Lanoue puts focus on reform efforts during State of Education conference

Clarke County School District Superintendent Phil Lanoue took on school reform efforts and standardized testing during his keynote address at the 2015 State of Education in Georgia Conference.

The annual event at the UGA Hotel and Conference Center featured speakers from both a statewide and national level, touching on issues such as school district flexibility, collaboration efforts with local governments and opportunity school districts. The event also featured a keynote address from Maria Ferguson, executive director of the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University.

Lanoue, who was named 2015 Superintendent of the Year, expressed his disappointment with a focus on flaws in public education, and questioned the move to privatize public schools. "I believe public education is the basis of our democracy, and elected officials take care of their communities."

He also noted the way lawmakers in Georgia and elsewhere have embraced standardized testing as a way to grade teachers and schools.

"The kids in Clarke County are not a test score. They are not a number. The teachers are not a number," he said.