Ron ClarkBy: Branavi N.

Ron ClarkBorn: 1972Education: East Carolina University About him: He is an American teacher who has worked with disadvantaged students in rural North Carolina and Harlem, New York City.

Facts:-Ron Clark has been called "America's Educator." -In 2000, he was named Disney's American Teacher of the Year.-He is a New York Times bestselling author whose book, The Essential 55, has sold over 1 million copies and has been published in 25 different countries. -He has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and Oprah, and Ms. Winfrey even named him as her first "Phenomenal Man." -His classes have been honored at the White House on three separate occasions. -Ron's teaching experiences in New York City are the subject of the uplifting film, The Ron Clark Story, starring Matthew Perry.

Ron Clark Academy: (5th to 8th Grade)

-A private non-profit school in Atlanta, Georgia where students follow a unique curriculum.-The academy was established on June 25, 2007. -A school where teachers thought outside of the box and made learning fun for the students. The methods of teaching were different and the teachers really want the best for their students. Students learn through experience. The teachers make learning fun by singing, dancing and always being energetic. They make sure the students understand everything they learn and everyone respects one another. Also, by the time of graduation, each student will have visited six of the seven continents.-Clark is known for his ability to raise test scores by using unique methods that incorporate innovation, creativity, and 55 classroom rules. -In just one year, the Ron Clark Academy has significantly impacted the lives of its 60 students, inspired 3,000 educators from around the country, and impressed a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI) peer review team.-In December 2008, Oprah Winfrey donated $365,000 to Ron Clark Academy, for his profound dedication to teaching.

Ron Clark Academy

The design of the Academy, by Sharon Tsepas of Urban Studio, is unlikethat of any other school. In the atrium, a giant slide twirls down from the second floor. There are quotes on the wall from leaders past and present,such as, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela); and “Life is like a daring adventureor nothing” (Helen Keller). Bathrooms are outfitted with flat-screen televisions to serve as distractions because, Clark says, 75 percent ofschool fights begin there. Each classroom is unique: the science roomlooks like a giant space shuttle from NASA; the social-studies room has Delta jet-airliner seats, and the teachers’ desk is a Delta check-in counter;and the English classroom feels like you are hanging out in the inner city,with graffiti-splashed walls. Clark has even brought a bit of his past with him: his desk is the door from the elementary school in North Carolina where he first taught.

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