"We simply must eliminate the achievement gap between different groups of students, and I truly believe we are capable of doing so in this school system."
With a firm hand on the leadership helm and a steadfast eye on a vision of world-class schools, J. Alvin Wilbanks has led Gwinnett County Public Schools through some of the school system's most historic years.
Mr. Wilbanks was appointed superintendent in March 1996, after a distinguished tenure as the founding president of Gwinnett Technical College, a position he held for 12 years. From an early background in vocational and continuing education with DeKalb County Schools and the Georgia Department of Education before coming to Gwinnett, Mr. Wilbanks has become arguably one of the most influential education leaders in Georgia and perhaps the nation. He played a leading role in Governor Roy Barnes' Education Reform Study Commission in 2000 and 2001, which helped shape significant education reform legislation for Georgia. In March 2002, he was tapped by U. S. Secretary of Education Dr. Rod Paige to help draft rules and regulations for Title I of President George Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
With over 38 years' experience as a teacher, administrator, technical college president, and superintendent, Mr. Wilbanks is staunchly dedicated to raising student achievement.
"I have an intense desire to see that every child in a Gwinnett school receives a quality and effective education," says Mr. Wilbanks. "We simply must eliminate the achievement gap among different groups of students, and I truly believe we are capable of doing so in this school system. That is what keeps me going, what keeps me loving the work of education as much today as I did when I began."
During his tenure as Gwinnett's superintendent, Mr. Wilbanks has seen standardized test scores continue to improve, even as the county's enrollment has grown and changed dramatically. He has faced record growth, but more new classrooms have been funded during his administration than in any previous leader's, thanks to overwhelming voter support of the system’s sales tax referenda in 1997 and 2001. Mr. Wilbanks is active in numerous organizations that contribute to a better community, including the Board of Public Health, the Boy Scouts, the Coalition for Health and Human Services, and the Council for Quality Growth. He is a Lawrenceville Rotarian, a member of the Chamber's Board of Directors, and the recipient of numerous professional and civic awards. He is also a husband, father, and devoted grandfather of five.
That devotion to children is the hallmark of the man. In a visionary but down-to-earth way, he promotes for every child no less than what he desires for his own grandchildren—the best possible education in a classroom that is safe and orderly, where highly qualified and enthusiastic teachers maximize the potential in each learner, and where every child succeeds, because every child is seen as being capable of succeeding at higher levels. Mr. Wilbanks' vision is a system of world-class schools and he has set the course that will take Gwinnett County Public Schools there.
