Desmond Blackburn, the superintendent of the Brevard County, Fla., school district, has been chosen as the next CEO of the New Teacher Center, a nonprofit that mentors incoming educators across the country.
He replaces founder Ellen Moir, who is retiring after leading the organization for 20 years.
Previously, Blackburn was the chief school performance and accountability officer for the Broward County, Fla., district. He began his career as a high school math teacher.
Michael Kirst will be stepping down as the president of the California school board when Gov. Jerry Brown’s tenure is over in January.
An emeritus professor of education and business administration at Stanford University, Kirst was first appointed to the state board in 1975, during Brown’s first term as the Golden State governor. He has advised Brown on education policy for 44 years.
Kirst worked on implementation of the original version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, as an aide in the federal Office of Education of what was then the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Roger Leon has been selected as the first locally chosen schools chief of the Newark, N.J., district in 22 years. He is a longtime district administrator.
Newark formally regained control of its schools from the state earlier this year.
