BCPS Superintendent to be honored at Presidential Inaugural Ball

Dance to receive prestigious national award for improving teaching and learning via technology

TOWSON, MD — The National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET) announced today that Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance is one of five award winners who will be recognized at NCTET’s ball to honor the inauguration of the nation’s 45thpresident. The ball will be held on Jan. 20, 2017, at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.

Dance is one of four Community Builder Award winners along with The Honorable Sandra Day O’Connor, justice (retired), United States Supreme Court, and chairperson, iCivics; The Honorable Jessica Rosenworcel, commissioner, Federal Communications Commission; and Vince Bertram, executive director, Project Lead the Way. The NCTET Founders Award will be presented to David Byer, senior group manager, Worldwide Education Advocacy, Apple Inc.

Since 2001, NCTET has honored individuals from the public and private sectors for their outstanding contributions to the organization’s mission of effectively integrating technology into teaching and learning. Prior honorees included the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), George Lucas (Lucasfilms and Edutopia), Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Rep. George Miller (D-CA), and John Gage (director of the science office, Sun Microsystems).

Dr. Dance is being recognized for his leadership of the school system’s S.T.A.T. (Students and Teachers Accessing Tomorrow) and Passport initiatives. S.T.A.T., a comprehensive and fundamental shift in teaching and learning, uses technology and other strategies to personalize learning. The Passport Program begins world language instruction at Grade 4 using software and conversational lessons to prepare students to graduate fluent in a second language.

“We cannot be more thrilled to honor these five incredible men and women for their efforts to leverage the latest technologies to support the success of all learners,” said Ann Flynn, NCTET Board Chair and Director of Education Technology at the National School Boards Association. “Their efforts have made a lasting impact on teaching and learning, and we look forward to honoring them all at our upcoming Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC this coming January.”

NCTET is a non-partisan, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of education stakeholders that promotes and supports the effective use of technology to improve education and training in America by acting as a convener, catalyst, and resource for relevant and timely information. Based in Washington, DC, and founded in 1993, NCTET organizes policy briefings and issue forums, produces white papers, recognizes exemplary leadership in education and technology, and creates networking opportunities.