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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
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.”
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
Garrett’s focus is on preparing
children for a changing world
Byron Garrett holding a copy of his book, “There’s Greatness on the Inside”