[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 39 (Thursday, April 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO KANSAS CITY, KANSAS, SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, DR. RAY 
                                DANIELS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2005

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. 
Ray Daniels, superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas, school system, 
who is retiring after a distinguished career as an educator and 
administrator.
  As superintendent of the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools for the 
last eight years, Dr. Ray Daniels has been called ``the model for what 
superintendents could and should be.'' He has devoted his entire 
professional career to the Kansas City school district.
  This distinguished career began at Northwest Junior High School in 
1965 where he worked as an English teacher and head boys' basketball 
coach. He later joined the faculty at Wyandotte High School and served 
as head track coach. Dr. Daniels worked his way up as an assistant 
principal at Wyandotte in 1973 and became Director of Personnel for the 
school district in 1976. He was named Assistant Superintendent for 
Personnel Services in 1980.
  When appointed superintendent in March 1998, Dr. Daniels immediately 
worked to close the achievement gap for minority students and students 
living in poverty, and to correct low student achievement, high dropout 
rates, unsafe schools, and poor attendance. He is recognized as being 
ahead of the curve, implementing reforms in his district long before 
the trend of stronger accountability became popular across the country. 
Dr. Daniels' efforts have paid dividends for Kansas City schools and 
our community. His district continues to see significant progress in 
reading and math achievement.
  He has provided leadership and served on numerous community 
organizations including the KCK Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of 
Wyandotte County, Heart of America Family Services, Cancer Action, the 
Wyandotte Health Foundation, Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries, and the 
Downtown KCK Kiwanis Club.
  Dr. Daniels has earned the respect and trust of the community as he 
has led his district in becoming one of the most successful examples of 
urban school reform in America. The Kansas Association of School 
Administrators named Dr. Daniels the 2005 Kansas Superintendent of the 
Year and he was a candidate for the National Superintendent of the Year 
honor. Dr. Daniels was also named ``Educator of the Year'' by Young 
Audiences.
  There is probably not a tougher job than serving as a superintendent 
of an urban school district and not a better person for the job these 
last eight years than Dr. Ray Daniels.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the citizens and parents of Kansas City, 
Kansas, I say to Dr. Ray Daniels: thank you for your service to our 
community and our children. You will be missed!




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