind and don’t perform well. While North Carolina boasts an 80 percent graduation rate, Mooresville’s is 91 percent. In 2009-10, Mooresville was one of only six school districts (out of 115) to achieve all Adequate Yearly Progress targets and all schools were recognized as “Schools of Distinction.”

Congratulations to Mark Edwards, his teachers, students and parents. It is good to see North Carolina getting some good press for results oriented reform. Lets replicate those results across the state.