WASHINGTON—The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) today announced Curtis Valentine as the new Deputy Director of the Reinventing America’s Schools project. Valentine will work with Director David Osborne to promote our long-term vision for 21st century education systems, characterized by autonomous, accountable, and equitable public schools of choice.
Valentine’s work will focus on education and advocacy, helping the project organize workshops, conferences, and meetings with and for the education community. “I am more than delighted to have Curtis on board,” said Osborne. “He brings years of advocacy for education reform to the table, along with the irreplaceable experience of sitting on a local school board. Equally important, he comes to the job with deep knowledge of education policy, in this country and abroad.”
A graduate of Morehouse College, Valentine holds a Masters of Public Policy from The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He has 15 years of education policy experience, having served as a language arts teacher, the founding Executive Director of the Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now (MarylandCAN), a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, and more recently as Executive Director for State Relations with Connections Education. Valentine is also an at-large member of the Prince George’s County (MD) Public School Board of Education and an adjunct professor in American Government and Politics at Prince George’s Community College.
“It’s such an exciting time to join the fight for public education, and there is no better place to be than PPI’s Reinventing America’s School Project,” said Valentine. “As a father to two public school students and the spouse of a public school principal, this fight is personal, and I’m looking forward to the change our work will bring about for children like mine.”
Reinventing America’s Schools is thrilled to have such a talented communicator, with such a wealth of policy knowledge, teaching experience, and advocacy work, joining our team.
