Bill Gerling - Proponent of citizenship education

Bill Gerling of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Bill Gerling of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Life is full of surprises.

Bill Gerling rediscovered that last month when the Missouri Bar Association honored him with two awards he wasn't expecting.

Before he took a job with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 1998, Gerling taught social studies for 30 years at Jefferson City High School. At DESE, he serves a dual role: He's the director of social studies curriculum and the assistant director of assessment.

As part of his work, every year Gerling helps the Missouri Bar select 15 high school seniors from around the state to receive outstanding citizenship awards. The awards recognize students' leadership skills, community service and academic achievement. Although the recognition doesn't come with a savings bond these days, it does offer a resume-boost.

"The kids who are honored are just outstanding," he said. "They motivate me to do more."

Gerling organizes and writes the script for the awards program. So when Millie Aulbur - she oversees the bar's citizenship program - went "off script" and started describing Gerling's two awards for Gerling, it sent him scrambling.

"It came out of nowhere," Gerling said. "I was flattered, surprised and overwhelmed."

Specifically, Gerling was honored with the Warren H. Solomon Award for Civic Virtue and the E.A. Richter Award for Excellence in Citizenship Education.

Aulbur said Gerling was a shoo-in for both awards.

"Bill's spent 47 years in education and has been tireless in his effort to work with social studies teachers everywhere," Aulbur said.

She also said the bar appreciates how Gerling has supported its Citizenship Education program, which is only useful to teachers if they know it aligns with the state's educational standards.

"If Missouri teachers don't think the program is related to the standards, then it's very hard for our program to have validity," she explained.

In his work for the state, Gerling performs multiple tasks.

When he first arrived at DESE in 1998, a federal grant paid for a consortium of educators to develop social studies test questions and professional development manuals. After the grant ran out, the department kept Gerling on. In 2004, his job was expanded to include the responsibilities he has today.

Testing isn't as simple a process as most people presume, Gerling said.

"It's a complicated, several-step process," he said.

Over the years, part of Gerling's job has been to ensure that questions are fair, accurate and unbiased. Once written, the testing items are field-tested to see if they work well. The latest end-of-course exams for American History and Government were developed between 2007 and 2009.

One of the big projects he's been working on recently is a model curriculum for Missouri's social studies teachers. He noted 60 teachers have written units of study for the model curriculum and Gerling has reviewed and edited their work. (To see it, visit dese.mo.gov and select the "model curriculum units" link.)

He noted the units represent the thinking of some of Missouri's best teachers.

"We've had three former Teachers of the Year participate," he said.

Other aspects of Gerling's job include designing professional development presentations for teachers and presenting his work at conferences.

Today, one of his tasks is to settle problems and issues that crop up when standardized exams, like the MAP, are administered. For example, if a teacher proctored an exam but failed to use the right time frame, Gerling's job is to write up the report and contact the district. It's then the district's responsibility to respond back with a plan for how it will rectify the situation.

In his spare time, Gerling, 70, is a runner.

"I run about 15 to 20 miles per week, about four or five miles each time I go," he said.

He's also a proud grandparent of six grandchildren, and an avid reader and traveler.