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Thank you for visiting the web site of the Office of the Secretary of Education. The Secretary serves as a member of the Governor's cabinet and advises the Governor on all educational issues from preschool through higher education. The office has a staff of 15 people committed to creating, supporting, and promoting the Governor's education policies and related legislation to ensure that all California children have access to a quality education.
We are currently updating our website to make it more informative and useful. Please bear with us while these changes are in progress. We look forward to providing you with more information about the Governor's commitment to education and other resources to help navigate California's education system.
History of the Position of Secretary of Education
The position of Secretary of Education dates back to 1991. As one of his first actions after being elected, Governor Pete Wilson created the position of Secretary of Child Development and Education through Executive Order (Executive Order W-1-91). Governor Wilson's decision to create the cabinet-level office enhanced the status of a similar advisory position created by his predecessor, Governor George Deukmejian.
The Secretary of Child Development and Education was to serve as the Governor's national and state representative on children's issues, advise the Governor on all issues related to the well-being of children, and be the Governor's liaison to coordinate children's issues between other state agencies. Over time, the position became more specifically focused on education issues and was renamed to reflect the position's current focus.
Recent Events
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Secretary David Long was honored at this year’s Teen Line Annual Luncheon in Los Angeles themed “Saving Lives: Preventing Teen Suicide.” Secretary Long was presented the Above and Beyond Award for his support of Teen Line’s outreach in Riverside County when he served as Riverside County Superintendent. Teen Line helps thousands of teenagers throughout the state with their teen-to-teen hotline and community outreach programs.
In the first photo: Ron & Kathy Silverman, Elaine Leader, PhD, Exec. Director of TEEN LINE, Dr. Long and Bob Burt In the second photo: Elaine Leader, Jane Bening, award-presenter in place of her sister, Annette Bening, and Dr. Long with his award and proclamation from the city. |
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined with California Community Colleges Chancellor Diane Woodruff and Secretary of Education David Long to announce an unprecedented commitment of $70 million from the Bernard Osher Foundation to support private scholarships for California's community college students. The commitment was made as part of the Osher Initiative for community college students and represents the single largest gift to a community college system in the nation and one of the largest gifts ever made to higher education. Community colleges are a gateway to California's four-year universities. Sixty percent of California State University and 30 percent of University of California graduates are community college transfers. Community colleges are also a leading provider of job training and career tech education. Eighty percent of firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical technicians are credentialed at community colleges, and seventy percent of the nurses in California received their education from community colleges. |
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Secretary David Long presented medals to top academic decathlon teams at the California Academic Decathlon Awards on March 10, 2008 at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium. Medals were awarded to individual winners, Super Quiz Teams, and overall division winners. The California Academic Decathlon winning team will represent the state at the U.S. Academic Decathlon Finals. |
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Secretary Long presented at the PTA/CCBE/CCSESA annual conference in Berkeley, CA on March 7. Following the conference was a reception hosted by the President of UC Berkeley, featuring Harry Kulijian and his wife, Broadway legend Carol Channing. |
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary Dave Long honored California's top high school students at the Governor's First Annual Academic Recognition Dinner on March 11, 2008. These outstanding students from across the state were nominated for this award by their respective County Superintendents and were invited to Sacramento to participate in this landmark event. From those 144 students, 25 were named to the first ever All-State Academic Team. The team was chosen for this honor based on academic performance, extra-curricular activities, and community service. |
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Secretary David Long visited the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters Training Center in Ontario, CA last month. The Council represents over 65,000 union carpenters in five states and is dedicated to raising area standards for all carpenters in southern California. Randy Thornill, Director of Special Projects, led Secretary Long on a tour of the facility and discussed ways they can work together to address vocational training for high school students in the education system. |
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Recently, California Secretary of Education Dave Long and Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Vincent Stewart participated in an informational meeting with the California Black Media Publishers. The Publishers, which represent 46 newspapers, six magazines, and three radio stations, meet each year with state agency officials to discuss policy issues and outreach efforts for the African American community.
During the meeting, Secretary Long provided information about several current state-level policy initiatives. One area highlighted was the recent proposal crafted jointly by the California Department of Education, the State Board of Education, and the Secretary’s Office regarding targeted assistance and corrective actions for districts failing to meet requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act; the State Board will take action on this proposal at its March 2008 meeting. Other areas discussed included efforts to increase the number of quality teachers in the state, the creation of a transparent and user-friendly data system, closing the achievement gap, and expanding outreach opportunities through the UC, CSU, and Community College systems. Publisher Pluria Marshall from the Los Angeles Wave Group expressed the importance of parental involvement in education. The group also discussed the value of working with policy makers to ensure that parents and the community are kept informed about and participate in key educational issues and decisions. Front Row: Cheryl and Hardy Brown, The Black Voice News Back Row: Natalie Cole, Our Weekly; Richard Love, Long Beach Times; Vincent Stewart, Assistant Secretary for Higher Education; Secretary of Education David Long; Willie Brown, Inglewood Today; Gloria Zurvenn, Pace News; Peggy Hunt, Tri County-Sentry; Vernon Whitmore and Eleanor Boswell-Raine, The Richmond Globe; Bernard Lloyd, Los Angeles Sentinel |
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