Tarleton professor re-elected to Texas Association of School Boards

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STEPHENVILLE (October 6, 2015) —Tarleton State University professor of curriculum and instruction and Stephenville ISD board president Dr. Ann Calahan has been elected to serve a second three-year term on the Board of Directors for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB).

Calahan, who serves as head of the Department of Curriculum & Instruction within Tarleton’s College of Education, was elected to the statewide board Saturday, Oct. 3, during the TASB-Texas Association of School Administrators’ annual convention in Austin. She represents Region 11-D, which includes 77 school districts in North Central Texas.

Calahan was first elected to the TASB board of directors to fill an unexpired term vacated by the immediate past-president upon her election to lead the association’s governing board.

In addition to her statewide service, Calahan currently serves as president of Stephenville ISD’s Board of Trustees—a role she’s held for the past 10 years. In total, Calahan has provided 14 years of service to the local school district as a trustee.

“It is an honor to represent the school boards and districts in Region 11 while serving on the Stephenville ISD board of trustees,” said Calahan. “Serving on the TASB board of directors allows me to continue to build bridges and make connections with the public schools in Texas.

“While making these connections and building these networks, I learn what is happening in our schools today, what they expect educators to know and do when they are hired. This knowledge feeds the continuous improvement for Tarleton’s College of Education and the Department of Curriculum & Instruction to provide what our partners in the public schools expect and need from institutions of higher education,” Calahan added. “While school districts across the state are preparing for the new teacher and principal appraisal systems, we are reworking our evaluations instruments for field experiences, clinical teaching and internships.”

The TASB board, comprising 44 members, meets regularly in Austin, where members process, propose and craft policy for the school districts of Texas. Much of the policy is spurred by legislative changes each biennium, but additional updates are crafted as needed.

The TASB board also organizes school board training opportunities every summer through its Summer Leadership Institute as well as helping to lead the TASA/TASB Convention every year and selecting a superintendent of the year from submissions across Texas.

The TASB association is the largest group of publicly elected officials in Texas and includes more than 7,000 school board members. Together, TASB represents the 4.9 million public school students in Texas.

Calahan earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and master’s in educational administration at Tarleton State University and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Texas A&M University.

To learn more about Tarleton’s College of Education and the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, visit www.tarleton.edu/teachered/index.html.