Top Ten In Education

At the beginning of the 21st century, according to the Teacher magazine's 10th anniversary issue, "Don't look at the two 'education presidents', the dozen or so 'education governors', or other typical powers that be to identify the real heroes in education. Look behind the dominant trends of the '90s--the advance of technology, curriculum wars and teacher quality, for example--to find out who truly shaped education in the decade."

 

Among the hundreds of innovators and activists they identified, only ten were tapped as "the most influential Americans who shaped education in the last decade of the 20th century." Named as one of those exceptional leaders is St. Louis parent and Project Appleseed founder, Kevin Walker.

 

 

Parenting Leader Award, Parenting Magazine

Parenting's 7th annual awards honoring seven men and women who are working to improve the lives of children, recognized Mr. Walker and his efforts to improve public education in the United States. Mr. Walker shares the award with United States Senator, Barbara Boxer, and tennis great, Andre Agassi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"10 Unsung Nonprofits That Should Be Household Words" - EcoSalon"Its website poses the poignant question: Why wait for Superman?

When it comes to improving our dismal public school offerings, parents are now taking the initiative, spurred on by disturbing documentaries like Race to Nowhere, which bashes the daily grind with a refocus on the thriving child who is educated for the current age and allowed an elusive childhood in the process." What you should know about collaborative hands moving mountains – one volunteer, festival and tweet at a time," More...

 

Advised Clinton White House on Title I ESEA Parental Involvement

Advised White House Office for Domestic Policy on the parental involvement provisions of Section 1118 of the reauthorization of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (Improving America's Schools Act of 1994). Passed into law by the United States Congress in 1994 - with bipartisan support - and renewed by Congress in 2002 under No Child Left Behind.

 

 

Founder of both National Parental Involvement Day & Public School Volunteer Week

In 1994 Kevin Walker began National Parental Involvement Day to recognize the valuable role parents play in school improvement. In 1997 he created Public School Volunteer Week to thank parents and recognize their involvement. Today over nine million family members participate in our celebrations at over 18,000 schools in all 50 states each school year. We estimate that nearly every public school in America has recognized or celebrated these grass roots occasions, at least once, over the last two decades.

 

Each year parents and family members, state departments of education, nonprofits, businesses and thousands of school districts are involved. There are currently over 300,000 links to our signature events Public School Volunteer Week & National Parental Involvement Day in the Google search engine.

 

Bipartisan Legislation Adopts Appleseed In Race to the Top

Sixty days before successfully applying for over $501 million in the 2010 Race to the Top competition, former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen used Project Appleseed's National Parental Involvement Day, to begin a three year bi-partisan effort to systemically improve the state’s parent engagement. Tennessee's schools are now using all of the engagement tools advocated by Project Appleseed - the Six Types of Parental Involvement, parent pledges, parental involvement report cards and our signature national celebrations National Parental Involvement Day and Public School Volunteer Week. More....

 

Proposed and passed school report card legislation in Missouri

Mr. Walker proposed legislation in 1993 that requires schools to publish school performance data or 'Report Card' annually (Senate Bill 380 passed into law by the Missouri Legislature 1993).

 

"What's Right With The Region" Award, Focus St. Louis

In the category of Creating Quality Educational Opportunities Focus St. Louis Award recognizes organizations, individuals, and initiatives that have made a significant impact on St. Louis.

 

Innovative Technology Education Fund

Kevin Walker served as a founding member of the board directors (2001-14) and advisory board member (2014-17) of the Innovative Technology Education Fund. ITEF funds projects that enhance learning and improve student achievement by integrating technology into the classroom or into a mobile learning environment. Special consideration is given to projects that use technology in innovative ways to enhance education, wireless technology applications and/or projects benefiting students in economically disadvantaged areas, or from schools which currently perform at below-average levels in academic achievement. More...

 

Project Appleseed has received the endorsements of the national presidents and executive directors of the National Education Association, National Head Start Association, Parents As Teachers, and National Drop Out Prevention Center. Mr. Walker has been quoted and featured in a braod range of local and national mediapublications and broadcast news shows such as:

 

NBC's TODAY Show, CBS NEWS, CBS Radio, National Public Radio, Education Week, Parenting magazine, Teacher magazine, USA Today, the New York Times, New York Newsday, Atlanta Constitution, Dallas Morning News, Des Monies Register, Kansas City Star, KSDK News Channel Five, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Riverfront Times - among many more. 

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Political Leadership

 

Mr. Walker's political leadership includes service with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) / John Kerry for President, as a GOTV Director in Iowa in 2004. He was the national director of the Mario Cuomo for President Draft Committee in 1992. He served as Director of Marketing for Minnesota Earth Day in 1990 and Hands Across America in Missouri in 1986. He began professional political organizing with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as the political director for the 5th Congressional District, greater Kansas City, MO., in 1984 for former Vice President Walter Mondale.

 

Education

 

Washington University in St. Louis, Joint Certificate in Total Quality Schools. Quality School is a collaborative effort between Olin Business School, Washington University’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work, and St. Louis area public schools. MBA and MSW student teams work with administrators, teachers, and parents to implement total quality initiatives that improve school procedures and processes.  Guest lecturer, and student supervisor, 1996-2001.