{"id":2517,"date":"2024-09-26T01:13:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T01:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/?post_type=furman-update&p=2517"},"modified":"2024-09-26T01:24:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T01:24:03","slug":"terry-k-peterson-celebrated-for-lifetime-of-education-improvement-advocacy","status":"publish","type":"furman-update","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/news\/terry-k-peterson-celebrated-for-lifetime-of-education-improvement-advocacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Terry K. Peterson Celebrated for Lifetime of Education Improvement Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR INFORMATION: <\/strong><\/p>\n

Claudia Winkler
\nDirector of Marketing and Communications
\nThe Riley Institute at Furman University
\n864.294.3368; Claudia.winkler@furman.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/p>\n

Terry K. Peterson Celebrated for Lifetime of Education Improvement Advocacy<\/strong><\/p>\n

A national leader of large-scale education reform,\u00a0Terry\u00a0K. Peterson, PhD,\u00a0channels years of expertise into his current work with the Riley Institute and other key organizations to expand and improve afterschool and summer learning opportunities across America. <\/em><\/p>\n

GREENVILLE, SC – Terry\u00a0K. Peterson has been included in Marquis Who\u2019s Who<\/a>, which profiles individuals of prominence in a field.<\/p>\n

For over a half century, Peterson has\u00a0been an\u00a0innovator and partnership builder for nationwide school-day improvements and impactful summer and afterschool opportunities, earning him the nickname of \u201cthe godfather of afterschool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson has been included in Marquis Who\u2019s Who due to his “position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in education,\u201d all of which were taken into account during the selection process.<\/p>\n

Peterson is perhaps best known for his leadership in growing the nationwide network of 21st\u00a0Century Community Learning Centers (21st<\/sup> CCLCs)\u00a0from seven locations in 1997 to 11,000 centers across America by 2024.\u00a0Through the work of these centers, more than five million students have improved their math and reading, and eight million students have improved their classroom participation and homework completion.\u00a0Peterson continues to build on these national investments by providing strategic advice to several state Afterschool Networks each year to help them expand opportunities through better state polices.<\/p>\n

Peterson began his career as a teacher and parent involvement specialist. His expertise grew immensely, which led to his appointment as chief education counselor to two-term South Carolina Governor and then U.S. Secretary of Education Richard (Dick) Riley.<\/p>\n

From the platform of Riley\u2019s state and national offices, Peterson was able to help make many national and state advances in education. Notably, he played a central role in developing and passing one of the nation\u2019s most comprehensive statewide education reform packages \u2013 South Carolina\u2019s Education Improvement Act (EIA). In just the first seven years after the EIA\u2019s passage,\u00a0student reading and math skills were 21 percent higher; student absenteeism dropped 25 percent; overall SAT scores improved 35 points; SAT scores for African-American students improved by 69 points; and all while S.C. teacher morale was ranked highest in the nation. The EIA\u2019s impact endures, with\u00a0its\u00a0sales tax generating $1.3 billion annually in funding for the South Carolina public education system.<\/p>\n

Peterson also helped found the Arts Education Partnership at the national level and the Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute in South Carolina, together with his wife Scott Shanklin-Peterson.<\/p>\n

Secretary Riley says of Peterson, \u201cTerry\u2019s vision for quality public education, and particularly his leadership in the afterschool and summer learning space, has touched the lives of millions of children and families across this nation. He provided invaluable counsel and insight during my governorship and throughout my eight years as a cabinet secretary \u2013 and he continues to do so. I am grateful for Terry\u2019s service to me, South Carolina, and the nation, and I applaud his effectiveness in carrying forward that important work today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, Peterson focuses on expanding summer and afterschool\u00a0learning through his roles\u00a0as\u00a0an education advisor for the CS Mott Foundation, a board member of the Afterschool Alliance, a key advisory committee member for Foundations, Inc., and a Senior Fellow and chair of the White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship at the Riley Institute at Furman University.<\/p>\n

Peterson stated, \u201cI am deeply honored by this recognition from Marquis Who\u2019s Who. Educators and afterschool professionals work hard to ensure a bright future for our children, and I\u2019m humbled to be recognized for my efforts to elevate their work. It also motivates me to continue this work into the future, because expanded educational opportunities are the ticket to a better future not only for our young people, but for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

About the Riley Institute at Furman University<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders\u2014across sectors and throughout society\u2014with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change. Learn more at furman.edu\/riley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>About Marquis Who\u2019s Who\u00ae:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who\u2019s Who in America\u00ae, Marquis Who\u2019s Who\u00ae\u00a0has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art,\u00a0religion and entertainment. Who\u2019s Who in America\u00ae\u00a0remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists,\u00a0librarians\u00a0and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis\u00ae\u00a0publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who\u2019s Who\u00ae\u00a0website,\u00a0www.marquiswhoswho.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR INFORMATION: Claudia Winkler Director of Marketing and Communications The Riley Institute at Furman University 864.294.3368; Claudia.winkler@furman.edu   SEPTEMBER 26, 2024 \u2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Terry K. Peterson Celebrated for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2521,"template":"","update-categories":[18,6],"class_list":["post-2517","furman-update","type-furman-update","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","furman-update-category-news-release","furman-update-category-white-riley-peterson-fellowship"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/furman-update"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2517\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2519,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2517\/revisions\/2519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"furman-update-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/riley\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/update-categories?post=2517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}