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Jesse Ruiz,
Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education since September
2004, has announced that he will be stepping down from that post
following this week's board meeting. He will continue his service to
the Illinois education community by serving as vice president of the
Chicago Board of Education.
The news is bittersweet for fellow board members and agency
employees. Jesse is a tireless advocate for improving the
educational opportunities for all students in Illinois. He is always
willing to volunteer his time, going to countless conferences,
meetings, recognition banquets, graduation ceremonies and anywhere
else he is asked to attend on behalf of the Board. He is the last to
leave a meeting or other gathering, staying until business has been
completed and everyone has had their say.
Du ring the time that Jesse guided this Board, our education
community has changed in ways no one thought possible just a few
short years ago. Quietly, several years ago, our Board began
charting a vision for reform in our schools that was truly the start
of many of the advances that we're seeing today. It wasn't meant to
be flashy or to grab headlines, but rather it was meant to improve
the lives of every student in Illinois. Under Jesse's leadership,
the Board developed its mission and goals, including, "Every student
will demonstrate academic achievement and be prepared for success
after high school."
Illinois has become a national leader in the development of common,
internationally benchmarked learning standards and the new
assessments that will support these standards. We are creating a
longitudinal data system that will better allow the use of data to
improve educational outcomes for all students and eventually support
new performance evaluation systems tying student performance to
teachers. In addition, we've seen enhanced access to high quality
preschool and an increased focus on ensuring that homeless, migrant
and other students have access to public education.
The accomplishments of the Board under Jesse's leadership are too
numerous to list. Please join me in wishing Jesse good luck in his
new position. CPS students couldn't be getting anyone better.
Chris
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