Together everyone accomplishes mastery! Mastery? Mastery!

Accountability seems to be the most often used word in education today. Students are accountable for their behavior and grades. Teachers are accountable for instruction and test scores. Principals and other instructional leaders are accountable for the safety of their students and for student achievement. Superintendents are accountable to parents and students, teachers, principals, city and county officials, and taxpayers.

Accountable means to be responsible or liable; to answer for one’s actions. In Haywood County Schools, we have made accountability a priority. We desire to have a school system that can answer to anyone about our actions and our beliefs. I believe that Haywood County Schools can be the top school district in the nation with hard work, dedication, and accountability. My vision for Haywood County Schools is to provide a high-quality education to all students that will produce results. Results are impossible without accountability.

Our desire for accountability has reinforced the TEAMWORK theme that we adopted for this school year. Haywood County Schools cannot succeed without team members who are accountable to each other. We often see the following acrostic:

Together
Everyone
Achieves
More

I would like to alter this acrostic to suit the needs of Haywood County Schools:

Together
Everyone
Accomplishes
Mastery

Together, we can accomplish mastery for all students. The team includes administrators, teachers, students, teacher assistants, nutrition staff, janitors, parents and other family members, and elected officials. We need everyone on our team, but each teammate must be accountable to the other team members. Team members must be honest, committed, and willing to serve.

Yes, together everyone accomplishes mastery! I am calling on all Haywood County Schools team members to join together to produce mastery for all of our students. Won’t you join the HCS team?

I also want to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. As we prepare our hearts and homes for the joyous Christmas season, we should always be grateful for our many wonderful blessings. As we look forward to the New Year, it is my prayer that each of you will be blessed beyond measure and that Haywood County Schools will be a blessing to the lives of the children and families of Haywood County.
 

Marlon D. King
Superintendent of Haywood County Schools
900 East Main Street
Brownsville, Tennessee 38012

Ph.: (731) 772-9613
Fax: (731) 772-3275

"Every Child, Every Teacher, Every Community Deserves Excellence."

Marlon D. King
Superintendent,
Haywood County Schools
kingm.haywood.k12tn@gmail.com

Marlon D. King’s leadership expertise and ability to lead by example, collaboration, delegation, cooperation, and vision – not by fear and intimidation – has enabled him to drive low performing schools to become state and national award-winning, high-performing schools. His background highlights 12 years of promoting excellence in education in Title I schools – four years as an elementary school principal, four years as a classroom teacher, four years as an educational assistant – and a strong commitment to providing quality education for children.

As a native of Haywood County and a product of Haywood County Schools, he is first and foremost an educator with a lifelong commitment to serving others and helping children. Currently, he holds a M. Ed. in Educational Leadership, and is completing a doctoral program with an emphasis on Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Mississippi. Originally, he began his experience in education with Haywood County Schools as a substitute teacher, later moving to an educational assistant position. Shortly after completing his certification, he was recruited by Shelby County Schools, where he served as a highly successful classroom teacher.

Because of his knowledge base in promoting student achievement, encouraging parent involvement, and boosting staff morale, Fayette County Schools recruited him to serve as principal of Northwest Elementary School. After three years, he, along with the faculty/staff, transformed an under-performing school into one receiving national recognition for academic achievement. His success there led to his transfer to Central Elementary, another high-priority school in need of focus and transformation. After one year, Central made AYP without using the federal safe harbor provisions.

As an instructional leader, he has achieved many outstanding accomplishments, including recognition for success in raising the achievement level for economically disadvantaged children and increasing academic achievement for three consecutive years. He was recognized in 2008 as a recipient of the NCLB-Blue Ribbon Schools Awards, the Tennessee Title I Academic Achievement Award, and the TSBA Excellence in Education Award.

Most notably, he was selected by the U. S. Department of Education to join First Lady Laura Bush at the 5th Annual Reading First Conference where he shared his journey with an audience of 6,000, attesting to the positive impact the federal Reading First initiative has had on the children and schools he has served as principal.

He has held membership with varied organizations such as National Education Association, Local Education Associations (Shelby County), International Reading Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Theta Iota of Jackson, Tennessee.

He and his wife, Latisha, and their son, Hudson, are members of Christ Church of Brownsville, Tennessee.