Bill Daggett
Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., CEO of the International Center for Leadership in Education, is recognized worldwide for his proven ability to move education systems towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students. He has assisted a number of states and hundreds of school districts with their school improvement initiatives, many in response to No Child Left Behind and its demanding adequate yearly progress (AYP) provisions. Dr. Daggett has also collaborated with education ministries in several countries and with the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Governors Association, and many other national organizations. He serves on several advisory boards, including:
- U.S. Department of Education National Assessment of Career and Technical Education Advisory Panel (NACTE Independent Advisory Panel) – 2009 to present
- NASA Education Advisory Board – 2008 – present
- Texas Education Reform Foundation – 2010 – present
- USA Today (national newspaper) Education Advisory Board
- Senior Advisor, Association of Career and Technical Education and International Center for Leadership in Education Institute for 21st Century Leadership – 2009 to present
Before founding the International Center for Leadership in Education in 1991, Dr. Daggett was a teacher and administrator at the secondary and postsecondary levels and a director with the New York State Education Department, where he spearheaded restructuring initiatives to focus the state's education system on the skills and knowledge students need in a technological, information-based society.
Dr. Daggett is the creator of the Application Model and Rigor/Relevance Framework, a practical planning and instructional tool for determining the relevance of curriculum and assessment to real-world situations. Dr. Daggett’s Rigor/Relevance Framework has become a cornerstone of many school reform efforts throughout the United States. As mentioned above, he is the senior advisor of the Institute for 21st Century Leadership, a joint effort of the Association of Career and Technical Education and the International Center for Leadership in Education.
Dr. Daggett is the author of numerous books about learning and education, textbooks and research studies, reports, and journal articles.
Dr. Daggett has spoken to hundreds of thousands of educators and education stakeholders in all 50 states. His enlightening, entertaining, and motivating messages have helped his listeners to look at education differently by challenging their assumptions about the purposes, benefits, and effectiveness of American schools. Dr. Daggett inspires his audiences both to embrace what is best about our education system and to make the changes necessary to meet the needs of all students in the 21st century.
Dr. Daggett has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus by both Temple University and the State University of New York at Albany. He received Albany’s Excellence in Education Award and Temple University’s 2007 Gallery of Success Award.
Dr. Daggett has a special commitment to individuals with disabilities. He and his wife, Bonnie, volunteer their time and lend their support to Wildwood Programs in upstate New York. Wildwood serves the needs of people of all ages who, like their daughter Audrey, have neurological impairments/learning disabilities or autism, by enabling them to become the best that they can be.