Terry K. Peterson celebrated for lifetime of education improvement advocacy
September 26, 2024
A national leader of large-scale education reform, Terry K. Peterson, PhD, channels years of expertise into his current work with the Riley Institute and other key organizations to expand and improve afterschool and summer learning opportunities across America.
Terry K. Peterson has been included in Marquis Who’s Who, which profiles individuals of prominence in a field.
For over a half century, Peterson has been an innovator and partnership builder for nationwide school-day improvements and impactful summer and afterschool opportunities, earning him the nickname of “the godfather of afterschool.”
Peterson has been included in Marquis Who’s Who due to his “position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in education,” all of which were taken into account during the selection process.
Peterson is perhaps best known for his leadership in growing the nationwide network of 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLCs) from seven locations in 1997 to 11,000 centers across America by 2024. Through the work of these centers, more than five million students have improved their math and reading, and eight million students have improved their classroom participation and homework completion. Peterson continues to build on these national investments by providing strategic advice to several state Afterschool Networks each year to help them expand opportunities through better state polices.
Peterson began his career as a teacher and parent involvement specialist. His expertise grew immensely, which led to his appointment as chief education counselor to two-term South Carolina Governor and then U.S. Secretary of Education Richard (Dick) Riley.
From the platform of Riley’s state and national offices, Peterson was able to help make many national and state advances in education. Notably, he played a central role in developing and passing one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide education reform packages – South Carolina’s Education Improvement Act (EIA). In just the first seven years after the EIA’s passage, student reading and math skills were 21 percent higher; student absenteeism dropped 25 percent; overall SAT scores improved 35 points; SAT scores for African-American students improved by 69 points; and all while S.C. teacher morale was ranked highest in the nation. The EIA’s impact endures, with its sales tax generating $1.3 billion annually in funding for the South Carolina public education system.
Peterson also helped found the Arts Education Partnership at the national level and the Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute in South Carolina, together with his wife Scott Shanklin-Peterson.
Secretary Riley says of Peterson, “Terry’s vision for quality public education, and particularly his leadership in the afterschool and summer learning space, has touched the lives of millions of children and families across this nation. He provided invaluable counsel and insight during my governorship and throughout my eight years as a cabinet secretary – and he continues to do so. I am grateful for Terry’s service to me, South Carolina, and the nation, and I applaud his effectiveness in carrying forward that important work today.”
Currently, Peterson focuses on expanding summer and afterschool learning through his roles as an education advisor for the CS Mott Foundation, a board member of the Afterschool Alliance, a key advisory committee member for Foundations, Inc., and a Senior Fellow and chair of the White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship at the Riley Institute at Furman University.
Peterson stated, “I am deeply honored by this recognition from Marquis Who’s Who. Educators and afterschool professionals work hard to ensure a bright future for our children, and I’m humbled to be recognized for my efforts to elevate their work. It also motivates me to continue this work into the future, because expanded educational opportunities are the ticket to a better future not only for our young people, but for all of us.”
About the Riley Institute at Furman University
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
