ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Gov. Gaston Caperton, former governor of West Virginia and retiring president of the College Board, has been named the Policy Leader of the Year by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). The honor is annually given to a national or state policymaker in recognition of their contributions to education. Caperton will accept his award at NASBE's national conference Oct. 12, 2012, at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago.
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"After serving as governor of West Virginia, Gaston Caperton could have done just about anything, but he chose education when he became an instructor at Harvard and Columbia," said NASBE Executive Director Jim Kohlmoos. "Then, in 1999, he could have stayed in the Ivy League, but Gov. Caperton took on the challenge of significantly expanding the mission of the College Board. Under his stewardship the College Board became an organization that recognized the need to raise standards while at the same time increasing opportunities for success in academics and ultimately in life. For these efforts, and much, much more NASBE is proud to present him as our Education Policy Leader of the Year."
Throughout his career, education has remained a constant for Caperton. As governor, he fought for more education funding and for the construction and renovation of schools. He also had a vision for promoting education technology, a vision which was continued by subsequent governors. At the College Board, Caperton transformed the company from one best known for assessments into one that expanded AP classes for low-income students and developed the College Board Standards for College Success to help raise the level of rigor in American schools.
Previous winners of NASBE's Policy Leader of the Year Award include Gen. Colin Powell, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, South Carolina Gov. and Education Secretary Richard Riley, North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, former First Lady Barbara Bush, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson.
The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America's state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. For more, visit www.nasbe.org.
SOURCE National Association of State Boards of Education