ABC Institute co-founder celebrated
National recognition for ‘prominence in education’
Dr. Terry K. Peterson is included in a national publication that chronicles the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor.
Marquis Who’s Who, includes leaders in politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment, profiling individuals of prominence in a their fields.
Terry Peterson
A national leader of large-scale education reform, Peterson “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,” according to a news release.
For more than 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.
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.
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 says he is deeply honored by the 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,” Peterson said.
About the Riley Institute at Furman University
The Riley Institute empowers emerging and established leaders—across sectors and throughout society—with the knowledge and tools to advance equity and drive social and economic progress in South Carolina and beyond. We work to strengthen public education; promote the power of diversity to help teams, organizations, and communities thrive; and elevate informed, evidence-based approaches to critical public issues. In all it does, the institute is committed to nonpartisanship and a bias-free path to change. Learn more at furman.edu/riley.
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.
