New Education Renewal Zone Director Appointed at A-State
JONESBORO – The new director of the Education Renewal Zone at Arkansas State University is focused on preparations for an event this week involving the Every Child is Ours organization.
Jill Clogston has been busy during her first few weeks getting the ERZ priorities solidified for the new school year. She was appointed following a search by the College of Education and Behavioral Science.
About 50 people have registered for the 4 p.m. reception Wednesday, Sept. 2, at Centennial Hall, where they will hear David Driscoll, a leader in assessment initiatives, and Jan Paschal, founder and director of Every Child is Ours.
In announcing Clogston's appointment, Dr. Gina Hogue, interim dean and associate vice chancellor for academic services, said, "Jill has established important relationships with teachers and school administrators throughout the region in her previous educational leadership positions. These will prove beneficial as she seeks to strengthen partnerships between the university, schools, business, industry and community to improve K-20 education in the Arkansas delta."
Clogston, who earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at A-State, has served as a gifted education specialist for 23 years. She has experience in curriculum development, grant writing, budgets, program evaluation and working with diverse groups of professionals locally, state-wide and regionally.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve my alma mater in such an impactful way. The work of the Education Renewal Zone is so vital to the schools we serve as well as to the institutions of higher education. It is such a remarkable partnership," she said, referring to her duties as a conduit for the various on-going collaborations.
Most recently she was regional supervisor of gifted education programs for both the Northeast and Northcentral Arkansas Education Cooperatives, encompassing 30 school districts in north Arkansas, to provide technical assistance with gifted education programs and serving as a liaison between these districts and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). She has served on the ADE scholastic audit team, providing her with extensive experience in school improvement.
Among her many professional activities, she is president of the statewide gifted education advocacy group, Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE).
# # #
