by David Safier
As Mari Herreras put it in the Weekly, Crazily Enough, Someone Qualified Is Interested In Run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Dr. David Garcia is an education prof at ASU who has experience working with the legislature and in the Department of Education. I've had a chance to talk with him. He has the practical, no-nonsense manner of a man who knows how things work. He's a very viable candidate for the office with qualifications we haven't seen for 20 years, the last time we had an educator in the Ed Supe's office.
"Like" Garcia's Facebook page, dg4az, to show your support and keep up with his campaign. Here's his statement on the FB page:
Phoenix, Ariz. – June 3, 2013 — Dr. David Garcia, an Associate Professor at Arizona State University, announced the formation of an exploratory committee, Garcia 2014, for Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.
A nationally recognized expert in education policy and research, Dr. Garcia served as the state Associate Superintendent of Public Instruction for Standards and Accountability, Director of Research and Policy for the Arizona Department of Education, research analyst for the Arizona State Senate Education Committee, and peer consultant for the U.S. Department of Education. He is the current director of the Arizona Education Policy Initiative.
“The very sustainability of Arizona public education is at risk,” declared Dr. Garcia. “Our current officials have fallen in the trap of nationalization, seeking permission from D.C. to make decisions for Arizona schools and creating a public education system that is big, slow and monolithic. Void of ideas, they are more concerned about complying with federal regulations than preparing our students our way.
As a parent and an educator, I can no longer watch Arizona travel down the path of mediocrity. It’s time we chart our own course in public education. We have the raw talent in this state to lead the next generation economy; what we lack is bold leadership.
I have both the vision and expertise to forge Arizona’s path to educational greatness. It has been more than 20 years since an educator led public education. No more. It’s time for education to lead the way.”
Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, Garcia received his B.A. from ASU and a Masters of Arts and Ph.D. i
Education Policy, Research and Institutional Studies from the University of Chicago. He proudly served in the U.S. Army Infantry where he trained as a Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare Specialist. He and his wife Lori Higuera, a Director at Fennemore Craig, P.C., have two young daughters that attend an Arizona public school.