LAUSD TAPS LOCAL CHARTER SCHOOL LEADER TO HEAD DISTRICT'S CHARTER SCHOOLS DIVISION

- from Ad Hoc News - a German Internet News Service

06. Dezember 2007 - The Los Angeles Unified School District recently appointed José Cole-Gutiérrez, General Manager in Los Angeles for the California Charter Schools Association, to serve as the District's Executive Director of Charter Schools. The appointment reflects Los Angeles Unified's growing commitment to partner and work collaboratively with the District's charter schools.

In his new role, Cole-Gutiérrez will lead the division responsible for the district's authorization of new charter schools and the oversight of existing charter schools, currently 125, the largest in the nation. He will also help share best practices of charter schools with the broader district.

"I am honored to serve the children and families in Los Angeles Unified and to help advance the District's mission to provide all students with a high quality education," said Cole-Gutiérrez. "It's my vision to lead a world-class charter schools division that is a national model for quality authorizing and district oversight. It's also my goal to stand for all public school students. I hope to leverage what's working in charter schools system-wide, so that all kids benefit."

"José's natural leadership, knowledge of charter schools and talent for relationship-building have been tremendous assets for the Los Angeles charter school community and make him uniquely qualified for this position," said Caprice Young, president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association. "José will be a vital addition to the District as it continues to partner with its charter schools to improve public education."

Throughout his tenure as Los Angeles General Manager, Cole-Gutiérrez successfully led the Association's efforts to help new charter schools open, improve the quality of existing charter schools and foster positive relationships between charter schools and school districts, including Los Angeles Unified.

Cole-Gutiérrez played an integral role in increasing local charter schools' focus on quality. Today, over 90 percent of Los Angeles Unified's charter schools are participating in the Certified Charter Schools Program, which recognizes charter schools that are committed to high quality and accountability.

Cole-Gutiérrez served for nearly seven years as Academic Programs Director at PUENTE Learning Center in Los Angeles before his tenure with the California Charter Schools Association. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from Stanford University, and a master's degree in education from Harvard University, and focused on administration, planning, and social policy with a secondary concentration on human development and psychology. Cole-Gutiérrez and his wife live in La Mirada with their three young daughters.

About the California Charter Schools Association

The California Charter Schools Association is the membership and professional organization serving 687 charter public schools that serve an estimated 240,000 charter school students in the state of California. The Association's mission is to improve student achievement by supporting and expanding California's quality charter public school movement.