A local member of the State Board of Regents is not surprised by the news that State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. is leaving his job for a position at the White House.
King will be stepping down from his role at the end of this year to serve as senior adviser to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
During his more than three years leading the State Education Department, Commissioner King faced intense criticism over implementation of the Common Core standards and teacher evaluations tied to Common Core-based tests.
But local Regent Andrew Brown believes King's legacy is a positive one.
"Any time you have broad, sweeping change of this magnitude, you're going to have some obstacles. John certainly faced some of those obstacles and there's been considerable criticism lobbed at him, no doubt. But I do believe history will prove that John has been successful, and that New York has benefited from John's efforts.”
Brown said a new education commissioner may have a different approach or strategy, but will not change the Common Core reform effort itself. He called King a "successful advocate for reform and change," and believes that his role in introducing the Common Core to New York schools is what captured the attention of the Obama administration.
Brown does not anticipate any delay in the transition process for East High School. State education leaders are currently reviewing a proposal by the University of Rochester to take over the management of the school, which was just submitted this week.
He said he expects the search for Commissioner King’s successor will be a swift one.
