Jack D. Dale

Who is Jack D. Dale?

Dr. Jack D. Dale is the former Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, the public school system for Fairfax County, Virginia and the twelfth largest school system in the United States. He held this position for 9 years spanning from 2004 until his retirement in 2013. He had previously served as the Superintendent of Frederick County, Maryland Public Schools since 1996, and was named Maryland's Superintendent of the Year in 2000. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and education; a Master's in educational administration; and a Doctorate in education from the University of Washington.

Dale is co-editor and author of the book: Creating Successful School Systems and has conducted workshops on teacher compensation systems for No Child Left Behind initiatives. He has also published papers in The Executive Educator; International Journal of Education Reform; American Association of School Personnel Administrators Research Brief; and SIRS Management Information.

During his time as Superintendent, Dale has been criticized by some parents and students for his handling of various issues brought to the attention of the school system, including criticism by the child advocacy groups FAIRGRADE and SLEEP for refusing to change, respectively, the county's grading scale and school start-time policies. Despite some opposition, the Fairfax County Board of Education renewed his contract until June 2013 in September 2009.