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Westmoreland school chief wins Outstanding Superintendent Award from U.Va. Date published: 6/28/2009
BY FRANK DELANO
Westmoreland County School Superintendent Elaine Fogliani can add "outstanding" to her title. Citing the achievements of Westmoreland schools under her leadership, the Curry School of Education Foundation of the University of Virginia has selected Fogliani to receive its Outstanding Superintendent Award for 2009. "The greatest challenge I faced as superintendent when I arrived five years ago was changing the organizational climate from one of defeat and 'We can't' to a climate of success and 'We can and we will,'" she said. None of the county's four schools met accreditation standards when she became superintendent. Within two years, all of them did. In nominating Fogliani for the award, Westmoreland School Board Chairman Daniel F. Wallace credited the superintendent with upgrading technology and encouraging its use at all levels for instruction, testing and communication. Forty dual-enrollment courses are now offered at Washington & Lee High School. There was none prior to her tenure, he said. Wallace also praised Fogliani's "dedication to our students, her disciplined rigor in curriculum development, her attention to data-driven outcome management, her resolve for focused staff development, [and] her skilled negotiations" with county supervisors who control school finances. But hurdles remain, Fogliani said. "One challenge is to sustain our success and to continue to improve by including additional best practices and programs in our school system within a climate of shrinking financial resources," she said. The county urgently needs long-term capital-improvement and budget plans, she said. "A second challenge is to continue to provide a rigorous educational program for our students that will prepare them to be competitive for jobs in a global marketplace. As President Obama stated, 'Those countries who out-teach us will out-compete us,'" she said. Fogliani was back in Charlottesville last week for a seminar of Virginia superintendents. She earned both a master's degree and a doctorate from U.Va. She and other Curry alumni will receive their awards in October. "I will use what I learn to better lead the Westmoreland County schools," she said. "To be effective as an educational leader, one must continually be learning and updating one's skills and knowledge." Frank Delano: 804/761-4300
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