Newswise — CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia — The University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Curry School of Education announced the appointment of William Robinson to the role of executive director for the Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE).
Administered under Darden’s Executive Education program and guided by Darden’s top-ranked faculty members with strategic advice and oversight from the Curry School, PLE is the country’s premier school turnaround group that uses a system-wide approach in developing and aligning leaders, at all levels, to transform underperforming schools in their districts.
Since its inception, PLE has worked with school systems across 16 states, helping superintendents, district cabinet members, principals and teachers sustainably improve students’ mastery of course work.
Robinson will be responsible for PLE’s strategic direction, program results and integrity as an organizational authority on the role of system and school leaders in the transformation of failing schools, as well as ways to solve of some of the nation’s most critical education challenges.
Since joining PLE in 2010, Robinson has developed strong ties with national leaders as well as faculty members from both Darden and the Curry School. Most recently, he expanded the opportunity to work with PLE’s largest cohort to date, which includes school leaders with Salt Lake City Public Schools. This past year, he tackled efforts to redefine PLE’s theory of change and redesigned the group’s consultation methods. In the months ahead, Robinson will work with an engagement committee at Darden and Curry to redefine PLE’s growth and impact strategies.
A graduate of Harvard Business School and Princeton University, Robinson has consulted for various education organizations including Stand for Children, The Achievement Network, the Center for Better Schools and the D.C. Public Education Fund. In 2013, PLE became a lead partner with The Center on School Turnaround, a new, federally funded group with a goal of driving change in low-performing schools. With Robinson at the helm, PLE will continue to broaden its positive impact on the education of America’s youth.
About the Darden School of BusinessThe University of Virginia Darden School of Business is one of the world's leading business schools, offering MBA, Ph.D. and Executive Education programs. The unique Darden experience combines the case study method, top-ranked faculty whose research advances global managerial practice and business education, and a tight-knit learning environment to develop responsible and complete leaders who are ready to make an impact.
About the Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in EducationThe Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education (PLE) is a joint venture of the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and Curry School of Education. PLE’s University of Virginia School Turnaround Specialist Program (UVA-STSP) is the most established school turnaround program in the country and the only school turnaround program in existence that uses a systemic approach to change by working with schools, districts and states to build internal capacity. UVA-STSP assists districts in setting action plans that will lead them to recognize and overcome the challenges faced in their context and building a system that will sustain positive changes in their high-needs schools. PLE has received national attention by collaborating with 82 school districts in 12 states.
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