Gender Education in 7 Steps - Bio of Dr. H. E. Holliday

"Doc" Holliday has been a building principal for parts of four different decades (1970-2000) in Ohio and Georgia at the middle- and high-school levels. His schools have long been characterized and recognized for exceeding academic expectations because of his willingness to take acceptable risk, his sensible and savvy leadership talents, and his success as a change agent. He earned his Ph.D. in educational leadership from Ohio State University, where he was selected by his professors as the top scholar in his class. He has presented many cutting-edge ideas at numerous state, regional, national and international conferences across the United States. He has served as a classroom teacher (rural) and as principal of both middle and high schools. He has been an assistant superintendent for school improvement for the Cobb County (Georgia) Public School District (suburban), as well as chief of staff for the Atlanta Public Schools (urban).

Doc Holliday is considered a leader in developing innovative, data-driven programs for high-risk, under-performing schools with diverse populations. One of his most important contributions to public education is having produced over 50 educators who have gone on to become successful principals and university leaders across the United States.

He believes that public schools must learn how to take advantage of uncharted opportunities and how to stretch the few resources that are within their control. It is just like anything else: We must learn to do more with less!

He is also a sought-after lecturer and presenter because of his wealth of knowledge in the field of education over the past 30 years. To see his speaking itinerary, click here.

Dr. Holliday is currently an assistant professor at Kennesaw State University (Georgia), after recently serving as the principal of a formerly low-performing, diverse middle school in Metro Atlanta.

Thursday, February 1, 2007
MyUrbanReport.com

A Call To Lead Nearly 200 African American high school students from the Atlanta area learned lessons about leadership, networking, and the importance of higher education, at a first of its kind conference at Kennesaw State University on Tuesday, January 30th.

H. E. "Doc" Holliday, Ph.D., organized the Men of Distinction Leadership Conference because he says public schools are doing a poor job of educating male students and preparing them for college.

According to college enrollment reports, black women outnumber men 1,266,107 to 686,615. “We have more and more dropping out, or in jail, than we do in college today,” explained Holliday.

It’s a nationwide problem, said KSU President Dr. Dan Papp. Two years ago the university started the African American Male Initiative program to not only attract males, and keep them in school through graduation.

“By bringing students in high school, students who are performing well, to college campuses, in this case Kennesaw State, we are providing opportunities for them to understand what college life is all about,” explained Papp.

Tuesday’s workshop included a speech from motivational speaker Mike Howard, who stressed the need for male leadership. The students then broke into smaller groups were they were mentored by KSU students who explained the importance of networking, mental and physical wellness, and politics.

Theodore Bullard, the NAACP Student President at KSU, told the group they all should all be politically involved, and encouraged them to organize voter registration drives at their schools. “I hear people talk about grassroots, the grassroots is the young people,” said Bullard.

After lunch, the participants learned about college financial aid, and how to avoid some of the obstacles that prevent students from finishing. The students were hand picked from roughly 20 area high schools because of their strong leadership qualities.

To see video, go to MyUrbanReport.com/blogsport.com.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Holliday broke barriers in Cobb schools
By Jon Gillooly, Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer

KENNESAW - Dr. Henry Earl Holliday made history as the first black high school principal in the Cobb School District.

The son of a General Motors worker in Dayton, Ohio, "Doc" Holliday became principal of Wheeler High School in 1992, and says the experience was not always easy.

"Being the first, you don't have anyone you can confide with," said Holliday, who now is a professor of Educational Leadership in Kennesaw State University's Bagwell College of Education.

"You have to find a lot of things out on your own and you live in a fish bowl," said Holliday. "Everybody is looking to see if you measure up."

By raising Wheeler's average SAT score 43 points in three years, Holliday, who also served as assistant principal of Campbell High School and principal of Campbell Middle School, showed other Cobb educators they would have to measure up to him.

"You need to see role models like 'Doc' Holliday in any school system," said Deane Bonner, president of the Cobb NAACP chapter, who considers her work with Holliday in the schools some of the most rewarding in her life.

After serving as principal from 1992 to 1997, Holliday accepted a job with the district's central office as an assistant superintendent under then-Superintendent Dick Benjamin for two years.

Benjamin, Holliday recalls, did little for the district, allowing his chief of staff at the time, James Wilson, to run the show. Wilson now is superintendent of Fulton County Schools.

Following his stint in the central office, Holliday transferred to Atlanta Public Schools to serve as its chief of staff for a year, but said the cronyism, nepotism and politics he saw there left him cold.

Holliday said he has watched from his post at KSU as some of the same problems unfold in Cobb Schools.

He believes the problem springs from a layer of administrators just below Superintendent Fred Sanderson who are simply managers, "when the 21st century is calling for leaders."

"They're hiring people who think like them and that's hurting the district," Holliday said. "There's no diversity."

That saddens Holliday, because he cares about the second-largest school district in Georgia, not just because he taught there but also since his daughter, Monica Hodges, teaches at Blackwell Elementary School in Marietta.

"I wanted to make a difference," Holliday said, when asked why he entered education.

Holliday continues to make a difference by training the next crop of educators at KSU and diving into research.

He finds that graduation rates for men in public schools, for instance, is appalling, with only 64 percent of white men graduating, while it dips to 50 percent for black men and 48 percent for Hispanics.

Holliday has authored a book, titled, "Gender Education in Seven Steps: Reigniting the Pilot Light of Boys and Girls," that is slated for release later this year.

To see original article, go to http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2007/02/14/89/10247621.txt