STANFORD NEWS: NEWS ADVISORY ONLY New State Secretary of Education Alan Bersin available for media questions June 30 at Stanford University Institute June 27, 2005 Contact: Barbara McKenna STANFORD, CA — San Diego Superintendent of Schools Alan Bersin, who will step into the office of California Secretary of Education July 1, will be available for questions from the media on Thursday, June 30, from 11:45-12:15 p.m. at Stanford University. Bersin will be at Stanford University the day before he takes his new post, participating as a special guest of the School Redesign Network's summer institute, "Rigor and Relevance: Reinventing America's High Schools." Bersin has served as Superintendent of Public Education for San Diego City Schools since 1998. From 2000 to 2003 he served as a member of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, which he also chaired for two years. Bersin's appointment to the position of Secretary of Education was announced April 29, 2005, by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The School Redesign Network (SRN), co-directed by Stanford University Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Linda-Darling-Hammond and school policy specialist Ray Pecheone, is a learning collaborative working with school leaders to redesign large schools into smaller, more effective learning communities. Each summer, SRN hosts teachers and education administrators from around the state to explore ways to redesign high schools to better prepare students for college and careers. Superintendent Bersin is attending the institute as both a speaker and participant. Details and directions to the press conference are provided below. A limited number of reporters may participate by phone. If you are interested in this option, please contact Barbara McKenna as soon as possible at 650.725.8600 or bmckenna@stanford.edu. ##### Included below: ##### BERSIN PRESS EVENT DETAILS WHAT: A question and answer session for members of the press with incoming California Secretary of Education Alan Bersin WHEN: Thursday, June 30; 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. WHERE: Stanford University Law School, Room 272 CALL-IN PARTICIPATION: A limited number of people may participate by phone. Phone slots will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Barbara McKenna if you are interested in this option. PARKING: Permits and meter parking are available on the Stanford University campus. Daylong permits will be provided to press for this event, with 24-hour advance notice. Limited meter parking is also available at a cost of 25-cents for 10 minutes up to two hours. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Barbara McKenna at 831.460.9933, 650.725.8600 or bmckenna@stanford.edu. ##### Summer Institute Schedule Thursday, June 30 8 a.m.: Registration & Light Breakfast. 8:30 a.m.-8:45 a.m.: Introduction 8:45 - 9:30 a.m. Overview of the 10 common challenges to district
office redesign. 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.: Experiences and lessons learned in San Diego,
as related to the 10 challenges. 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: Experiences and lessons learned in Sacramento, as related to the 10 challenges. Richard Owen, Former Assoc. Supt., Sacramento City USD 12:15 - 1 p.m.: Lunch. 1:15 - 2:45 p.m.: Dr. Cuban begins with observations and comments
on district office reform. Followed by a panel discussion including
Mr. Bersin and Mr. Owen. 3 - 4 p.m.: Small Group Discussion 6 -7 p.m.: Deborah Meier, Dinner talk. Location TBA. Friday, July 1 9:15 - 10:15 a.m.: Recreating the District Office in Oakland.
Progress to date, future plans, and challenges. 10:30 - 11:45 a.m.: The lead discussant begins with observations
and comments on efforts in SFUSD and OUSD. Noon-1 p.m.: Lunch. Boxed lunches will be provided to accommodate participants who need to leave. Participants are encouraged to stay for a networking lunch. ##### BIOGRAPHY Alan D. Bersin Alan Bersin became Superintendent of Public Education in San Diego on July 1, 1998. His selection as the 18th superintendent for San Diego City Schools followed a nationwide search. Immediately prior to becoming the leader of the nation's eighth largest urban school district, Mr. Bersin served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California for nearly five years. As the U. S. Attorney, he was the chief federal law enforcement officer in San Diego and Imperial counties, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. From 1995 to 1998, Mr. Bersin also served as the Attorney General's Southwest Border Representative, responsible for coordinating federal law enforcement activities on the U. S./Mexico border. Upon assuming his duties as Superintendent of Public Education, Mr. Bersin launched a major reorganization of the district to focus its resources strategically on instruction to improve student achievement and to modernize its business infrastructure in order to support teaching and learning in the classroom. In a related capacity statewide, Mr. Bersin served between 2000 and 2003 as a member of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and for which he was selected by his colleagues as chairman in December 2000 for a two-year term. Mr. Bersin previously was a senior partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, where he served on the firm's policy and compensation committees and was principally responsible for developing the firm's innovative paralegal program. He also chaired the committee overseeing the firm's extensive program of pro bono legal services, which is widely acknowledged as a model for major law firms. At Munger, Tolles & Olson, Mr. Bersin specialized in complex RICO, securities, commercial and insurance litigation before state and federal trial and appellate courts. He is a member of the California and Alaska bars. Other professional experience includes employment as Special Counsel to the Los Angeles Police Commission, as visiting professor of law at the University of San Diego School of Law and as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Southern California Law Center. Mr. Bersin serves as a member of the policy board of EdVoice and of the Broad Institute for Superintendents; as a member of the Board of Overseers for Harvard University, and as a member of the Visiting Committee for the Harvard Graduate School of Education; as a Trustee of The Neurosciences Institute; as a member of the Advisory Board for the National Council on Teacher Quality; and as a member of the Urban Affairs Council of the California School Boards Association. He has served as a member of the Independent Citizens for California's Children (IC3), as the Chair of the Combined Federal Campaign, United Way in San Diego; as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Diego County YMCA; as a member of the Steering Committee of San Diego Dialogue; as a member of the Advisory Board, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (UCSD); as a member of the Council of Visitors, California Western School of Law; on the Board of Directors of Public Counsel, and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyers Program; and as a Master in the Enright Inn of Court. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council on International Policy. In 1968, Mr. Bersin received his A.B. in government from Harvard University (magna cum laude). He was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and awarded post-graduate scholarships by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Football Hall of Fame. While at Harvard, Mr. Bersin was selected as a member of the All-Ivy, All-New England and All-East Football Teams and was inducted into the Harvard Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1995. From 1969 to 1971, Mr. Bersin attended Balliol College at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. In 1974, he received his J.D. degree from the Yale Law School. Mr. Bersin was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honorary) by the University of San Diego in 1994, by California Western School of Law in 1996, and by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2000. He is fluent in Spanish. Mr. Bersin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended public schools in New York City. He is married to Judge Lisa Foster and is the father of three daughters: Alissa, Madeleine and Amalia Rose.(1/05) -30- |