Emailed Jan 12, 2011 12:06 from the email address of her chief of staff, luis A. Sanchez [lasanchez2006@yahoo.com] - who is also a candidate for board of education
 |  Mónica García, President Los Angeles Board of Education |
Dr. John Deasy Selected as Next LAUSD Superintendent
Los Angeles—The Los Angeles Board of Education today approved the appointment of Dr. John Deasy as the next superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Currently, a deputy superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district, he will succeed Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines who is retiring this spring. Dr. Deasy is scheduled to start in the new position on April 15.
“We welcome John Deasy as our next Superintendent at LAUSD. Superintendent Ramon Cortines has guided us for two years with courageous, compassionate and extraordinary leadership during the most challenging times. We are a community focused on students and schools and have great expectations that John Deasy will strengthen and deepen the work of reading and writing and leading urban reform of schools that will prepare our students for college and careers,” said School Board President Mónica García.
Known nationally as a public education reformer, Dr. Deasy is aggressively involved in improving the effectiveness of teachers through methods that link evaluations to student achievement and other measures including merit pay. Guided by data-driven, results-based research, he champions the academic achievements of all students including Latinos, African Americans, other minorities, those in special education, and students learning English as a Second Language (ESL). His results include narrowing the achievement gap between low-income minority students and more affluent classmates.
“Today, this District is facing profound challenges in the form of a major state economic crisis which results in a monumental educational crisis, but I believe there’s hope,” the newly-elected superintendent said. “We will continue to dramatically improve student achievement because students have shown us that they can do it and, secondly, because we have the leadership, teaching, and support staff employees who are dedicated, smart and willing to do anything to help our youth.”
“From his work in Prince George’s County to the Gates Foundation and now Los Angeles, John Deasy has been a thoughtful, aggressive leader in public education,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. “John understands the urgency of the challenge and he has the courage to make the needed changes to better serve students. L.A. is lucky to have him.”
Long interested in improving instruction, Dr. Deasy led the initiative on teacher effectiveness while serving as a deputy director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Prior to joining LAUSD in July 2010, Dr. Deasy also headed the Prince George’s County Public Schools—a large and diverse school district in Maryland—adjacent to Washington, D.C. In that school district, in addition to accelerating the academic progress of students lagging behind academically, Dr. Deasy also initiated a pay-for-performance plan to reward teachers for measurable gains in student achievement. That plan, traditionally rejected by teachers’ unions elsewhere, was developed in concert with labor.
A former State Superintendent of the Year, he has also led the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District here in California, and the Coventry Public Schools in Rhode Island.
In addition to his vast management responsibilities, Dr. Deasy has also worked as a secondary teacher. That experience shaped his continued appreciation of teachers, and all District employees including support and non-instructional staff.
While Dr. Deasy believes many students can do better, he is also convinced that some teachers can improve given guidance through professional development and mentoring.
Throughout his career in education spanning nearly three decades, Dr. Deasy has been committed to ambitious learning opportunities for public school students.
A presenter at numerous state and national conferences, Dr. Deasy has written and spoken extensively on education. In addition to serving on numerous boards, he has been an Aspen Fellow, a Broad Fellow, and an Annenberg Fellow. And, Dr. Deasy has served as a consultant to numerous school districts undertaking high school reform and district-wide improvement strategies. A native of Massachusetts, he completed his undergraduate work at Providence College in Rhode Island and received his doctorate from the University of Louisville.
333 S. Beaudry Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
(213) 241-6180
No comments:
Post a Comment