The Teaching Commission, a bipartisan, blue-ribbon group of business and civic leaders founded by Louis V. Gerstner Jr., a former IBM chairman and chief executive officer, will close its doors this spring after more than two years of advocating the modernization of the teaching profession.
“Mr. Gerstner wanted to create a catalyst organization … that would get things under way and then get out of the way,” Josh Greenman, the group’s communications director, said last week.
The commission issued a 2004 report that called on state officials, universities, and schools to change the way they prepare, recruit, and reward teachers—an agenda that Mr. Gerstner pursued in meetings and appearances around the country. (“Business, Civic Leaders Urge Higher Salaries,” Jan. 21, 2004.)
A 2005 survey commissioned by the group showed considerable support among the public and educators for such change. A final report is expected later this month.
The death last fall of R. Gaynor McCown, the group’s director, did not play a role in the group’s decision, according to Mr. Greenman.
