Nominated by: Douglas Major
Gene Bottoms is the founder of High Schools That Work (HSTW), the nation’s largest and most successful high school improvement network, which emphasizes: Reform of School Accountability Systems, Improvement of Adolescent Literacy, Effective School-to-Postsecondary Pathways Resulting in More Students Earning Postsecondary Credentials and Degrees. He has provided leadership as the network has grown from its founding in 1987 as the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) State Vocational Education Consortium, with 28 high schools in 13 Southern states, to today serving more than 1,200 high schools within the 16-member SREB region and beyond. Since its inception 28 years ago, HSTW has served more than 3,000 of the nation’s high schools.
