Union College News

Boone Principal Named Highly Skilled Educator
by David Cole

Boone Elementary School Principal Marion Sowders has been selected by the Kentucky Department of Education to serve as a Highly Skilled Educator (HSE) for up to three years. He is one of only 11 to 12 educators selected this year.

Beginning July 1st, Sowders and the other new HSE's will become part of a cadre of 40-50 educators statewide, whose primary task is to help low-performing schools raise the achievement of their students. At age 33, he's one of the youngest educators in such a position.

"I have no doubt that Marion will make an excellent Highly Skilled Educator," said Knox County Schools Supt. Michael Jay Jones. "We hope he will get all the valuable training provided by the state and then, when his time is up, return to our District and continue to play a major role in the progress being made in our schools."

Despite taking a new position with the KDE in July, Sowders technically will remain an employee of the Knox County Board of Education through a memorandum of agreement. This memorandum provides assurance that he will have employment in the Knox County Schools following his work as an HSE.

As an HSE, Mr. Sowders, following extensive training, will provide several services to schools identified by the state assessment and accountability program as being in need of assistance. These services include:

In a recent interview at the school, Mr. Sowders spoke at some length about his new position with the state: "Being offered this position, I feel like, is an honor for me, but it's also an honor for our district and an honor for the county. I'm a product of the Knox County School System. I went to school at Flat Lick, graduated from Knox Central [1989] and then I went to Union College, where I got my bachelors, masters, and Rank I."

"I really do appreciate the District support," he continued. "Mr. Jones, Mrs. Bingham and Mrs. Corey [both assistant superintendents] have all been so supportive of me. The District has so many good things in place, and when we've traveled around and presented at conferences this year and networked with other districts, you realize what initiatives we have in place. I just hope that momentum continues, because good things are happening for our students, and that's what it's about."

Mr. Sowders believes these are the same initiatives that have helped prepare him to become an HSE. "At the District level, we've done a lot of guided self-studies using the Scholastic Audit Tool... focusing on the Standards and Indicators for School Improvement. I've become very familiar with those."

He also cited various trainings and professional development offered over the years by the District that focus on curriculum, instruction and assessment issues, whereby he has become "very familiar" with the process of improvement in schools. Other important initiatives include I-Teams and the related Learning Clubs for teachers, as well as research-based programs, such as Reading Recovery and Success For All, that are being implemented at Boone School.

Boone School's performance supports the value of this approach, he believes. Overall, Boone's test scores have gone up 6 index points the past year. Over the last two years, scores at the elementary level have gone up 24 index points.

"We've had some huge gains," Sowders said. "We are meeting the novice reduction rate and meeting AYP with NO Child Left Behind. Score-wise, I don't think anyone is ever where they want to be, but we're definitely on the right track in getting there."

"I really think the school is ready for someone to walk in. Boone School is in excellent shape. It has a great staff and it's a good community that really, really wants to bring about the change. They're committed."

Asked pointblank why he applied for the HSE position, given the improvements made at Boone and in the District, Mr. Sowders responded with the following statement: "This has been a position that has intrigued me for several years. I've known some Highly Skilled Educators personally. Some of the things they've told me about the job - the ability to really get into a school and play an important role in helping bring about change and just focus on the curriculum and instruction part... I'm just excited about that approach."

Among other comments, Mr. Sowders spoke positively about his educational experiences at Union College, saying it "opened up doors that would not have been opened otherwise."

This current semester, for example, he is an adjunct professor at Union College, teaching a middle grades curriculum course at the undergraduate level. "It's a breath of air -- to get back to that college atmosphere," Mr. Sowders related, "to really mold those up-and-coming teachers and to give them a firsthand look from a practitioner's standpoint of what will be expected of them then they walk into a building."

Recent interviews of several District educators reflect the respect they have for Mr. Sowders and his passion for education: "I am very pleased that Marion Sowders was chosen as a Highly Skilled Educator," said Asst. Supt. Malena Bingham. "It is a temporary loss for the school district, but an investment is being made that will pay dividends for us in the future because he will return to us with greater skills and knowledge in the area of academic leadership."

Mrs. Bingham also noted that under Mr. Sowders' leadership, "the school [Boone] has made strides. The learning environment and positive school culture are growing every year."

"I think that becoming an HSE is a testament of all his hard work and dedication here at Boone School," said Boone teacher Carla Hinkle. Mrs. Hinkle is a Reading Recovery teacher, Instructional Team Leader, and member of the school's S.B.D.M. Council. "We are really going to miss his ability to lead our school in the right direction. Over the past eight years, Boone School has made significant gains in all areas because of his leadership."

"Mr. Sowders focuses on what's best for kids," added Boone 5th/6th grade math teacher Marti Partin, who's also an Instructional Team Leader. "I've been here for four years, and he's always placed an emphasis on curriculum, instruction and assessment. Mr. Sowders is an outstanding leader, and it's going to be hard for us to replace him."

Marion Sowders is the son of Bill and Louise Sowders of Barbourville, formerly of Flat Lick. Following his graduation from Union College in 1993, he taught 7th and 8th grade English at Girdler Elementary for four years. He was then hired as principal at Boone School, which he has served for the past eight years.

Marion Sowders was married the same year he graduated from Union College. His wife, Lana Sowders, is a social studies teacher at Knox Central High School and the District's first National Board Certified Teacher. She also has been very supportive of her husband's quest to become an HSE. The couple resides at Heidrick with their daughter, Delaney, age 3.

April 18, 2005

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