The Hall County School District is proud to announce that Superintendent, Will Schofield, is the recipient of the Johnnye V. Cox Award for 2022. The award is presented annually by the Program in Educational Administration and Policy in the Mary Francis Early College of Education at the University of Georgia.

The Johnnye V. Cox Award was named for the late retired College of Education professor who joined the UGA faculty in 1946 and developed the college’s program of supervision. Johnnye V. Cox was considered one of the early national trailblazers of the field.

“Will Schofield has served on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Education and has always been an advocate for quality instruction,” said Dr. Sally Zepeda, a professor in the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy; Zepeda nominated Schofield. “He remains purposefully engaged with the college for the betterment of students and the teachers who serve them.”

“However, Mr. Schofield is presented the Johnnye V. Cox Award specifically for his support of the Hall County School District’s Teacher Residency Program,” continued Zepeda. “He recognized the approaching teacher shortage and the serious impact it could have on student learning and well-being. His ability to pivot and face this challenge head on is going to make a difference in the lives of many young people. The innovation and foresight it takes to begin such an initiative epitomizes the spirit of the Johnnye V. Cox Award.”

The Teacher Residency Program is an initiative born out of a partnership with the University of North Georgia. The program provides internships to senior education majors. Interns are paid one half of a beginning teacher’s salary, are full-time HCSD employees, and are assessed under the same model as all other Georgia educators. Schofield and the district feel the Teacher Residency Program is an excellent means of training and recruiting the best and the brightest of instructors.