State Board of Education Appoints Director
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA retired public school administrator has been named executive director of the Indiana State Board of Education. Bob Guffin most recently served as principal of Harshman Middle School in Indianapolis. May 22, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 20, 2014) – The Indiana State Board of Education has named Bob Guffin as its new Executive Director. Guffin is retired from the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS), where he most recently served as principal at Harshman Middle School leading an acclaimed improvement in both test scores and school environment.
During his five-year tenure at Harshman, student performance improved from a 28.7 percent student pass rate to 73.2 percent, virtually equaling the state student pass average, and earning recognition by the Indiana Department of Education as the state's middle school showing the greatest performance growth in 2012-13. Under his leadership, Harshman reduced student suspensions, created a culture of high expectations for both students and staff, and received visitors from around the country to observe Harshman’s achievements.
“The State Board is fortunate to have a talented leader like Bob Guffin serving in the role of Executive Director,” said Claire Fiddian-Green, Special Assistant to the Governor for Education Innovation, and a technical advisor to the State Board. “The Board's duties and responsibilities align well with Bob's proven school turnaround experience and special education background, and we're thrilled he may now apply his talents to serving more than 1.2 million Hoosier students.”
Guffin earned his B.S. (Social Studies Education) and M.S. (Special Education) from Indiana University, and worked as a special education teacher and assistant principal for 13 years. He served as Interim Principal at both Emma Donnan and Shortridge Magnet Middle Schools (IPS), and led McFarland Middle school for two years until it closed in 2007-08. His additional experience include service as the Executive Director of the Allen County Unit of the American Cancer Society.
Source: The Indiana State Board of Education