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Rob Saxton
Rob Saxton was the Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction. He was appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber in July 2012 and confirmed by the State Senate in September of that year.[1]
Saxton submitted his resignation on April 8, 2015, and officially stepped down on June 30, 2015. He resigned to become the interim superintendent of an education service district in Hillsboro, Ore.[2][3]
Biography
Saxton is a native Oregonian. The son of teachers, he was raised in a household that prioritized education. After high school, Saxton attended Linfield College, where he received his undergraduate and master’s degrees in education. Later, he earned his administrative/superintendent’s credentials from Portland State.[1]
Rob came to ODE after years working in Oregon schools and districts. For the previous seven years, he served as the superintendent of the Tigard-Tualatin School District which has been recognized as a state leader in success with student outcomes in reading, math, science, and graduation rates. The district has provided leadership to other districts in the state in areas such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and an intentional focus on closing the achievement gap. Saxton has also served as superintendent of the Sherwood School District, principal of McMinnville High School, and an assistant principal, teacher, and coach in the Greater Albany School District.[4]
Political career
Deputy superintendent of schools (2012-2015)
Saxton was appointed by Gov. Kitzhaber in July 2012 and confirmed by the Senate on September 14th to serve as Oregon's first Deputy Superintendent of Education. His predecessor, Susan Castillo, announced her resignation on June 4, 2012, after nearly 10 years in the position. Castillo was lured away from her elected post by the opportunity to serve as regional vice president for the nonprofit Project Lead The Way, which is "the leading provider of science, technology, engineering, and math educational" curricula to middle and high schools in the country. [5] Castillo's departure, over two years ahead of schedule, marked the end of the office's approximately 150-year run as an independent, elected position. A new law passed in 2011 transferred "responsibility for the state's half-million students attending 1,200 public and charter schools" to the governor, who will appoint a chief education officer for assistance, as well as a "superboard that oversees spending and policy for every level."[6]
Common Core
Oregon has been adopting the Common Core education standards since 2010 and Saxton has supported this process since taking office. When a survey of Oregon educators found that 80 percent reported that their curriculum met Common Core standards, Saxton was pleasantly surprised. He cited the close cooperation between the state Department of Education and outside groups such as teachers unions and administrators as the reason for this seemingly seamless transition.[7]
In May 2014, however, some teachers and school system officials raised concerns over the round of testing that would begin in spring 2015.[8] Because the students being tested have not been taught over the years according to the Common Core curriculum, Saxton expects that only 35 percent of the students tested will pass. While some teachers have accused this of setting students up to fail, Saxton replies that this will be a "wake up call" for teachers and schools.[8]
Resignation
Saxton resigned on June 30, 2015, in order to become the interim superintendent of an education service district in Hillsboro. He said that he was taking the lower-profile position because he wanted to work more closely with students.[2]
Appointments
2012
Saxton was appointed deputy superintendent of schools in July 2012 by Governor John Kitzhaber. He was then confirmed by the Oregon State Senate and took the oath of office on September 14.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Rob + Saxton + Oregon + Education"
See also
| Oregon | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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- Superintendent of Schools
- Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Oregon school districts
- Oregon Department of Education
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsax - ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Oregonian, "Rob Saxton explains why he decided to quit as Oregon's state schools chief," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Betsy Hammond, OregonLive, "Oregon schools chief Rob Saxton resigns," April 8, 2015
- ↑ Tigard-Tualatin School District, "Supt. Rob Saxton will become Oregon's statewide schools chief," accessed September 11, 2015
- ↑ Project Lead The Way, "About Us," accessed June 5, 2012
- ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon's state schools superintendent resigns, leaving the governor in charge of education," June 5, 2012
- ↑ The Oregonian, "4 in 5 Oregon teachers report their school's curriculum is aligned to Common Core," May 28, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 KOIN 6, "Set up to fail? Implementing Common Core curriculum in Oregon," May 1, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Susan Castillo |
Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction 2012-2015 |
Succeeded by Salam Noor |
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