Philip Lanoue Named National Superintendent of the Year


Philip Lanoue, superintendent of the Clarke County School District in Athens, Georgia, and cabinet member of Get Georgia Reading was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 2. 2015.

The award was bestowed by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, during the organization’s 150th anniversary celebration last week in San Diego.

Under Lanoue’s leadership, the Clarke County School District has been honored as a Title I Distinguished District for being Georgia’s No. 1 large district in closing the achievement gap. The district has received numerous state recognitions as a model technology school district, Georgia’s No. 1 Career Academy and the state’s top award for exceptional Response to Intervention practices.

“The superintendent’s job is one of the most difficult and demanding jobs in America, which is why I am so impressed by the tremendous work being done by school system leaders in public education today,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “On behalf of our public school children—no matter what zip code they’re from—it is with great pleasure that our nation congratulates Superintendent Lanoue on our 150th anniversary. We also congratulate our other finalists, Superintendents Elia, Murphy and Pujol, and all of our State Superintendents of the Year. These educators are all winners. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude.”

The other National Superintendent of the Year finalists were

  •       MaryEllen Elia, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Tampa, Fla.
  •       Patrick Murphy, Arlington Public Schools, Arlington, Va.
  •       Patrice Pujol, Ascension Public Schools, Donaldsonville, La.

The AASA National Superintendent of the Year program is open to all U.S. superintendents who plan to continue in the profession. The program also honors Canadian and International School superintendents. The applicants were measured against the following criteria:

  • Leadership for learning – creativity in successfully meeting the needs of students in the school system.
  • Communication – strength in both personal and organizational communication.
  • Professionalism – constant improvement of administrative knowledge and skills, while providing professional development opportunities and motivation to others on the education team.
  • Community involvement – active participation in local community activities and an understanding of regional, national and international issues.

A $10,000 college scholarship will be presented in the name of the 2015 AASA National Superintendent of the Year to a student in the high school from which the superintendent graduated, or the school now serving the same area.