Local superintendent to join faculty
By Michael Coburn, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Thursday, October 8, 2009
Lebanon School District superintendent Mike Harris ’72 announced publicly last week that he will join the Dartmouth faculty next June as director of the Dartmouth Teacher Education Program. Harris will replace Andrew Garrod, who will step down as director and education department chair in June after more than 25 years at the College.
The Dartmouth Teacher Education Program, which is overseen by the education department, allows students to graduate from the College with a teaching certification. The interdisciplinary curriculum includes at least 25 weeks working as a student teacher in an Upper Valley school.
Harris, who will step down as superintendent, will assume Garrod’s administrative duties as director, while education professor Michele Tine will assume his professorial duties. Garrod said the division of labor should allow the director to devote more time to running the program.
“Mike Harris is extremely well qualified,” Garrod said. “He has worked closely with the state and understands the standards required to be a teacher. He has been in education his whole life and has both the administrative and school experience.”
Harris’ position as director will be part time, and he will also teach Education 29: Policy and Politics in American Education, in the winter.
Harris has served as Lebanon’s superintendent for 11 years and has taught in the Upper Valley as both a special education teacher and an administrator for more than 20 years.
An alumnus of Dartmouth’s Teacher Education Program, Harris said he continued to stay involved while serving as superintendent: Lebanon schools currently partner with Dartmouth for teacher education.
He has also worked with the Friends of Dartmouth Education committee, a group which supports the teacher education program.
“I’ve always regarded [the program] with a fondness that was a determining factor in my life,” he said.
During his tenure, Harris oversaw reform of the Lebanon elementary school math curriculum and worked towards the construction of a new Lebanon Junior High School.
Harris’ consistent leadership over an extended period provided the public school system with invaluable continuity, Lebanon Junior High School Principal Andy Mellow said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
“I think he’s a very thoughtful man and has some great ideas about education,” Mellow said. “He’s well read, very much up to date and will be a great resource for the College.”
Harris said he first became inspired to pursue education as a career while he was still an undergraduate.
“I participated in a couple Tucker teaching internships,” he said. “It was one of the most creative experiences of my life. I loved working with children and it was a good career that provided me with intellectual challenges.”
Harris said he believes strongly in the Dartmouth Teacher Education Program and is excited to take on the new challenge
“Education is one of the priority issues facing this country and our mission is about producing better teachers and schools,” he said.
Harris said the Lebanon School Board will hire a search agency this fall to identify his replacement, likely naming the new superintendant in March.