Clara Sale-Davis, widely regarded for her inspiring work in boosting academic achievement for students, has joined the Public Education Foundation as Director of the Benwood Initiative. She will oversee Phase II of Hamilton County’s highly successful elementary education initiative.
Ms. Sale-Davis has worked as an elementary school teacher, assistant principal and principal. In 1995 she became principal of Freeport Intermediate School in Freeport, Texas, which evolved from a “low-performing school” to one that has commanded nationwide attention and earned such awards as the National Blue Ribbon Award (2002). In addition, Freeport Intermediate has been chosen as a Texas Mentor School, a Texas Pathfinder School and a National School to Watch. The success of Freeport Intermediate is reflective of Ms. Sale-Davis’ determination to do whatever it takes to help students succeed, and she is eagerly bringing that skill and determination to Hamilton County to spearhead the Benwood Initiative.
“I am very excited at the opportunity to be involved with the tremendous work going on in Hamilton County,” says Ms. Sale-Davis. “Phase I of the Benwood Initiative has paved the way for us to do truly great things for all of the elementary children of this community, and will help us to provide a smooth connection to the extraordinary reform work that is moving forward in middle and high schools, as well.”
“The Public Education Foundation really scored a win when Clara Sale-Davis agreed to join our staff,” said Dan Challener, President of PEF. “Her work is nationally known and is cited in such publications as The National School Board Journal (“Turnaround,” February 2003) and Breaking Ranks in the Middle: Strategies for Leading Middle Level Reform by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the Education Alliance.”
“We had many great applicants for this position,” said Challener, “which is testimony to the power and excitement of the Benwood Initiative. Ms. Sale-Davis will have the support of the PEF team in providing program advice, data and administration of the financial aspects of the grant. She will also have great partners at Hamilton County schools and the Benwood Foundation.”
Building on the success of the Benwood Initiative, the Benwood Foundation recently awarded a 5-year, $7.3 million grant to the Public Education Foundation and Hamilton County schools to fund a second phase of elementary school reform in Hamilton County. PEF has pledged an additional $1 million to this on-going work.
Phase One of the Benwood Initiative, launched in January of 2001, captured national attention for its success in improving student achievement in eight urban elementary schools. The percentage of third-graders in Benwood schools scoring “proficient” on Tennessee’s reading examination rose dramatically from 53% in 2003 to 73% in 2006.
Phase Two, which began this fall, adds eight additional schools to the original eight, and aims to dramatically improve the literacy and math skills of students from all corners of Hamilton County. The initiative’s key goal is to dramatically increase the percentage of students who score at the highest level of Tennessee’s state assessment exams and to ensure that every single student scores at least at the “proficient” level.
Ms. Sale-Davis will provide support and coaching for principals in the Benwood schools, and will help connect those schools to research and resources on best practices. She will lead a Benwood school retreat during the first week of December, and will hold monthly meetings with elementary school principals.
Ms. Sale-Davis holds numerous professional distinctions. She served on the panel for the American Institute for Research in Washington, D.C., and continues to serve on the Advisory Committee on Education. She was awarded the Region IV Principal of the Year (1997-1998), and she also received the Texas Alpha Delta Kappa Excellence in Education award. Ms. Sale-Davis pursued her undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Austin and completed postgraduate work at the University of Houston-Clear Lake.