Thaddeus S. Lott Sr.
Personal details
Born(1934-05-30)May 30, 1934
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 22, 2015(2015-10-22) (aged 81)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
EducationTexas Southern University (BS, MEd)
Liberty University (DA)
Williams College (DHL)
OccupationEducator

Thaddeus Scott Lott Sr. (May 30, 1934 – October 22, 2015) was a Houstonian educator. Lott gained national attention from ABC News PrimeTime Live in 1991 for the results of his implementation of direct instruction at Mabel B. Wesley Elementary School of the Houston Independent School District.[1]

Early life and education

Lott was born and raised in Acres Homes. He earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education from Texas Southern University. He also received honorary doctoral degrees from Liberty University and Williams College.[2]

Career

Lott began his career with the Houston Independent School District in 1959 at Highland Heights Elementary School. As Wesley Elementary's principal by 1975, test scores in reading comprehension improved to 85% from 18% in 1980 and 100% of third graders passed the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills by 1996.[3] In 1994, George W. Bush announced his then Texas gubernatorial campaign focus on education from Wesley, later conferring with Lott in the 1996 formation of the Texas Reading Initiative.[4][5] Rod Paige, HISD superintendent in 1994, supported Lott by creating the first charter school system in Texas (Wesley, Highland Heights, and Osborne Elementary) under Lott's supervision.[6] Lott retired from HISD in 2002.

Controversy

In 1991, increasing test scores at Wesley received accusations of cheating from HISD[7] and national attention from PrimeTime Live as well as the Oprah Winfrey Show.[8] A 2005 HISD investigation into schools including Wesley Elementary, prompted by a report on abnormal TAKS test scores by the Dallas Morning News, returned no confirmation of cheating.[9]

Legacy

Lott was given the Jefferson Award for Public Service in 1998.[10] Lott’s methods and achievements at Wesley motivated Baker Mitchell to found The Roger Bacon Academy in North Carolina. The Academy manages schools that replicate Lott’s model as embedded in an expression of classical traditions.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Built on the basics, Wesley now striving for more". Chicago Reporter. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  2. ↑ "Williams College Commencement Archive". archives.williams.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  3. ↑ "No Excuses". Hoover Institution. Retrieved 2017-05-09.
  4. ↑ "Remembering Thaddeus Lott, the take-no-prisoners principal". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  5. ↑ "Texas Reading Initiative". www.esc20.net. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  6. ↑ "An interview with Rod Paige". edexcellence.net. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  7. ↑ "Pioneering Houston educator dies at 81". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  8. ↑ "Awards & Recognitions / Overview". www.houstonisd.org. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  9. ↑ "Probe finds 4 schools cheated on TAKS test". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-05-25.
  10. ↑ "Jefferson Awards Foundation Past Winners". Jefferson Awards Foundation. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  11. ↑ "Baker Mitchell Devotes His Retirement to Educating Kids - John William Pope Foundation". John William Pope Foundation. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
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