AUSTIN, Texas—The Board of Directors of the National Center for Educational Accountability [NCEA] today (March 2) announced the appointment of Michael Hudson as acting president of the national education reform organization.
He replaces Brad Duggan, who will continue as a consultant to the organization. NCEA is a partnership among The University of Texas at Austin, the EducationCommission of the States and Just for the Kids. NCEA’s mission is to usestudent achievement data to investigate effective teaching practices among highperforming schools and to help all schools improve through use of these dataand best practice results.
“Mike Hudson has led the nationwide effort to expand the Just for the Kids School Improvement Model to other states,” said Tom Luce, founder and chairman of NCEA, “and he is well-experienced to guide the organization as we become a national force for education reform.”
Hudson, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and The University of Texas Law School, is a Vietnam veteran. His first professional position after law school was as director of public affairs for the University of Texas System. He has also served as staff in the Texas Senate and U.S. Congress and has owned his own political consulting and fund-raising firm. For the past three years he held the position of national field director for NCEA.
As acting president of NCEA, Hudson also serves as executive director of the Center for Educational Accountability, the center at The University of Texas at Austin that supports the non-profit partnership.
“Mike Hudson’s university experience and knowledge will help connect our school improvement efforts to institutions of higher education nationwide,” said Larry R. Faulkner, president of The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Ted Sanders, president of the Education Commission of the States added: “For the past three years we have worked closely with Mike Hudson in identifying state leaders to help form Just for the Kids affiliates to lead school improvement projects. His national and state connections to educators, business groups and funders will serve NCEA well as we work to improve student achievement.”
Priorities for NCEA include completing a new national Web site [www.SchoolResults.org] where all states’ achievement data are publicly accessible, expanding the NCEA Best Practice Model to 20 states and assisting state education departments in providing technical assistance to schools under the new No Child Left Behind Act.
Hudson and NCEA can be reached at mikehudson@mail.utexas.edu, 512-232-0770.
For more information contact: Terry Kelley, 214-378-4803.
