The Center for Teaching Quality is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Robert F. Sexton, a member of our Board of Directors and a leading national advocate on behalf of greater civic engagement in America’s public schools.

Bob Sexton served as executive director of Kentucky’s Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence since its creation in 1983, building the grassroots organization into a nationally recognized model of citizen activism. A graduate of Yale University, Bob earned his Ph.D. in history from the University of Washington and was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Bob, once described by the Louisville Courier-Journal as Kentucky’s “incomparable public policy advocate,” was also a recipient of the prestigious Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement.

Wendy Pureifoy, president of the Washington DC-based Public Education Network, has described Bob’s 2004 book Mobilizing Citizens for Better Schools as a “blueprint for community mobilization” that “shows us what is possible when a small group of dedicated citizens refuse to accept the status quo.” He was a frequent advisor to other public education advocacy groups at state and national levels.

"Our entire board and staff will always be grateful for Bob’s willingness to share his wisdom, his experience and his honest advice," CTQ President Barnett Berry said. "We'll conitnue to honor the contribution he made here by pressing forward with work he believed in -- improving student learning by advancing the teaching profession."