Who Is Sheila Jordan?
I am the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools. I lead the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE).
The ACOE serves the 18 school districts in the county, comprising more than 400 schools with more than 11,000 teachers, nearly 8,000 classified employees, and a diverse population of nearly 215,000 students (2006 figures).
The Office provides a broad range of services. Primary among them is fiscal oversight for the school districts, direct operation of schools for at-risk students, and leadership of initiatives to advance teaching and learning. The Office also provides numerous administrative, support, and informational services. For details, see the ACOE website.
The position of Superintendent requires a blend of administrative leadership and public advocacy.
As organizational leader, I have made it a priority to strengthen the Office's fiscal oversight functions, to upgrade the expertise of business operations in the districts, and to create a culture of collegiality and collaboration among all the county's education leaders. We have worked hard to help the districts maintain an even keel under the impact of recent state and federal budget changes and revised assessment mandates. Our Office has assembled a team of outstanding subject matter experts to provide continuing education and model curricula.
As an advocate, I have been in the forefront of movements to narrow the achievement gap, to provide preschool for all, to enrich the curriculum with history, science, and the arts, to create synergy between district and charter schools, to encourage public and private investment in education, to combat truancy, and to assist at-risk students in building productive lives. My work has taken me into many dozens of schoolrooms, as well as to numerous public assemblies, conferences, and workshops, into print and electronic media, to statewide administrators' meetings, into legislative chambers in the state capitol, and to forums in other states.
In the spring of 2007, the Governor appointed me to represent all California county school superintendents on the statewide Arts Education Task Force, which formulated guidelines for strengthening arts education in the public schools. The ACOE is recognized nationwide for its leadership in arts education.
The comprehensive, literature-based reading program in the county's court and community schools, which our Office developed together with Santa Clara University, is now recognized as a statewide model.
I received my bachelor's of arts degree in English from Rutgers University and my master's of arts degree in Special Education, Elementary Life Credential, from San Francisco State University. I received my Administrative Credential from California State University, East Bay, and hold a certificate in Executive Management from the University of California, Berkeley.
After a teaching career spanning more than 20 years, I was elected to the Oakland School Board, and then to the Oakland City Council, before winning election as County Superintendent of Schools in 1999. I have been twice re-elected to this position.
I have been a member of the Executive Committee of the Economic Development Alliance for Business (EDAB), the Workforce Investment Board (WIB), the Board of Directors of United Way, the Interagency Children's Policy Council (ICPC), and the Chabot Science and Space Center's Board of Directors. I was an honorary co-chair for the Alameda County Superior Court Children's Waiting Room Project.
I am a recipient of "Programs of Excellence" award from the Association of Contra Costa School Administrators; was awarded a Fellowship from the Bay Area Writing Project; received an Alumnus of the Year Award from Cal State Hayward, 1998-99; an Outstanding Educator of the Year Award from the Peralta Presidential Council of Alpha-Delta-Kappa; an Educator of Excellence Award by Hispanos Saludos; and a full scholarship award from the State and Local Executive Institute, Graduate School of Public Policy, UC Berkeley. I also received a Community Service Award from the East Bay Perinatal Council for "Taking Care of Our Own".
I have been a resident of Alameda County for more than 30 years. I am married with two children, and one grandchild.
Sheila Jordan
