AcrossWorld Announces Addition Of Mike Smith To The Board Of Directors
Mr. Mike Smith, who was most recently a senior advisor to Arne Duncan and the Director of the International Affairs at the U. S. Department of Education, has joined AcrossWorld's Board of Directors.
- (1888PressRelease) October 06, 2010 - Boston, Massachusetts - AcrossWorld announces the appointment of Mr. Mike Smith to the company's board of directors. The addition of Mr. Smith to the board is a reflection of AcrossWorld's continued leadership. Mr. Smith's legacy work within the national and global field of OER will find its influence into AcrossWorld Education as the company enters into global markets and establishes new models around the sustainability of open educational resources.
Smith was most recently honored with the Harvard Graduate School of Education Medal for Education Impact for making a difference in the education field and on the lives of learners nationwide.
When talking about the progression the OER movement has made since its inception, and about his new role within AcrossWorld, Smith explains "The need for a sustainable model in the OER space has been there for many years, and it is my belief that AcrossWorld can play that role and help to improve the quality of education for millions of students."
Stephan Thieringer, President & CEO of AcrossWorld, elaborated, "We recognize it as a great honor and responsibility to have one of the pioneers of the OER movement join our organization and become a champion of AcrossWorld. We look forward to Mike's counsel and leadership in not only moving AcrossWorld forward, but also to provide a direct impact on the global movement and further adoption of open educational resources in a sustainable manner."
About Mr. Mike Smith
Most recently from January 2009 to June 2010, Marshall (Mike) S. Smith was a senior advisor to Arne Duncan and the Director of the International Affairs at the U. S. Department of Education. Prior to that, from 2001-2009, he directed the Education Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation where he focused on improving student achievement, reforming California's education system, and initiating and sustaining Open Education Resources to provide world wide access for all to quality educational materials.
Mike was the Under Secretary of the U. S. Department of Education from 1993-2000. As Under Secretary, Smith was a key player in helping define the Clinton Administration's education agenda, which focused on the need to raise educational achievement for all students and increase their opportunities to pursue post secondary education and lifelong learning. He directed the development of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the Improving America's Schools Act, and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act -- landmark legislation that became law with strong bipartisan support in Congress.
He oversaw the Administration's efforts to pass the Student Loan Reform Act, which created the Direct Student Loan Program and directed the transformation of the Office of Student Financial Assistance into the first performance-based organization (PBO) in the federal government.
As Under Secretary, Smith helped define a new federal role in American education -- one in which the federal government serves as a supportive partner to local districts and states as they seek to carry out standards-based reforms. He advanced the idea that all students can benefit from higher standards and challenging curricula. He stressed that intensive, sustained professional development for teachers and principals is essential to successful education reform.
He advocated the idea of flexibility for schools and teachers so that they can improve teaching and learning, coupled with greater accountability for student performance. And he emphasized the importance of strong partnerships among parents, schools, communities, higher education, and business.
Smith's published writings cover a wide range of issues, including desegregation, early childhood programs, effective schools, and the effect of federal policies on state and local practice. In the late 1980's and early 1990's, he articulated a framework for standards-based school reform. His recent interests have focused on the education of children at risk of school failure and turning around low-performing schools.
Prior to his appointment as Under Secretary, Smith was a professor of education and Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Previously, he was an associate professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education and a professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he also served as the Director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Smith earned both a master's (1963) and a doctoral (1970) degree in measurement and statistics from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Smith has held several policy positions in the federal government prior to his current post, including serving as Chief of Staff to the first Secretary of Education. He has served as an adviser to the National Education Goals Panel and was a member of the National Council of Education Standards and Testing. He is currently a member of the National Academy of Education.
About AcrossWorld Education
AcrossWorld Education connects academic institutions, teachers and students to the growing online teaching, learning, and research resources (Open Educational Resources) of the world. AcrossWorld's interactive tools enable users to discover and share the vast curricula and content from academic centers of excellence worldwide, and collaborate to create more valuable knowledge and learning tools. AcrossWorld empowers individuals and institutions to excel at teaching and learning. By making it easy and inexpensive to connect, collaborate, and innovate, AcrossWorld aims to transform the education process and enable individuals to better meet their aspirations.
Contact:
Lisa O'Neill
lisa ( @ ) newtononeill dot com or (512) 494-6178
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