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Schools

DRMS Teacher Appointed to Advisory Board

Kurt Wheeler will advise Governor Deal on policy regarding the future of Georgia public education

A teacher has been named to Governor Nathan Deal’s Education Advisory Board.

Kurt Wheeler, an eighth grade history teacher at DRMS, is among 53 education professionals appointed to the new board, established by Deal to provide input and feedback to the Governor on important education issues in Georgia.

Wheeler was nominated to the Advisory Board by Rep. Calvin Hill-R, Canton.  He is passionate about helping shape policy regarding public education issues that affect students statewide.

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“The issues that are important are many – standards, high-stakes testing and promotion guidelines,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler believes that the standards teachers are required to cover should be reduced so that all students will be able to achieve mastery of the subject.  He feels that reduction of these standards would allow the proper time to cover the subject matter more thoroughly than teachers are currently able to do.

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Wheeler has strong opinions on the testing requirements that schools currently follow.

“High-stakes testing has become the ‘Gold Standard’ in education for measuring student performance. I do not believe that testing students on one day with a 30-minute test is necessarily the most effective method for measuring content knowledge,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler would also like to propose changes to the current promotional guidelines as well.  Currently if an eighth grade student fails one core subject, such as math or reading, policy dictates that they are to be retained and repeat the entire eighth grade again.

Dr. Adrian Thomason, DRMS principal, said that Wheeler is a good appointment to the board and will be able to provide Governor Deal with a passionate viewpoint on Georgia education.

“Mr. Wheeler is a passionate teacher who works hard to introduce a love of learning to his students.  As a social studies teacher, this appointment brings him opportunities to experience the topic as few other opportunities can,” Thomason said. 

“Mr. Wheeler brings passion and a willingness to think outside the box," Thomason said. "He also understands much of the progression of education in Georgia as a native Georgian."

Governor Deal shared his enthusiasm for the members of his Advisory Board.

“The Georgians on these panels are leaders in their fields, and they are giving of their time and talents to help our state strive for educational excellence,” Governor Deal said.

Wheeler is a sixth generation Georgian who was educated in the Cherokee County School System.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and received his middle grades teacher certification form Kennesaw State University. Wheeler also holds a Master's degree in Ministry from Saint Michael's Seminary and a Masters of Education from Piedmont College.   He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Instructional Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

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