May 1, 2025, Boston, MA—Teach Plus Massachusetts today issued the following statement about the selection of Pedro Martinez as the commonwealth’s next commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE):
“Teach Plus congratulates Pedro Martinez on his appointment as the new DESE commissioner. As a nationally recognized education leader with experience as CEO of Chicago Public Schools and superintendent in San Antonio, Mr. Martinez has consistently focused on improving outcomes for students from low-income households and multilingual learners. These are overwhelmingly the same students that Teach Plus teacher leaders serve each day in classrooms across Massachusetts.
As Commissioner Martinez focuses on improving opportunities for all students, we hope he will prioritize addressing the literacy challenges facing schools across the commonwealth. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed concerning achievement gaps, with reading scores continuing to decline, particularly for economically disadvantaged students.
“Literacy has been a core focus for Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders, who are excited to partner with Commissioner Martinez. Our work centers on enhancing communication with families about literacy, supporting educators with evidence-based instructional strategies and high-quality curriculum, and advocating for effective literacy policies that create systemic change in our state,” said Chris Marino, Teach Plus Massachusetts Executive Director.
Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders across the commonwealth look forward to collaborating with Commissioner Martinez to ensure all students—especially those most impacted by achievement gaps—have access to an excellent education that sets them up for success in school and beyond.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/ma/
