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About the District Data Leader of the Year Program

The Florida Department of Education District Data Leader of the Year Program recognizes Florida school district superintendents who are leading the way in using education data to drive student improvement. District Data Leaders strive to communicate the relevance of education data to teachers, administrators, parents, students, and other stakeholders while demonstrating leadership regarding data distribution. District Data Leaders continually seek new methods to improve the use of data in their communities and schools, and employ innovative data strategies that help to inform instruction and move student achievement forward. The District Data Leader of the Year Program seeks to recognize these data leaders for their extraordinary efforts and their dedication to making every one of their students successful.

Previous Award Winners

2011 - MaryEllen Elia

Superintendent Elia was selected from among five finalists based on her leadership in gathering stakeholder input to create customized school- and district-level performance scorecards, as well as building a comprehensive, secure, user-friendly dashboard that combines a variety of data for her district. Leading Hillsborough County Public Schools since 2005, Superintendent Elia was instrumental in earning the district's $100 million Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant in 2009 to raise student achievement by promoting effective teaching. Since then, the district successfully negotiated a new teacher evaluation system that uses data to gauge the effectiveness of teachers.

2010 - Tom Townsend

Superintendent Townsend received the award for his work in implementing the Learning Gains Index, an informative tool that uses student achievement data to help Putnam County administrators and teachers evaluate their work to determine ways they can drive continued student improvement. In his service as Putnam County's superintendent of schools, Mr. Townsend has been a strong supporter of financial planning and transparency in the local public school system. His leadership in the creation of the Learning Gains Index, which quantifies teacher effectiveness in terms of student growth, has helped to better inform his educators about their work in the classroom by examining average student growth per teacher using FCAT scores.

If you have any questions about the 2012 District Data Leader of the Year Program or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact the Office of Communications and External Affairs at 850-245-0413 or e-mail .

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