Van De Putte Among Five New Leaders Appointed to National Assessment Governing Board

Congratulations to Sen. Van de Putte, she's a perfect leader for this position.

-Patricia

WASHINGTON

(October 2, 2009)—Five leaders from around the country representing
fields that include education, science, and policymaking have been appointed to
the National Assessment Governing Board to serve a four-year term, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced today. He also announced a new Board chair—David P. Driscoll, former Commissioner of Education for Massachusetts who has served as a Board member since 2006.

Terms for all members began October 1, 2009. The five appointees, which include one
incumbent member, will help set policy for the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as The Nation's Report Card. The
assessment makes objective information on student performance available to
policy-makers and the public at the national, state, and local levels, and has
served an important role in evaluating the condition and progress of American
education since 1969.

"NAEP is an invaluable tool for measuring how well our students are prepared to
compete in the global economy," Secretary Duncan said. "I am grateful
for David Driscoll's leadership and the other board members' service on NAGB.
Their hard work ensures that NAEP remains a truly independent assessment of our
nation's educational progress."

In overseeing The Nation's Report Card, the 26-member Governing Board—a
group of governors, state legislators, local and state school officials,
educators and researchers, business representatives, and members of the general
public—determines subjects and content to be tested and the achievement
levels for reporting scores, and works to inform the public about the results.

"I am honored to be selected by Sec. Duncan as Governing Board Chair, as his call
for high standards for all states has been something we are proud to have
accomplished in Massachusetts," said Driscoll, an education consultant who
served as the 22nd Commissioner of Education in Massachusetts from 1998 to
2007. In a career in public education and educational leadership that spans 45
years, Driscoll also was past president of the Council of Chief State School
Officers. "I look forward to working with the Secretary and ensuring the
Board continues to set the course for strong rigor in American education."

The Board members and the categories they will serve under include:

· Alan J. Friedman (general public, New York City ); a current Board member who has served since 2006. Friedman is a consultant in the areas of museum development and science communication, having worked with more than sixty institutions around the
world. From 1984 to 2006, he was the director and CEO of the New York Hall of
Science.

·Doris Hicks (elementary principal, New Orleans ); principal
and CEO of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and
Technology in New Orleans

. After her school was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hicks was instrumental
in rebuilding King—the first public school to open in the city's
devastated Lower Ninth Ward.

·Tonya Miles (general public, Mitchellville, Md.); the chief departmental administrator in the Office of the General Counsel for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Miles is also a former member of the Maryland State Board
of Education and a long-time PTA member

· W. James Popham (testing and measuring expert, Wilsonville , Ore. );
a professor and expert in assessment and instruction for nearly 50 years. Since
1991, he has served as professor emeritus of the Graduate School of Education
and Information Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles .

· Leticia Van de Putte (state legislator-Democrat, San Antonio); a fifth-term Texas State Senator for District 26, which represents a large portion of San Antonio. Van
de Putte has also served as a pharmacist for 30 years.

More information about the Governing Board and its work can be found at http://www.nagb.org. More information about The Nation's Report Card™ can be found at http://nationsreportcard.gov