Dr. Laurie Barron, principal of Smokey Road Middle School, recently completed a year of service on Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Advisory Board for Principals.
Barron was one of 13 principals in Georgia to serve on this board. Members of Governor Deal’s Advisory Boards for Teachers, Principals, School Board Members, and Superintendents attended a Reception Honoring the Education Advisory Boards at the Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta on November 17, 2011.
Barron’s service on the board came throughout a year of recognitions and honors for the west Coweta middle school, ranging from a ‘Bus Tour’ visit by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education in 2010, being named a National “Breakthrough School,” and numerous recognitions from state organizations for the Smokey Road’s exemplary leadership and student achievement.
“It was a great year for our school and for people to see what our teachers are doing here. It was also nice to be able to share some of that with Governor Deal,” said Barron.
There is no application process to serve on the Governor’s education advisory committee. Like other participants, Barron was called by governor Deal’s office and asked to represent her congressional district on the Principal’s committee.
“It really was a great experience,” said Barron. “It was just the 13 (principals) and the governor and two of his advisors. We met quarterly, had we held very good discussions on things going on with education at the state level. It was a great way not just to have input, but to keep up with things going in our state, and share a lot not just with the governor but with other principals. It was also a neat experience to see the governor take such an interest in education.”
“We took on a lot of different topics, but a common theme was schools’ focus on preparing students for college and career,” said Barron. Focusing on student pathways to the workplace and post-secondary education, imparting soft skills, “those are the things we’re seeing at all levels. There are a lot of unique ideas out there, from charter schools to things being done at traditional elementary and middle schools, all focusing on college and career ready.”
Barron has worked for sixteen years in education as a high school English teacher, a middle school assistant principal, and the principal of Smokey Road Middle School, where she is in her eighth year as principal. She earned her undergraduate degree in English Education from the University of Georgia and completed her graduate degrees in Administration and Supervision and Educational Leadership at the State University of West Georgia and the University of Sarasota.
Barron is a National Board Certified Teacher and was the Newnan High School Teacher of the Year in 1999, the Newnan High School STAR Teacher in 2000, and the Newnan High School, Coweta County, and Georgia District V STAR Teacher in 2001.
Barron serves on the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education Partnership Council and is an active member of the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals and the Georgia and National Association of Secondary School Principals. She has also received the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders Outstanding Middle Level Educator Award and the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals Exemplary Leadership Award. Smokey Road Middle School is a state of Georgia Title I Distinguished School and has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for six consecutive years.
