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TMEA to Honor Texas Education Commissioner
Published: February 2011
PDF Version AvailableTMEA will present Robert Scott, Texas Commissioner of Education, with the Distinguished Service award at its Second General Session on Friday of the upcoming convention. TMEA presents this award to individuals who have made significant contributions to music and arts education in Texas through the years.
Since his appointment to serve as Commissioner of Education and before as education advisor to Governor Rick Perry, Scott has been a consistent supporter of a well-balanced education that includes the arts. In his numerous keynotes to both the Texas Association of Schools Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators, Scott always speaks to the importance of the arts in the education of the whole child and often points to the student music groups that usually perform at such sessions as classic examples of gifted and talented students in our schools.
Scott has experienced the value of arts education firsthand through his two children, who have both become extensively involved in the arts at Bowie HS in Austin ISD. He recognizes how the arts have affected virtually every aspect of their educational growth and makes it a priority in these tough economic times not to let those opportunities for Texas schoolchildren slip away.
Scott has made three appearances at TMEA, where he has spoken eloquently about why the arts must continue to be a cornerstone of the educational process.
Veteran education policy expert Scott was appointed Commissioner of Education by Governor Perry on Oct. 16, 2007. He was unanimously confirmed by the Texas Senate on April 8, 2009. In this role, Scott serves as the head of the Texas Education Agency, which oversees the state’s 1,200 school districts and charter schools.
Scott has long been considered one of the most thoughtful and innovative education policy experts in state government. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and a member of the State Bar, Scott has provided strategic leadership to the Texas Education Agency for the past six years, serving as the agency’s chief executive during a massive reorganization of its functions in the summer of 2003. In January 2004, Scott was appointed chief deputy commissioner, a position in which he was responsible for the daily operations of the agency and the implementation and execution of key statewide initiatives. Scott’s organizational abilities were on full display during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Texas took in more than 46,000 students who had fled the storm-ravaged areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, and again when Hurricane Rita slammed the Southeast Texas coast. The agency received widespread acclaim for its response.
Scott served as senior policy advisor to Governor Perry during the creation of the Texas High School Initiative in 2003 and was instrumental in the bill’s passage and implementation. The initiative, now called the Texas High School Project, has been considered by several national voices as perhaps the nation’s most cutting-edge reform project in secondary education. Scott has also been a noted advocate for improved early childhood education and has pressed for the improvement of school readiness for pre-kindergarten-aged children, particularly for those who do not have the resources to seek that help elsewhere. Scott’s further interests include charter school innovation, incentive awards for teachers, and a renewed focus on health and fitness and the arts in public schools.
One of Scott’s first actions as Commissioner of Education was strengthening the agency’s accreditation functions with oversight of both the financial and academic performance of public schools. In this effort, Scott has implemented aggressive intervention and has closed some campuses that repeatedly failed to serve Texas students. Scott believes in the ability of Texas educators to engage every student and to ensure that school is both a meaningful and relevant experience for all. While many children experience challenges, Scott knows that with high academic standards every child can be given the tools to succeed both in school and life beyond school. The state has approved college readiness standards, new curriculum standards, end-of-course exams, and stronger teacher certification requirements under Scott’s leadership. He continues to support innovative programs that address the drop-out rate.
Past Recipients
Past recipients of the Distinguished Service Award are Carol More, who secured hundreds of string instruments for orchestra students in the inner-city schools of Dallas ISD; Representative Paul Sadler, then Chairman of the House Education Committee, who led the fight to protect the well-balanced curriculum in the public schools of Texas; Peggy and Tom White of Dennis Bros. Printers, Inc., who have served TMEA so faithfully through the years; Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, the “Pied Piper” of music education in this country; Dr. Jack Christie, then Chair of the State Board of Education; Representative Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands) and Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio), who at the request of TMEA carried HB 2908 and SB 815 to restore credibility to fine arts and other subjects of the Enrichment Curriculum; State Board of Education Chair Geraldine “Tincy” Miller, a vital supporter of arts education in Texas; Commissioner of Education Shirley Neeley, a champion for the arts throughout her career in education; and most recently Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), an avid supporter of fine arts education, demonstrated in her service as Senate Education Chair where she guided legislation in support of fine arts education. TMEA is honored to add Commissioner Robert Scott to this list of outstanding contributors to Texas music education.