Introduction

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for following my new blog. As a candidate for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, I will use this forum to keep you informed about my campaign. You can expect regular updates on the campaign, as well as my thoughts on pertinent issues.

In this first blog, I'd like to welcome you to the campaign. I hope you'll take this opportunity to visit my website at http://www.WilliamsforArizona.com to find out more about my candidacy and how you can get involved.

For now and until the next post, here is some information on my background:

Jason Williams is a former public school teacher and Executive Director of Teach For America. He received his BA in Political Science from Boston College. After graduating, Jason joined Teach For America and taught 6^th grade Math and Science in East Oakland. In 1999, he was nominated for California’s Middle School Teacher of the Year Award. He was also elected to the California Teachers' Association State Council of Education, where he assisted in drafting legislation to address issues of educational disparity.

From 2000 - 2005, Jason Williams served as Executive Director of Teach For America in Phoenix. During his tenure, local funding for the program doubled, teacher placements increased 150%, and the number of schools and districts partnering with TFA increased 100%. In addition, the Phoenix program went from TFA's lowest to its highest performing region in the U.S.

In 2006, Jason Williams secured the Democratic Party nomination for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction with a majority of votes in 14 of 15 counties. In the general election, he received more votes than any other non-incumbent Democrat in the closest of all the statewide races.

Jason Williams continues his fight for educational equity across Arizona as the Managing Partner of BlueDynamic, Founder of AZ School Works, a faculty member for Arizona State University’s Beat the Odds Institute Parent Liaison Academy, and as a member of several Boards and Committees.