Board Of Regents Elects David Steiner Commissioner Of Education

The New York State Board of Regents voted today to elect Dr. David Milton Steiner as New York State Education Commissioner and President of the University of the State of New York. The Regents took this action at their July meeting held today in Buffalo.

Currently the Dean of the Hunter College School of Education at the City University of New York, Dr. Steiner is best known for his leadership of the national effort to transform teacher preparation and improve teacher quality.

Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said, "It is not enough to simply raise standards and hope for the best. Our teachers need to be prepared to help kids meet and exceed these standards. Study after study confirms that teacher quality is the most important factor under the control of schools in boosting student performance. David Steiner has pushed the envelope, challenged orthodoxy and developed rigorous evidence-based approaches that help prepare and support teachers in a diverse range of settings to lead their students to remarkable gains in achievement."

"In David Steiner the Regents have selected a bold and provocative education reformer," said Vice Chancellor Milton Cofield, co-chair of the Board’s Search Committee. "Steiner has deep hands-on experience in preparing teachers, developing curriculum and honing assessment tools," added Regent Anthony Bottar, who co-chaired the Search Committee.

As Dean of the School of Education at Hunter College, Dr. Steiner has led the growth of one of the most dynamic and diverse teacher preparation programs for public school teachers and principals in New York State. In the spring of 2009 the School of Education enrolled 2585 students – an increase of 400 during his term as Dean. Under Dr. Steiner’s leadership Hunter has dramatically expanded the school’s Special Education program, strengthened the Teaching English as a Second Language program, as well as the administration and training program for assistant principals, principals and superintendents.

Each year more than 70 percent of School of Education graduates go on to teach in public schools across New York State.

"I have dedicated my career to advancing the idea that with a strong core curriculum and rigorous teacher preparation and support we can help students in every school district achieve and succeed. For the past four years I have put that idea into practice leading an institution that has prepared many of the strongest teachers, principals and school administrators working in districts across New York State today," said Dr. Steiner.

"I am honored to be selected by the Board of Regents and look forward to working with them and school leaders in every district across New York as we continue to raise standards, improve accountability and work to transform the State Education Department into a hub of innovation and best practices to boost student achievement," said Dr. Steiner.

At Hunter, Dr. Steiner led a national partnership with the KIPP Academies, Uncommon Schools, Achievement First and Teach for America to create a dedicated teacher preparation program for charter and non-charter school teachers geared to the unique challenges of urban schools. Known as Teacher U at Hunter, the partnership has gained national attention for rethinking what rigorous teacher preparation looks like. This year Teacher U at Hunter will begin a new partnership with the New York City Department of Education to prepare 90 New York City Teaching Fellows in Special Education.

Dr. Steiner, in conjunction with the New York City Department of Education and New Visions for Public Schools, has just launched a Teacher Residency Program aimed at preparing public secondary school teachers in the sciences and English Language Arts.

Prior to Hunter College, Dr. Steiner served as the Director of Arts Education at the National Endowment for the Arts where he designed and inaugurated the first national program to fund intensive teacher-preparation to present major, complex works of art in classrooms; strengthened assessment and accountability systems to evaluate learning outcomes in the NEA’s arts grants programs; and worked with Jazz at Lincoln Center to co-develop the Endowment’s first on-line jazz curriculum.

From 1999–2004 Dr. Steiner was a professor at Boston University’s School of Education where he taught in the Department of Administration, Training and Policy Studies and the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Steiner also served from 2002-2004 as the Chairman of the Department of Education Policy. From 1990-1998 Dr. Steiner served as Assistant Professor and Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Political Science and Peabody School of Education.

He is the author or editor of four books including the upcoming Retreat from Judgment: The Limits of Educational Reform and more than one hundred journal articles, papers, reports, chapters on education reform, teacher preparation, teacher quality and curriculum development as well as public presentations on education reform. He has worked as a consultant to the National Council on Teacher Quality and served as a member of the New York Board of Regents Work Group on Improving the Preparation of Teachers for Urban Schools.

Dr. Steiner has a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University and a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College at Oxford University. He is 51 years old and lives in Manhattan with his wife, Evelyne Ender, a professor of French at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. He has two grown step children. Steiner will relocate to Albany upon assumption of his new role.

Steiner succeeds Richard P. Mills who retired on June 30th after fourteen years as Commissioner. Steiner will be the 13th Education Commissioner to serve the State since the position was created in 1904. His salary as Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York will be $250,000. He will assume his new post on October 1. Until that time Carole Huxley will continue to serve as Interim Commissioner.

As Commissioner of Education, Steiner will serve as chief executive officer of the State Education Department and as President of the University of the State of New York (USNY). USNY is comprised of more than 7,000 public and independent elementary and secondary schools; 270 public and independent colleges and universities; 7,000 libraries; 900 museums; 25 public broadcasting facilities; 3,000 historical repositories; 436 proprietary schools; 48 professions encompassing more than 761,000 licensees plus 240,000 certified educators; and services for children and adults with disabilities.

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Webcast: Election of New Commissioner David Steiner (July 27, 2009 - 2 minutes):