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Dr. David Steiner took the oath of office today as New York State Education Commissioner in front of 5th and 6th grade students at Albany’s Pine Hills Elementary School.Ìý Judge Victoria Graffeo of the New York State Court of Appeals administered the oath.Ìý Also present at the ceremony were representatives of major stakeholder groups in New York State’s educational system.

"I am honored to take this oath today before these students who represent the promise and challenge faced in schools throughout the state.Ìý I look forward to working with the Board of Regents, school leaders and parents in every district across New York as we continue to raise standards, improve accountability and work to transform education in New York into a hub of innovation and best practices to boost student achievement," said Dr. Steiner.

Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch said, "As I’ve said before, it is not enough to simply raise standards and hope for the best. In David Steiner New York has a leader who will push the envelope, challenge orthodoxy and develop rigorous evidence-based approaches that will help lead students to remarkable gains in achievement."

As the Dean of the Hunter College School of Education at the City University of New York, Dr. Steiner was a leader of the national effort to transform teacher preparation and improve teacher quality.Ìý Hunter has become one of the most dynamic and diverse teacher preparation programs for public school teachers and principals in New York State.Ìý

Prior to Hunter College, Dr. Steiner served as the Director of Arts Education at the National Endowment for the Arts.ÌýÌýÌý

From 1999–2004 Dr. Steiner was a professor at Boston University’s School of Education where he taught in the Department of Administration, Training and Policy Studies and the Department of Curriculum and Teaching.Ìý From 1990-1998 Dr. Steiner served as Assistant Professor and Research Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Political Science and Peabody School of Education.

Dr. Steiner has a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University and a B.A. and M.A. in philosophy, politics and economics from Balliol College at Oxford University.Ìý He is 51 years old and lives in Manhattan with his wife, Evelyne Ender, a professor of French at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center.Ìý He has two grown step children.Ìý Steiner is relocating to Albany.ÌýÌýÌý

Steiner succeeds Richard P. Mills who retired on June 30th after fourteen years as Commissioner and Carole Huxley who served as Interim Commissioner for the past 3 months.Ìý Steiner is the 13th Education Commissioner to serve the State since the position was created in 1904.Ìý His salary as Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York will be $250,000.

As Commissioner of Education, Steiner serves as chief executive officer of the State Education Department and as President of the University of the State of New York (USNY). USNY is comprised of more than 7,000 public and independent elementary and secondary schools; 270 public and independent colleges and universities; 7,000 libraries; 900 museums; 25 public broadcasting facilities; 3,000 historical repositories; 436 proprietary schools; 48 professions encompassing more than 761,000 licensees plus 240,000 certified educators; and services for children and adults with disabilities.

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