Elliot Smalley is the superintendent of the South Carolina Public Charter School District, where he leads efforts to dramatically improve student learning and close achievement gaps in South Carolina through the growth of excellent and equitable charter schools. Elliot believes relentlessly in the potential for every child to achieve greatness and in the ability and responsibility of educators to unlock this potential. Under Elliot’s leadership, with a focus on quality, equity, and accountability, over the last two years, 70% of charter schools in the district have higher student growth scores and graduation and college acceptance rates have grown by double digits to their highest in history. Previously, Elliot was the chief of staff for the Achievement School District (ASD) in Tennessee, where he helped to create a new statewide turnaround district with the goal of moving schools from the bottom 5% to the top 25% in the state. During his three and a half years at the ASD, the ASD opened or converted 29 neighborhood schools serving nearly 10,000 students. During this time, student achievement in Tennessee’s bottom 5% “Priority’’ schools grew four times faster than in non-Priority schools and students in 2nd- and 3rd-year ASD schools earned the highest-possible growth rating in Tennessee. Before joining the ASD, Elliot was the deputy of strategy and communications for the Charleston County School District, where he developed “Vision 2016,” Charleston's district-wide strategic plan, and led the district's communications and outreach efforts during a time in which a ten-year enrollment decline reversed to a five-year increase. Prior to his time in Charleston, he was a senior program specialist at the U.S. Department of Education, leading national partnerships and initiatives in support of education.