Jackson State University Associate Professor Dr. Locord Wilson recently accepted the Lighthouse School Leader Lantern Award on behalf of the Scott County School Board, where she serves as board president.
Wilson is an associate professor and coordinator of Educational Technology in the College of Education and Human Development.
She is presently serving her second, full-six year term as an elected school board member. She continues to be the only African American and the only female serving on the board.
The Scott County School District was honored with the Lighthouse School Leader Lantern Award for attaining a superior level of student achievement. The award was bestowed during a luncheon on Nov. 12, 2013, during the Mississippi School Boards Association (MSBA) Lighthouse School Leader Awards Program. The program, co-sponsored by Program of Research and Evaluation for Public Schools (PREPS), applauds performance based on high standards set in the state’s accountability system.
Wilson believes that the superintendent’s job is to run the district. The board’s job is to make sure the district runs well. Research has proven that “effective school boards make a difference in the lives of children,” said Wilson.
To receive the prestigious award, a school district must have earned a grade of “B” high performing, and have no school in the district with a grade lower than “C”. Only 31 of Mississippi’s 152 school districts qualified for the honor.
The Lighthouse School Leader Awards Program was established by the Mississippi School Board Association at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year, in recognition of the unsung efforts of school districts to meet more rigorous state and federal accountability standards. Members of the association include the boards of trustees of all public school districts in Mississippi, including the Scott County School District Board of Trustees: Dr. Locord Wilson (President), Dr. Howard Clark (Vice President), James Johnston (Secretary), Latrelle Ashley and Carl Dove.