Washington, DC — Roberto J. Rodríguez, president and CEO of Teach Plus, today announced that John B. King Jr., president and CEO of The Education Trust, will join the organization’s Board of Directors. As a Board member, King, who served as U.S. Secretary of Education under President Barack Obama, will provide Teach Plus with strategic advice on its policy and instructional practice work.
“Throughout his career as a teacher, school leader, and education secretary, John has maintained a singular focus on improving opportunities and outcomes for the learners he serves. His commitment to equity and to ensuring that every student has the chance to succeed – regardless of their race, background, or the zip code in which they live – is as central to the mission of The Education Trust as it is to the work we do at Teach Plus,” said Rodríguez. “I am proud to have John join our Board and contribute his vision and expertise to the strategic direction of Teach Plus as we build the future of the teacher leadership movement.”
“Educators saved my life. I am proud to serve with Teach Plus because I know firsthand that teachers play a vital role in supporting students to reach their full potential,” said King. “We know that far too many students of color and students from low-income families do not have the same access to effective, diverse and consistent teaching as their White and more affluent peers. I hope that we can work to develop best practices and strategies to address this issue – our children’s future depends on it.”
King is the president and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit organization that seeks to identify and close opportunity and achievement gaps, from preschool through college. He served as the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2016 to 2017 as a member of President Barack Obama’s administration. Before becoming education secretary and beginning in January 2015, King carried out the duties of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education, overseeing all policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation. King joined the department following his tenure as the first African American and Puerto Rican to serve as New York State Education Commissioner, a post he held from 2011 to 2015. He began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher in Puerto Rico and Boston, Mass., and as a middle school principal.
On the Teach Plus Board, King is joined by Schusterman Family Foundation Director of Education and Teach Plus Board Chair Michelle Boyers; former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education David Driscoll; Education First Principal John Luczak; CEO of Citizen Schools Emily McCann; and former U.S. Representative George Miller.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus empowers excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Teach Plus programs are designed to place highly effective teachers at the center of improvements in schools as leaders of their peers and outside schools influencing policy decisions that affect their classrooms. The programs develop excellent teachers into leaders who achieve change and mobilize others in their school, district, state, and across the nation to bring change to scale. Since its inception in August 2007, Teach Plus has grown to a network of more than 26,000 solutions-oriented teachers across the country. www.teachplus.org
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