EdSource Board Member Martha Kanter Goes to Washington
The appointment of Martha Kanter, chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District, as undersecretary of the U.S. Department of Education is EdSource's loss but education's gain. In her new role, Kanter will oversee policies, programs, and activities related to postsecondary education, vocational and adult education, and federal student aid.
Kanter is the first community college leader to hold that post, which sends a strong signal about the Obama Administration's emphasis on secondary-to-postsecondary transitions. The EdSource Board of Directors and staff will certainly miss Martha's presence on and contribution to our board.
One of Martha's last actions as an EdSource board member was to support the board's expansion of the EdSource mission statement to officially include K-14 education. When asked for her thoughts on the contribution EdSource could make to the study and reporting of California's community college issues, Martha replied:
"As a respected statewide organization, EdSource has the capacity and stature to advance important policy discussions about such issues as building stronger and more effective relationships between K-12 and community colleges. EdSource can help build consensus, based on research and data, about how to move forward in ways that will help K-12 schools and community colleges work together to reduce the number of students who drop out or stop out after high school. One of EdSource's hallmarks is its ability to cut through complex matters and act as an independent broker of ideas on these important policy issues.
"We need independent, nonpartisan organizations like EdSource to help explain to a broad audience, including policymakers, the challenges community colleges face and the crucial role they play as a gateway to higher ducation for millions of Californians, particularly those who have been traditionally underserved by higher education."
All of us at EdSource wish Martha the very best as she undertakes this important new role on behalf of America's educators, stakeholders, and students!
