LM August 2016.pub

Garrett’s focus is on preparing children for a changing world

By Michael Chamness IASA Director of Communications Making a difference in the lives of children has always been one of Byron Garrett’s goals. Choosing education as a platform just made sense. “I chose education as a career because I realized that it’s the only guaranteed passport to help one transition from one station in life to the next. The reality is, the more you learn, the more you earn. With an education you can be and do anything you want, but without an education your options are incredibly limited,” said Garrett, whose career options have included being a school principal, former CEO of the National PTA and his current role as Chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance (NFEA) in addition to being an author and speaker. Garrett will be one of the keynote speakers at the IASA Annual Conference scheduled to be held September 28-30 in Springfield. His presentation is titled “Transforming Education through Understanding our Changing Demographics.” “My parents led by example and taught me the value of education and

Byron Garrett holding a copy of his book, “There’s Greatness on the Inside”

That point was driven home even more when Garrett learned that his nephews were struggling in school after their father, Garrett’s eldest brother, was incarcerated. “So here I was a school principal helping someone else’s kids and then I find out that my youngest nephew is two years behind,” Garrett told a reporter at the Charlotte Post in his home state of North Carolina. “It even gave me a different sense of urgency to figure a strategy out. I wanted to figure out how we can help young people live the best lives that they can and get a great education…I realized we all

preparing children for the future at a very early age. My father is a United Methodist pastor and has run afterschool and summer programs that demonstrated the necessity that everyone has a responsibility to provide resources and tools to help children,” Garrett recalled. “I encountered a number of caring adults throughout my formative years, including educators, relatives and neighbors who took an interest in me and other kids even if they were not directly responsible for our well-being. I learned through those interactions that we are all accountable for the success or failure of children’s’ futures.”

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