Dr. Jack D. Dale is the Superintendent

Superintendent (education)

In education in the United States, a superintendent is an individual who has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization....

 of Fairfax County Public Schools

Fairfax County Public Schools

The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...

, the public school system for Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County, Virginia

Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

 and the twelfth largest school system in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He has held the position since 2004. He had previously served as the Superintendent of Frederick County, Maryland Public Schools

Frederick County Public Schools (Maryland)

Frederick County Public Schools is a public school system run for the residents of Frederick County, Maryland.-High schools:*Brunswick High School*Catoctin High School*Flexible Evening High School*Frederick High School*Governor Thomas Johnson High School...

 since 1996, and was named Maryland's Superintendent of the Year in 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree in mathematics and education; a Master's in educational administration; and a Doctorate in education from the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

.

Dale is co-editor and author of the book: Creating Successful School Systems and has conducted workshops on teacher compensation systems for No Child Left Behind initiatives. He has also published papers in The Executive Educator; International Journal of Education Reform; American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) Research Brief; and SIRS Management Information.

During his time as Superintendent, Dale has been criticized by some parents and students for refusing to change the county's grading scale and school start-time policies. Despite some opposition, the Fairfax County Board of Education renewed his contract until June 2013 in September 2009.

Controversy over disciplinary policies

Dale has been criticized for the disciplinary system in the Fairfax County school system, which has been blamed for the suicides of two students: Josh Anderson, of South Lakes High School, took his life in March 2009; and Nick Stuban, a student at W.T. Woodson High School, committed suicide on January 20, 2011. On January 11, 2011, before the second suicide, Dale had defended himself in a letter to the Fairfax County School Board and the Board of Supervisors. In that letter, Dale refused to admit that the disciplinary system needed to be reformed, and blamed Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins for "unconscionable" actions and "furthering a falsehood" by associating the student's suicide with the disciplinary process that had "crushed" his spirit.. He is going to announce reitrement on June 13th, 2013, when his contract ends.

External links

• Profile on Fairfax County Public Schools
  Fairfax County Public Schools
  The Fairfax County Public Schools system is a branch of the Fairfax County government which administers public schools in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax...