Dr James “Larry” L. Mcbiles

54, of Phoenix, AZ passed away on March 6, 2011 after a brief illness. Larry led the Center for Teacher Success as President and Chief Education Officer. His contributions to the field of education, both before and during his years with the Center, were extensive. As a veteran Arizona educator, Larry spent much of his professional time and energy studying what research and conventional wisdom had to say about teachig, learning and what it means to “understand”. He held a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University. His career included teaching at elementary, middle, secondary and university levels. Larry transitioned from teacher to district administrator to the positin of Deputy Associate Superintendent of the Arizona Department of Education. Following his keen interest in science, Larry next took on the role of Director of education with the Arizona Mining Association where he received the 2005 Medal of Merit by the American Mining Hall of Fame. He worked with Northern Arizona University’s Center for Excellence in Education and has served on the faculty of Arizona State University’s College of Education. Larry was a frequently-requested state and national consultant for training in the areas of standards-based instructional planning, performance assessment, shared instructional leadership and systemic school improvement. He viewed himself first and foremost as a teacher and also as a lifelong learner. Larry is survived by his parents, Brad and Donna McBiles, and his brothers, William “Bill” and Scott McBiles, as well as many friends and colleagues. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Francis Xavier on North Central Avenue in Phoenix on Tuesday, March 15th at 10am. Donations in his memory may be made to the Center for Techer Success, 141 East Palm Lane, Suite 100, Phoenix. AZ 85004 in support of Larry’s lifelong work to provide professional development support and services to educators across the state.