Dr. Arthur W. Stellar
The National Education Foundation (NEF) located in McLean, Virginia named Dr. Stellar as Vice-President based upon his knowledge of school operations and his drive. This Foundation assists school districts in many ways including the acquisition of Federal QZAB funding. He is also Vice- President of CyberLearning, a subsidiary of NEF.
Dr. Arthur Stellar served as superintendent of the Burke County Public Schools in North Carolina, which has been named one of the five “most productive” districts in the state by the Center for American Progress. Burke County Public Schools was also identified by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates as one of the fourteen “highest achieving” and “lowest spending” districts in North Carolina. He led a financial turnaround going from a $3.5 million deficit to an $8.5 million+ positive balance in less than two years!
He has often been recruited to overcome challenges, thereby, previously serving as superintendent in Taunton, Massachusetts; Kingston, New York; (acting superintendent & deputy) Boston, Massachusetts; Cobb County, Georgia; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Mercer County, West Virginia. Dr. Stellar has also been affiliated with school systems in Shaker Heights, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Beverly, Massachusetts; and in Ohio – Athens, Southwestern City Schools and Belpre. He also served as chief education officer vice-president for Renaissance Learning, Inc. and president/CEO of High/Scope Educational Research Foundation.
The Advanced Mathematics & Science Academy Charter School, the second ranked high school in Massachusetts, invited Stellar to join the Board of Trustees. While serving in Boston, he upgraded the curriculum at Boston Latin School to produce its #1 Massachusetts ranking. While in Shaker Heights, Ohio he likewise enhanced that program to have the high school named as one of the top 12 public high schools in the country and the district library program as the best in the nation. As superintendent for Oklahoma City, he laid the curricular groundwork for the #1 (5 of top 10) high school in that state. During his tenure in Kingston, New York an elementary school became a state Blue Ribbon finalist and in Taunton, Massachusetts an elementary school became one of the three Blue Ribbon winners in that state. As an elementary principal in Ohio, his school was one of two exemplary schools recognized by the state, as well as being the first Ohio elementary school accredited.
Stellar is the former national president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the North American Chapter of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction and the Horace Mann League. Stellar was also elected as the state vice-president of the New York State PTA. He has been chairman of the board for the National Dropout Prevention Network/Center, as well as serving on various boards such as the corporate board for Plato Learning, Inc. In addition, Stellar has been a consultant for various companies and organizations including the administrator search firms PROACT Search (2000-07) and Guidelines. Inc. and is currently writing a book on career planning for educational administrators. In 2013 he was invited to become a member of the Malcolm Baldrige Board of Examiners for the National Quality Award.
Dr. Stellar began his career as an elementary teacher, coach and bus driver. His extensive experience also includes experience as a middle school, driver’s education, and special education teacher; principal; and various central office positions. He taught two graduate courses – one on integrating the arts into the curriculum and one on school administration for Lesley College (now University) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
As a four-time Fulbright Scholar to four countries, Stellar is also widely published with over 500 publications and the recipient of many awards such as AASA’s “Distinguished Service”, “Leadership for Learning” and the “Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian” awards and Kappa Delta Pi’s Eleanor Roosevelt Chapter. Ohio University honored him at Homecoming 2015 with the Medal of Merit Award for being an outstanding alumnus. He serves on the editorial board for “Scholastic Administrator” and is the assistant editor for the Journal for School Public Relations, as well as having served a guest editor.
Among his proudest accomplishments are (1) reducing the number of at-risk/low performing schools in Oklahoma City from thirty-two to three (low performing) and (2) mentoring various protégés including a diverse array of fifty-five administrators who have become superintendents with six recognized as state superintendents of the year- both accomplishments are national records!
Dr. Stellar is recognized as an educational administrator who gets great results in overall excellence and equity. His leadership always produces significantly increased student achievement and reductions in academic gaps. In every district he has led, the number of dropouts goes down (generally cut in half) and student attendance goes up. Student discipline and behavior become better with less punitive measures such as fewer suspensions or paddlings (eliminated in two districts). Students score higher on ALL tests and win more competitions for art, music, drama, JROTC, athletics, science, student council, vocational, academic bowls, etc. The enrollment in Advanced Placement courses increases by 3 to 4 times (Stellar was the first superintendent in the country to arrange for bonuses for both students and teacher for AP exam results). Stellar was also the first superintendent in the country to close 7 schools for low performance and re-staff all 7 schools – long before any state or Federal laws for restructuring schools existed.
While not one to refrain from dismissing incompetent employees, he has never lost any legal case, including a landmark school desegregation case that went to the US Supreme Court. This latter case was won partly due to an acknowledged reduction of the overall achievement gap of 13 percentile points on standardized tests between racially identifiable schools and others to 8 percentile points, plus other achievement gap reductions.
In Taunton, Massachusetts, Stellar’s leadership raised student achievement on MCAS and other tests; as well as in art, music, student council, and science. The dropout rate was 6.8% before he arrived and 4.18% when he left. He was an advocate for technology adding computer software programs, computers and smartboards. Staffs were trained in all these programs along with training for the compilation and analysis of data through Test Wiz. Of the 22 urban districts in Massachusetts, Taunton rose to become #1 in English/language arts and #2 in math while being #22, or last, in funding.
In Burke County Public Schools, besides becoming one of the most cost-effective districts in North Carolina, the number of schools of distinction rose from 10 to 19 due to every grade level, every subject and every school improving their test educational results. In 2010-11 the percentage of schools making AYP was 44% when the state average was only 27%. The graduation rate improved from 69% to 85%. The use of corporal punishment decreased from 325 (leading the state) to 2 incidents in 2010-2011 and then eliminated. Over $4 million was saved in energy consumption, generating awards and identifying the district as an “Energy Star Leader” with all schools having met Energy Star School criteria by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dr. Stellar earned a Ph. D in Education Administration, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a master’s degree in school administration, all from Ohio University. He enjoys collecting antiques and competing in marathons.