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FOR RELEASE January 22, 1996
Contact: Melinda Kitchell Malico (202) 401-1008
President Clinton has appointed Gerald N. Tirozzi to serve as assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education. The president sent the nomination to the Senate on Dec. 29. Tirozzi will serve as a recess appointee.
"Gerry Tirozzi's record of national leadership and local action in stimulating school improvement -- combined with firsthand expertise in dealing with the challenge of educating youth in an urban environment -- add up to 35 years of experience and preparation for the important work ahead, " said U.S. Education Secretary Richard W. Riley. "I look forward to working with Gerry in this critical time as we work to strengthen the nation's commitment to excellence in education."
As assistant secretary, Tirozzi serves as principal advisor to the secretary on elementary and secondary school issues and will work to improve and better coordinate federal programs to improve teaching and learning in kindergarten through grade 12.
Federal elementary and secondary education programs were revised significantly under the 1994 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, which Tirozzi now heads, is in the process of restructuring to better serve the public, as well as integrate and improve federal education programs. The new approach aims to simplify procedures for schools, school districts and states while increasing accountability for results. Services for educationally disadvantaged children, such as Title I, Indian and migrant education; school improvement under Goals 2000, magnet schools; support for state-administered programs to improve teachers' skills and knowledge; and making schools safe and drug-free are among the office's priorities. Current funding (under the fiscal year 1995 budget) for elementary and secondary education programs totals $9.7 billion. The department does not have a fiscal year 1996 appropriations bill.
Tirozzi most recently was a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Connecticut where he concentrated on urban education policy and the preparation of school superintendents. Between 1991 and 1993, he was president of Boston's Wheelock College. Tirozzi served as commissioner of education for the state of Connecticut (1983-1991) where he initiated major teaching reforms and oversaw an unprecedented state education improvement effort. He served as superintendent of New Haven Schools for six years, has been a principal, and began his career as a classroom science teacher in 1959.
Tirozzi has served on the boards of various professional organizations including the Education Commission of the States, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the Educational Testing Service, the George Lucas Foundation, and the Center for Policy Research at Rutgers University. His public service won national recognition from Michigan State University, the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP and the Southwestern Connecticut Urban League.
A native of Connecticut, Tirozzi has a Ph.D. in educational administration and higher education from Michigan State University, a master's degree in guidance and counseling and a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Southern Connecticut State University.