U.S. Secretary of Education Appoints Former New York Hall of Science Director and CEO to National Assessment Governing Board

Queens, N.Y. – Dr. Alan J. Friedman, former director and CEO of the New York Hall of Science, has been appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to the National Assessment Governing Board. The Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan group that sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), commonly known as “The Nation’s Report Card.”

“As our nation’s future depends on its investment in education, I am honored and excited about the opportunity to serve on the National Assessment Governing Board,” said Dr. Friedman.

NAEP is the only continuing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects at the elementary and secondary school levels. Under the No Child Left Behind law, which requires that states participate every two years in the national assessment's state-level samples for assessing reading and math achievement in grades four and eight, the national assessment has taken on a new role as an independent yardstick of student achievement. States are now able to compare trends on the national assessment with performance on their own state exams.

“Congratulations to Dr. Alan Friedman, and the New York Hall of Science, on his recent appointment to the National Assessment Governing Board,” said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. “As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension, I look forward to being able to work closely with Dr. Friedman and the Governing Board as we work to better equip our children to become tomorrow’s teachers and leaders of industry.”

The board is involved in a number of activities, including:

Selecting the subjects to be tested;

Identifying learning objectives for each grade tested;

Identifying appropriate achievement goals; and

Ensuring that all items selected for use in the assessment are free from racial, cultural, gender and regional biases.

The secretary appoints members from nominees in categories prescribed by law. The 26-member board includes governors or former governors, legislators, educators, testing experts and curriculum specialists, as well as business and industry representatives, parents and persons representing the general public.

"No one is more qualified to judge the standards and performance of American primary education than Dr. Alan Friedman,“ said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman. “His appointment to the National Assessment Governing Board is good news for America’s children and only further reinforces my belief that the New York Hall of Science is not just a great New York institution but a true world-class leader in children’s science education.”

Dr. Friedman’s three-year term began on October 1 and will end on September 30, 2009. Other new members appointed to the board are Robin C. Hall, principal of Beecher Hills Elementary School in Atlanta, G.A.; James S. Lanich, president of California Business for Education Excellence in Sacramento, Calif.; and Cynthia Nava, State Senator of New Mexico.

Dr. Friedman has been director of the Hall since 1984. His professional passion for the past thirty years has been the communication of science and technology to the general public, students, and teachers, through museum exhibits, interdisciplinary courses, lectures, and mass media. His work in this area has won him recognition through national and international awards, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology, the Association of Science-Technology Centers’ Fellow Award, the American Institute of Physics’ Andrew Gemant Award, the National Science Teachers Association’s Distinguished Informal Science Education award, and the New York City Mayor’s Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Science and Technology. He has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Friedman received his Ph.D. in Physics from Florida State University and his B.S. in Physics from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Friedman retired as the Hall’s CEO on November 1, 2006 to begin a consulting practice.

The purpose of the New York Hall of Science is to bring the excitement and understanding of science and technology to children, families, teachers and others by galvanizing their curiosity and offering them creative, participatory ways to learn. For more information about the Hall, visit www.nyscience.org or call 718.699.0005.

###

Media Contact: Mary Record 718.699.0005 ext. 323