AUSTIN – Last week the Texas State Board of Education honored their 2019 Heroes of Children Award recipients at a ceremony in Austin on Sept. 13. State Board of Education Member Aicha Davis was selected as the Loretta Burns as the honoree for the 13th District.
“The purpose of the award is to acknowledge individuals in our communities that work diligently each day to improve the lives and education outcomes of our children. When I was asked to nominate an individual from my district that met the spirit of the Heroes of Children Award, I immediately thought of the amazing work that Loretta has been doing to improve student reading levels. Loretta is so passionate about her work and she is making a direct impact on students each day. We are fortunate to have her working with our children and I am so happy to be able to recognize her this week” said Board of Education Member Davis.
Loretta Burns founded the AB Christian Learning Center, which provides academic enrichment programs in the Fort Worth community. As an outgrowth of this work, Burns started the Freedom School in 2014.
This is a free six-week program that focuses on summer reading and cultural enrichment for disadvantaged students. Instruction in this program is delivered by trained college interns. Participating students receive a free book each week. Burns is also a member of the executive council for Read Fort Worth, which is a coalition of community and business leaders who partner with Fort Worth ISD as it works towards the goal of having 100 percent of third-grade students reading at or above grade level by 2025.
State Board of Education Member Aicha Davis was elected to her first term on the State Board of Education in November 2018. She represents the 13th District which consists of about 1.7 million Texans who live in parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Davis serves on the board’s Committee on Instruction, which deals with issues such as curriculum and graduation requirements, instructional materials issues, and gifted and talented education.
Davis is now a doctoral student in education leadership and policy at the University of North Texas. She holds a master’s degree in education administration from that university and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi.
