Obituary

Teacher Advocate Dies

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Lewis C. Solmon, a former education school dean who led the influential Teacher Advancement Program, died Dec. 17 as the result of a stroke. He was 65.

An economist, Mr. Solmon led both the Higher Education Research Institute and the graduate school of education at the University of California, Los Angeles. He joined the Santa Monica, Calif.-based Milken Family Foundation in 1997 to focus on teacher quality. In 1999, the foundation launched the Teacher Advancement Program, which sought to reorganize schools to create new incentives and supports for teachers.

TAP has served as the model for performance-pay plans in Chicago, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. More than 130 schools belong to its network.

When he died, Mr. Solmon was the president of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, which operates TAP.

Vol. 27, Issue 17, Page 5

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