Sara Mead Appointed to the D.C. Public Charter School Board

Washington, D.C. — The D.C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) will welcome Sara Mead as its newest member at its monthly meeting on October 26.  Mead, who was appointed by Mayor Adrian Fenty in September, is a senior research fellow with the New America Foundation.  She conducts research and writes about early childhood and elementary and secondary education with a particular focus on state and federal policy issues, including preschool, PreK-3rd education reform, the No Child Left Behind Act, federal education funding, charter schools and public school choice.  She has been doing research on charter schools for the past 10 years.

“We are pleased to have Sara Mead join us as she brings a wealth of national education public policy expertise to the Board,” said Board Chair Tom Nida.

Mead’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today, and she has appeared on CBS and ABC News and on NPR.  Before joining New America, Ms. Mead was a senior policy analyst with Education Sector. She has also worked for the Progressive Policy Institute, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Gore 2000 presidential campaign. Mead also serves on the board of Democrats for Education Reform.  Her four-year term on the PCSB ends February 2013.

“The District of Columbia is demonstrating the future of charter schools for the rest of the country,” Mead said.  “Parents are much more familiar with charter schools here and with a strong charter authorizer, other places in the country can learn from the important work that has been done. I am excited to be on the Board at this time,” she said.

Mead replaces Dora Marcus on the Board, who served eight years before her term ended this year.  Mayor Fenty also reappointed Vice Chair Brian W. Jones to the PCSB to serve a four-year term.

The D.C. Public Charter School Board currently oversees 57 public charter schools on 99 campuses, serving more than 28,000 students living in every ward of the city.  Public charter schools now serve 38% of all public school students in Washington, DC.

# # #