SPRINGFIELD – State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch will lend his experience and expertise to two national organizations aimed at improving education policy to better prepare students for the workforce and higher education. Dr. Koch, a former teacher and longtime policy maker, will serve a two-year term as the Vice Chair of the Finance Committee of the policy-focused Education Commission of the States (ECS) and as a member of the inaugural Board of Directors for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the new accreditation body for educator preparation.
“Chris Koch will bring a wealth of experience, insight and passion to both these organizations,” said State Board of Education Chairman Gery J. Chico.
“Just as we’ve raised the standards for entrance into teacher preparation programs in Illinois, we’re moving toward national accreditation standards that also aim to ensure the best and the brightest become our future teachers.”
The Board of Directors will be responsible for making policy for CAEP; making appointments to committees and the Accreditation Council; reviewing the activities and organizational performance of CAEP and its affiliates, and reviewing and approving CAEP’s annual budget and annual independent audits.
CAEP’s mission is to advance excellence in educator preparation through evidence‐based accreditation that assures quality and supports continuous improvement to strengthen P‐12 student learning. More than 900 educator preparation providers will initially participate in the CAEP accreditation system, which serves all providers currently accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). Educator preparation providers include traditional institutions of higher education, as well as alternative pathways such as residency programs.
Koch, Illinois State Superintendent of Education since 2006, will serve a three-year term with the CAEP through June 30, 2016, while his two-year term as Vice Chair of the ECS Finance Committee will conclude in July 2015. He will continue to serve as the Illinois State School Chief while volunteering for these organizations.
The ECS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to improve public education by improving communication amongst state education chiefs and lawmakers. Through the exchange of information, ideas, and best practices, ECS fosters state partnerships that work toward the common goal of high quality education for all students.
The ECS Finance Committee works in close conjunction with the Executive Committee and has several responsibilities, including reviewing the organization’s annual budget, recommending specific financial policies, providing input on which certified public accounting firm to hire, reviewing the public accounting firm’s annual audit, and overseeing the Commission’s portfolio and investment policies.
Superintendent Koch was elected in 2010 to serve a one year term as President of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). He also served on the Presidential Transition Team for CCSSO in 2008 and co-chaired the Elementary and Secondary Reauthorization Committee. CCSSO is a nationwide organization of leaders in K-12 education from all 50 states that works to advance education policy through collective state action.
Koch joined ISBE in 1994, holding positions including Director of Special Education and Chief Education Officer. As an educator, he has worked in a college preparatory school, a youth detention center, a psychiatric hospital, and for an Outward Bound program. He has worked for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the United States Department of Education as well.
A graduate of Brown County High School in Mt. Sterling, Illinois and Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Superintendent Koch has long called Illinois home. He received both his master’s and doctoral degrees from George Washington University in Educational Policy and Leadership.
