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Perot Systems Sponsors U.S. Education Summit
Three-day event opened dialogue around building and sustaining a comprehensive state education data system

In 1984, our founder, H. Ross Perot, championed efforts to enact the most sweeping public school reform in U.S. history. More than 20 years later, Perot Systems is proud to continue to work toward improving education in the United States as a partner with the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA).

“Perot Systems is a trusted advisor to the U.S. Department of Education and FSA. Our team is working diligently on both the local and national level to reengineer the way education data from kindergarten through college is managed and processed in the United States,” said Mark Blevins, client executive for the Department of Education.

To raise awareness for the need to improve the quality of data collection and open dialogue on ways each of the 50 states can assist in these efforts, Perot Systems joined forces with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to host an education summit. The three-day event held in Dallas, TX gave leaders from the U.S. federal government, states and non-profits, such as the Dell Foundation and the Gates Foundation, an opportunity to discuss the complexity of individual data systems and the commitment needed to build and sustain a comprehensive state education data system.

“The education summit was truly a world-class event that showcased both Perot Systems’ commitment to assist in solving the problem of generating quality data and the talent our associates can bring to reaching a solution,” said Jim Ballard, president of Perot Systems Government Services.

The summit brought in the key decision makers in education, with keynote speakers including:

  • David Dunn, the U.S. Department of Education Chief of Staff
  • Stefanie Sanford, Deputy Advocacy Director for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Tom Luce, CEO of National Math and Science Initiative and former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Education
  • H. Ross Perot, Chairman Emeritus of Perot Systems

“The education summit was the first of its kind for Perot Systems and marked an important step toward increasing the dialogue on the education crisis facing America. I am proud of our efforts to improve the quality of data and look forward to working with local and federal officials to meet their data challenges,” said Peter Altabef, president and CEO of Perot Systems.

As a result of the conference, Perot Systems is already receiving requests to assist individual states with their data collection efforts, and leaders want to ensure that although the education summit was the first for Perot Systems, it will not be the last.