Former Whitfield schools superintendent receives state award

Published 6:59 pm Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Terry Cullifer knew ever since he was a child that he wanted to become a teacher. In fact, he was the only one of six children to attend college.

“I always had an interest in it, even when I was a little kid,” said the Dalton resident and retired educator of 45 years. “I felt that it was an important job.”

Cullifer, a former superintendent of Whitfield County Schools, was named as the Georgia SACS CASI-AdvancED Excellence in Education Award winner for his “unparalleled leadership in promoting and advancing excellence in education,” according to a statement from the organization. SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is an accrediting institution that provides services for 27,000 schools and districts around the world.

Cullifer will be recognized on April 17 at the 2010 AdvancED Conference in Atlanta.

“One person receives the award, but there are literally thousands of people who have had a part in any accomplishment I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “I’m grateful to the organization for the award, but I am very grateful for these thousands of people and the parts they played in it, too.”

Among the accomplishments in which Cullifer had a hand were starting Phoenix High School and Crossroads Academy, two alternative school settings designed to address the Whitfield and Dalton school districts’ dropout rates. At its worst, the percentage of students who graduated from high school in four years was a little less than 50 percent in Whitfield schools, Cullifer said. Now the rate is more than 80 percent.

State SACS director Mike Bryans said he was the principal at Southeast High School during the late 1980s and early 1990s when Cullifer was superintendent.

“Mr. Cullifer is very detailed,” Bryans said. “He provided leadership at a growing time in Whitfield County that addressed the growth that we had as far as meeting the needs of students as far as facilities.”

Plans were laid for building three new schools during his tenure: New Hope Elementary, New Hope Middle and Beaverdale Elementary. There were also discussions of a school similar to what the Whitfield Career Academy has become.

Cullifer was at the helm of the district when Whitfield County began experiencing a boom in the Hispanic population. He remembers having workshops at various schools so both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking staff, parents and students could learn from one another. The school system also hired several English for speakers of other languages teachers and saw a surge in the number of students who came from families who spoke almost no English at all.

At SACS, Cullifer helped the organization transition from an institution overseeing 11 states to one that combined with a north central counterpart to oversee 30. Another significant challenge was introducing a process in which school systems, rather than only individual schools, could receive accreditation. Cullifer said most Georgia systems now choose system accreditation rather than school accreditation because the process is simpler and less costly. It also holds the schools to greater accountability, he added, because the process requires frequent periodic checks rather than focusing on a large-scale evaluation every five years.

Bryans, who live in Cartersville, said it “speaks highly of the area” that someone of Cullifer’s distinction received the award.

The award was introduced in 2009 to recognize one individual in each of the AdvancED states for his or her achievements in education. Nominees were chosen through a state council based on their contributions of generating a common vision and mission for higher expectations among the education community; and for a record of “distinguished contribution” to the education profession as well as leaving a lasting positive impact on student learning. The award recipient also is deemed to have served as a role model and mentor for students and future educators.



Terry Cullifer

1963: Graduates from the University of Alabama and begins teaching social studies in DeKalb County school system

1969: Finishes master’s degree at UA

1970: Becomes an assistant principal in DeKalb County system

1973: Completes education specialist degree from the University of Georgia

1980: Moves to Dalton and becomes principal of Northwest High School

1986: Assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for Whitfield County Schools

1989: Superintendent of WCS

1998: Retirement from WCS

1998-1999: Works part time for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools as a consultant and committee chair for schools preparing for SACS visits

1999-2008: SACS director