Gov. Donald L. Carcieri has joined the board of directors of Achieve, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that advocates for educational reform.
“We are delighted to welcome Gov. Carcieri to Achieve’s board of directors,” said Achieve President Michael Cohen. “Under Gov. Carcieri’s leadership, Rhode Island has become a national leader in efforts to improve high schools and to ensure that more students graduate ready for college and work.”
Achieve cited Rhode Island’s creation of a state-wide curriculum in English Language Arts and mathematics, as well as its recently enacted, performance-based high school graduation requirements, in announcing Carcieri’s acceptance of the organization’s invitation to join the board.
Achieve’s board is made up of six governors — currently serving are North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley (co-chair), Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell (vice co-chair), Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty – and six business executives. Carcieri brings to Achieve not only his experience as the Ocean State’s governor, but also his tenure as CEO of Cookson America, and before that his experience as a high school mathematics teacher.
In February 2005, Carcieri committed Rhode Island to join Achieve’s American Diploma Project Network, a 29-state coalition attempting to connect high school learning more directly with postsecondary education and work. As part of that commitment, Rhode Island in April launched a new, common assessment tool in Algebra II.
Created by the nation’s governors and business leaders, Achieve Inc. is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 1996 that helps states raise academic standards, improve assessments and strengthen accountability to prepare all young people for postsecondary education, work and citizenship. For more information, go to www.achieve.org.
