SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced the appointment of five additional members to the newly established Superintendent's California P-16 Council that gathered today in Sacramento for its first meeting. The new members join others announced last month to the Council.

The new members are: Marlene Canter, Vice President of the Los Angeles City Board of Education; Rhonda Rios-Kravitz, Head of Access Services in the California State University, Sacramento library; Dave Andreasen, Superintendent and a Principal at the Alpaugh Unified School District in Tulare County; Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, Chancellor at the University of California, Merced; and Richard Alonzo, Superintendent of Local District 4 in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"The members of the P-16 Council all have vast experience and unique backgrounds. We need input from each member's individual perspective so we can build strategies that will improve education for all preschoolers to college-bound students," said O'Connell. "I look forward to seeing their recommendations on how we can help children meet the challenges of high standards and high expectations."

O'Connell first announced the establishment of the P-16 Council last December. The Council is charged with examining ways to:

1. Improve student achievement at all levels and eliminate the achievement gap;
2. Link all education levels, from preschool, elementary, middle, high school, and through higher education, to create a comprehensive, seamless system of student learning;
3. Ensure all students have access to caring and qualified teachers; and
4. Increase public awareness of the link between an educated citizenry and a healthy economy.

The members of the Council represent a wide range of experts throughout California, including teachers, administrators, parents, business leaders, students, and academics. Several of the statewide Council members also will serve on regional councils.

At today's P-16 Council's inaugural meeting, the members immediately addressed such issues as O'Connell's call to add rigor and relevance to the state's high schools, and better prepare students for careers or college. In prepared remarks, O'Connell told the Council:

"I am aware that is a tall order. So as not to limit our sights, I set goals for this Council that are both the most important and the most ambitious. Clearly this is not an overnight task. But I am confident your creative minds working together over time will develop powerful strategies that will benefit students for years to come.

"It's not enough for our high school graduates to simply have a diploma anymore. They must have all of these skills if they are to succeed past high school. Yet today, far too many of our high school students are prepared with 'basic' courses that really aren't preparing them for anything at all. This is a tragedy for too many kids, and we must do better."

The Council will work closely with the Governor's Advisory Committee on Education Excellence to ensure all segments of California government are working toward building educational excellence. The Council's function is different from the Governor's Committee, in that the Council will serve as an ongoing recommending body on issues relating to achievement of O'Connell's four broad goals listed above. The Committee will focus more narrowly on education funding, governance, teacher and administrator training and recruiting.

For more information about the P-16 Council, please visit P-16 Council.