Educators from Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, and schools in Arkansas and Mississippi, in were honored this week with the Southern Regional Education Board’s Readiness awards. These national awards recognize outstanding teachers and leaders offering SREB’s Readiness Courses, which help underprepared students succeed in high school and postsecondary programs without the need for remediation. The award winners were honored at SREB’s Making Schools Work Conference on July 11 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mike Krause
Tennessee Higher Education Commission
Dave Spence Readiness Trailblazer Award

Mike Krause has led multiple initiatives in Tennessee to increase students’ readiness for college and careers. As executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, Krause oversees college readiness programs, including GEAR UP TN. He has also worked with state officials to implement policy changes and legislation surrounding college readiness, which has led to a dramatic increase in student participation in dual enrollment and dual credit.

In 2013, Krause oversaw the implementation of the Tennessee SAILS math program, which infuses a college-level developmental math curriculum into the senior year of high school. SAILS supports students who have not achieved college readiness benchmarks. In 2015, Krause served as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Promise scholarship program that is boosting college attendance rates throughout the state.

Baldwyn High School
Baldwyn, Mississippi
Platinum-Level Certification
SREB Ready Certified School Award

Baldwyn High School is being recognized as a Platinum-Level SREB Ready Certified School after implementing SREB’s Readiness Courses in literacy and math in 2017-18 and achieving successful student outcomes. After taking the courses, Baldwyn students improved their scores on the ACT English, reading, math and science exams and achieved a graduation rate of 100 percent and a college entrance rate of 81 percent.

Fountain Lake Charter High School
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Platinum-Level Certification
SREB Ready Certified School Award

Fountain Lake Charter High School is being recognized as a Platinum-Level SREB Certified School for its successful implementation of SREB’s Readiness Courses in literacy and math since 2015-16. After taking the courses, Fountain Lake Charter High School students improved their scores on the ACT English, reading, math and science exams and had a 100 percent graduation rate and a college enrollment rate of 60 percent in 2017-18.

Stephanie Kelly
Harrison Central High School
Gulfport, Mississippi
Outstanding Literacy Ready Teacher

Stephanie Kelly of Harrison Central High School taught SREB’s Literacy Ready course for high school seniors beginning in 2016-17. Students achieved at a high level in the course, with a 97 percent passing rate and an average numerical grade of 82. Kelly’s Literacy Ready students had a high school graduation rate of 96 percent.

Steven Malcom
Howard High School
Macon, Georgia
Outstanding Math Ready Teacher

Steven Malcom taught SREB’s Math Ready course to seniors at Howard High School in 2017-18. His students had a 100 percent passing rate and an average numerical grade of 84. Malcom’s Math Ready students had a high school graduation rate of 98 percent.

About SREB’s Readiness Courses

Co-developed with curriculum experts and state officials, SREB’s Readiness Courses help struggling students master foundational literacy and mathematics skills as they make critical transitions from the middle grades to high school and from high school to postsecondary studies. SREB’s Literacy Ready and Math Ready courses engage high school seniors in challenging activities that increase their critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills and help them avoid costly remediation in college.

The Southern Regional Education Board works with states and educators to improve public education at every level, from early childhood through postsecondary education.

SREB media contact: Beth.Day@SREB.org, (404) 879-5544