The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Superintendent Kathy Cox announced Monday that she is bowing out June 30, ending nearly eight years as chief of the 1,000-employee state Department of Education.
At a news conference, Cox, who was facing re-election this year, said she is set to become the founding chief executive officer of the U.S. Education Delivery Institute (EDI).EDI is a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that will work to help states improve student achievement, Cox told reporters.
She fought back tears several times as she talked of the work she and staff have done in the past 7 1/2 years to raise student achievement and improve graduation rates.
A job advertisement posted on the Web site Killer Campaigning describes EDI as a "fully independent nonprofit venture being launched by the Education Trust in partnership with Achieve and McKinsey & Co."
The ad said the organization's goal is "to help public-sector leaders translate education reform ideas and policies into replicable and sustainable best practices" and focus on "the important work of increasing the number of students, particularly low-income and students of color, that graduate from high school, and enter and succeed in college."
“I feel this job was specifically written for me,” Cox said.
Cox was to face two other Republicans in the upcoming primary: John Barge, a Rome education administrator: and Richard Woods, a teacher from Tifton.
Three Democrats are also running for the position: Beth Farokhi, a Cobb County educator; Joe Martin, former chairman of the Atlanta school board; and Brian Westlake, a Decatur teacher.
One of the most interesting and unsettled chapters of Cox's term as state superintendent involves the distribution of $1 million she won as a contestant on the Fox Broadcasting
Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.comElissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com Original Caption: 100210 Atlanta--State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox and state board of education members listen as Kathleen Mathers, the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, presents the latest findings in the CRCT testing investigation at the James H. Sloppy Floyd building in Atlanta, Ga Wednesday, Feb 10, 2010. Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com
