Atlanta-based teacher Ron Clark told more than 300 Calcasieu Parish school administrators on Monday that they should recognize and value teachers who go the extra mile in providing students with a quality education.

Clark spoke at the Leadership Summit, a three-day event hosted by the Calcasieu School System that includes sessions on implementing the Common Core State Standards.

Clark runs the Ron Clark Academy, a non-profit private school in Atlanta, and previously taught underprivileged students in North Carolina and Harlem. He said teachers should “feel that they are respected and have a voice.”

“Leaders in education set the tone for the entire year,” he said. “When teachers are empowered, they are going to be happier, and you will see the results.”

Clark said that there could be “some negativity” with teachers having to follow Common Core because they are having to learn new methods quickly. Forty-five states have adopted the standards, and they will be fully implemented in Louisiana by the 2014-2015 school year.

“We’ve been in education long enough to see that things go in a cycle,” he said. “As teachers we can get burned out on change quickly.”

Matt Rion, the school system’s human capital management systems consultant, said that school administrators will be challenged with having to follow Common Core daily.

“For leaders, they are supposed to be the experts on stuff that we are all learning at the same time,” he said. “It’s a short learning curve.”

Rion said the Common Core is “very intimidating” for teachers who are used to using different methods. He called the reforms “a new road map for teaching.”

Calcasieu School Superintendent Wayne Savoy said he believes teachers and administrators will be ready once the school year begins, Aug. 14

“The Common Core is changing the way teachers teach,” he said. “When you do that, you change the way leaders lead, so it’s all connected. But I feel like we are ahead of the curve and will continue to be that way.”

The summit continues through Wednesday at the Lake Charles Civic Center.

Atlanta-based teacher Ron Clark