The following is a press release from the North Carolina Association of School Administrators
Greensboro | Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, Superintendent of Vance County Schools, was named the 2020 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year at an awards presentation and reception held Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The award was given jointly by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), theNorth Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA) and the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA).
Scholastic sponsored the event and provided $5,000 in recognition of Dr. Jackson’s achievements. He was nominated for the state honor after being named the 2020 North Carolina Regional Superintendent of the Year by the Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance.
Dr. Jackson has worked in education for more than 30 years and has served as Superintendent of Vance County Schools (VCS) since 2015. Under his leadership, the district is implementing the Welnspire Digital Transformation initiative, funded by a $200,000 Golden Leaf Grant and the Vance County Board of Commissioners. Several innovative instructional programs have been developed including the Youth Empowerment Academy for at-risk middle school students, the AdVance Academy that provides both credit recovery and credit acceleration opportunities for high school students, and the Vance Evening Academy for at-risk high school students that serves as an alternative to long-term suspension. The graduation rate has increased dramatically, and the dropout rate has fallen to 2.02% from a five-year high of 5.25%. Student achievement has significantly improved, and the district is no longer designated as low-performing.
“Dr. Tony Jackson has developed a culture of innovation and excellence at Vance County Schools,” said Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association. “He has created countless leadership opportunities for administrators, teachers and support staff, and has encouraged risk-taking by all employees to improve student outcomes. The district has shown tremendous gains academically, while athletics and the arts have thrived as a source of pride for the district. Dr. Jackson is a champion of community engagement and always closes every presentation with #VanceCountyProud. He is very deserving of this honor.”
Dr. Jackson was named the Central Carolina Regional Education Service Alliance Superintendent of the Year in 2014 and is a 2017 Friday Medal recipient for his leadership with implementing technological innovation in North Carolina school systems. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in music education from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from NC Central University and a doctorate degree in education from Walden University in Minneapolis, MN.
As the 2020 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Jackson will compete on the national level for Superintendent of the Year at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education, held February 13-15, 2020 in San Diego, CA.
The 2020 North Carolina Regional Superintendents of the Year, all of whom were nominees for this prestigious state award and were recognized as such at the Nov. 19 ceremony, included:
Region 1 | Northeast | Dr. Barry Williams, Gates County Schools
Region 2 | Southeast | Dr. Tim Markley, New Hanover County Schools
Region 3 | Central | Dr. Anthony Jackson, Vance County Schools
Region 4 | Sandhills | Dr. Ron Hargrave, Scotland County Schools
Region 5 | Piedmont/Triad | Dr. Travis Reeves, Surry County Schools
Region 6 | Southwest | Dr. Chip Buckwell, Kannapolis City Schools
Region 7 | Northwest | Dr. Scott Elliott, Watauga County Schools
Region 8 | Western | Dr. Mike Murray, Cherokee Central Schools
About Us
NCASA is the non-profit umbrella uniting 12 school leader organizations and more than 7,000 individuals from across the state with the common mission of ensuring student success through visionary leadership. www.ncasa.net
NCSSA, a core affiliate of NCASA, is the membership and professional development organization for superintendents from North Carolina’s 115 public school districts. www.ncsuperintendents.org
NCSBA is a non-profit organization that represents the 115 local boards of education in North Carolina. The organization seeks to provide leadership and services that enable local school boards to govern effectively. www.ncsba.org
Scholastic was founded in 1920 as a single classroom magazine. Today, Scholastic books and educational materials are in tens of thousands of schools and tens of millions of homes worldwide, helping to Open a World of Possible for children across the globe. www.scholastic.com
