The end of June 2014 marks the end of Dr. Tom Kimbrell’s time as Arkansas Commissioner of Education. Kimbrell, who has previously served as a teacher and coach, assistant principal, superintendent, Director of Fiscal Services, Director of the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA), and Assistant Professor, was appointed to his position by Governor Beebe in September of 2009.
Kimbrell has helped to lead Arkansas through many changes during his nearly five years as Arkansas Commissioner of Education. Some of his key contributions include overseeing the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, representing Arkansas on the governing board of PARCC (the Partnership for Assessment of College and Career Readiness), and creating a plan to increase broadband access for schools. Additionally, Kimbrell has overseen the pilot testing of a new teacher evaluation system (TESS), and the changes to Arkansas’ accountability system under the state’s approved ESEA waiver.
When asked to sum up his time as Education Commissioner, Kimbrell advised, “I think the highlight has been that we’ve changed the schools’ attitudes about what the role of the department was, and that was to be a resource and to be supportive of schools. I feel really, really good that that attitude has changed in a majority of the schools out there. I’ve been told that many times.”
We at the OEP would like to thank Dr. Kimbrell for his dedicated service to Arkansas.
Kimbrell said he hadn’t had opportunities in the private sector and hadn’t pursued any.
“I’m an educator,” he said. “When I got out of that position, I wanted to go where I was closer to kids, not further away from kids.”
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Kimbrell will continue his career in Arkansas education by beginning a new position July 1st as superintendent of Bryant School District. According to Arkansas News, Kimbrell has said that he looks forward to having a more direct impact on students in his new role. “I needed a change. I felt like it was time for me to get back closer to kids,” Kimbrell said in an interview.