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Orange County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
Smart Voter

THINK . . Tom Wilson for School Board

By Thomas C. Wilson

Candidate for Board Member; Laguna Beach Unified School District

This information is provided by the candidate
THINK about purpose, THINK about professional experience, THINK about schools that work, THINK about Activity
Dear Laguna Voter,
I have spent my life as an educator. I have a BA in Art
Education, a Masters in Social Science, a Doctorate in Educational Curriculum and School Administration, and advanced training in Organization Development and Educational Change. I have served on the District's Service Learning Committee, participated in the Quest for Excellence process, and facilitated LBHS's student participation in the National High School Civic Engagement Initiative. The district seems to be relatively stable yet far from realizing its full potential. Serious and tough questions need to be raised and answered about this educational gap. With fresh eyes, I bring purpose and deep professional experience to this challenge. We want schools that work for all students to guarantee their intellectual, ethical, aesthetic, and physical development. I ask for your support.

THINK... ABOUT PURPOSE

I believe the aim of American education is to develop
students who are committed to a participatory, ethical, caring, and informed democratic life. All of the District's actions - testing, standards, curriculum, instruction, budgets # must pay conscious attention to this purpose.

THINK... ABOUT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

In Teaching: I have taught in the middle school, high
school, and university (Cal Poly Pomona, UC Irvine, Antioch, Chapman, and Pepperdine). I continue to teach part time: teacher and administrator education in Chapman's Masters in Education Program, and organizational behavior in Pepperdine's MBA program. At Cal Poly, I directed a federal grant designed to stimulate teacher and administrator racial and ethnic sensitivities. At UC Irvine, I co-directed a three year grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities ($440,000 1984 dollars)) that trained l50 high school teachers in Ethics, Aesthetics, and Critical Reasoning across the Humanities curriculum.
In Administration: As an Assistant Principal for
Curriculum and Organization Development in Newport Mesa Unified Schools, I initiated innovative community based and interdisciplinary secondary school curricula programs. At UC Irvine, I directed the Office of Instructional Development whose goal was the improvement of faculty teaching and student learning. At Chapman, I directed the Master of Arts in Education Program and the School Administration Credential Program and currently coordinate the Paulo Freire Democratic Project. As well, I serve on the executive board of the international Association for Moral Education.

THINK... ABOUT SCHOOLS THAT WORK

I have written some 50 articles and book chapters,
given over 100 national and international conference presentations, consulted with over 30 educational organizations and been awarded about $1,000,000 in grant funds. All of these activities have focused on making schools work better; to have them reduce the discrepancy between that which is said and that which is done. Thus, to close our educational gap we need serious attention paid to the problems of class size, curriculum, instruction and organizational effectiveness, parent involvement, budget allocation, school overcrowding, and community relationships. I pledge myself to to this task.

THINK . . . ABOUT ACTIVITY

On Sunday October 27, I am running to each of the
four schools to post my platform on the school doors: El Moro elementary to Laguna Beach high, to Thurston middle and then up the killer hill to Top of the World elementary. A rally will follow at Alta Laguna Park. This activity is titled SEE TOM RUN. (Credit here must go to Martin Luther who nailed his 95 theses on the door of Palest Church in Wittenberg and started the Reformation). Details of SEE TOM RUN will be available in the Friday, October 26th Coastline Pilot or by contacting me either by phone (949-497- 4359), fax (949-497-0453), or twilson1@cox.net.

I hope you will be able to join us.

Tom

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ca/or Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 23, 2002 18:52
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