CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Fran Warsing, superintendent of the West Virginia Department of Education’s Institutional Education Programs, has received the 2011 Correctional Education Association’s Executive Director Award.

The state Board of Education on Wednesday recognized Warsing for her selection for the national award, which is presented annually to one person who has had a large positive influence on correctional education. In West Virginia, Warsing oversees 42 institutional education programs, including 10 regional jails, nine juvenile detention center, seven adult correctional facilities, two juvenile correctional centers and 14 residential facilities.

“Fran Warsing has dedicated her career to helping adolescents and adults who have made mistakes but who can, with proper education and training, become productive members of society,” said state Superintendent of Schools Jorea Marple. “It is her passion and an excellent choice for this award.”

Warsing, who started in education in 1967 as a kindergarten teacher, has led the state’s institutional education programs since 2008. She previously was supervising principal for adult programs and was the first principal at the Mount Olive Correctional Center.

In addition to overseeing educational programs in West Virginia’s correctional facilities, Warsing also serves as chairwoman of the Correctional Education Association’s Standards Commission and helps to provide technical assistance and advice to other states on correctional education issues.

“Fran is committed to this work,” Marple said. “It is her passion. She truly wants the students and the adults in her programs to succeed She is a true advocate.”

For more information, contact the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting.

--The West Virginia Board of Education and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) are committed to ensuring all students in the state are college and career ready when they graduate from a public school. What West Virginia students are learning in school exceeds national and international standards. Through the WVDE’s 21^st century learning plan called “Global21: Students deserve it. The world demands it.,” West Virginia is seeing better student performance on the West Virginia Educational Standards Test 2 (WESTEST2); the SAT and the ACT college entrance exams; the job skills assessment called Work Keys given to career and technical education students; and in a high school graduation rate that exceeds the national average.

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