Lankford Selected As 2010 Superintendent of the Year
by Roger Kurtz
October 25, 2009
Dr. Ronald Lankford, Superintendent of the Webb City R-VII School District, has been named the Missouri Superintendent of the Year by the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA). The announcement of the award was made during the Missouri School Boards' Association and MASA joint fall conference held at Tan-Tar-A Resort October 23-25.
As the winner of this award, Lankford received an award acknowledging his selection; a $500 scholarship for a student in the Webb City R-VII School District and a commemorative ring. The award is sponsored by the PFM Asset Management, LLC, which is the program administrator for the Missouri Securities Investment Program. As the recipient of this award, Lankford will represent Missouri in the national Superintendent of the Year program conducted by the American Association of School Administrators.
Lankford has been employed by the Webb City R-VII School District as Superintendent of Schools since July, 1998. Previously, he served as Associate Superintendent, High School Principal, and Junior High School Principal in the Webb City School District. This year marks his 33rd year of service to the district and his 36th year in education.
In nominating Lankford, Lucinda Copeland, a 24-year member of the Webb City School District Board of Education said, "Dr. Lankford is not just a name to the students, but a very real presence in the district. Somehow, Dr. Lankford finds time to drop in the school building during the week and speak with students. He seems to have a knack for pinpointing those students who would benefit most from a friendly word from an adult."
Under Dr. Lankford's leadership the district has placed increased emphasis on quality professional development at all levels. Administrative meetings have moved from largely addressing procedural issues to a group study relative to instructional practices. The result has created building leaders who have enhanced their instructional leadership skills and are able to lead their staff to work collaboratively to improve classroom instruction. As a result, the district has been designated as "Accredited with Distinction" nine of the last ten years. In 2002-2003, the district was named one of 24 Outperforming School Districts in the State of Missouri by Standard & Poor's.
Dr. Lankford has been active in MASA as a member of the legislative and finance committees. He has served as a Governing Board member of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) and was recently elected to the AASA Executive Committee. He was the recipient of the MASA Pearce Award for outstanding educational leadership in 2003. He is a past president of the Webb City Chamber of Commerce, Past President of the Missouri Southern State College Alumni Association and Past President of the University of Missouri College of Education Alumni Association.
