San Diego, Calif. - April 18 - Joan E. Schmidt, a school board member from Fairfield, Mont., has been elected the 58th president of the National School Boards Association (NSBA). Schmidt has been a member of the association's board of directors since 1997 and served as president-elect last year.
"We are extremely pleased to have Joan Schmidt as our president during this critical year," said Anne L. Bryant, NSBA executive director. "She will be a powerful voice for school board members in the service of children in our nation's schools."
Schmidt has been a member of the Fairfield (Mont.) School District #21 Board of Education for more than 20 years and has held various leadership posts with the Montana School Boards Association. "As school board members, we must involve the entire community in support of every child," Schmidt said.
"We must strive to offer a well-rounded education to our students. School board leaders support the high standards, expectations, and performance required by No Child Left Behind, but our music and arts programs must not be put aside to focus solely on reading and math."
Schmidt noted that when schools integrate music and art programs with academics, students expand their cognitive capacities and are inspired to learn more. In addition, there is a positive impact on student behavior, school climate, and personal and social development. "When schools create and maintain high quality music and arts programs, our children's capacity to learn reading and math expands," she said.
Schmidt has been chair of the Montana Goals 2000 Panel, the education representative to the Montana Human Rights Network and chair of the Teacher Certification Standards and Practices Advisory Committee.
"We must also make sure our children are healthy and fit so they are primed to learn and perform at the highest levels," said Schmidt.
"Finally, we should focus on the critical developmental stages from birth to five years old and help parents understand their role as their child's first teacher," she Schmidt.
Schmidt holds a Bachelors degree in English from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. She has been a high school English teacher and librarian. Currently, she writes and speaks on education issues, and is a partner in a family farm.
Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association is a not-for profit federation of state associations of school boards across the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education in the United States through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective before federal government agencies and with national organizations that affect education, and by providing vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.
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