April 12, 2000ALAN BERSIN APPOINTED TO CALIFORNIA COMMISSION ON TEACHER CREDENTIALING Governor Gray Davis today announced the appointment of Alan D. Bersin, superintendent of public education for San Diego City Schools, to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
The commission establishes professional standards, assessments and examinations for entry and advancement in the education profession. The primary purpose of the commission's policymaking and other leadership activities is to improve teaching and learning for students in California's schools.
"I am gratified by the Governor's confidence in the work we are doing in San Diego," Bersin said. "The most important task our community has is to support our teachers and our students and the most important work of the commission is to create policies and procedures that improve the profession of teaching and learning." San Diego City Schools is the state's second largest public school system and the nation's eighth-largest urban district.
In appointing Bersin, subject to state senate confirmation, Governor Davis cited his leadership in reorganizing the San Diego system to focus on instruction, with formation of the Institute for Learning and the recently-approved "Blueprint for Student Success in a Standards-Based System." The Blueprint is a comprehensive approach to improve student achievement across the district and address the problems of social promotion with more instructional time for students, more useful professional training for teachers, and more books and materials for classrooms. It emphasizes strong and earlier reading and math instruction for all students, extra reading and math help for struggling students as early as possible who need more time-all taught by teachers who receive ongoing, focused professional development.
"The opportunity to improve the quality of instruction in the service of a revitalized system of public education makes this appointment an exciting challenge," Bersin said.
The commission meets monthly in Sacramento and is charged with implementing California law regulating licensing of teachers and administrators. The commission is the state's primary policymaking body for the education profession.
