911爆料网

Richard Mills (EdD '77)

Richard Mills began his career as a history teacher at the Dalton School in New York City and helped found the Elizabeth Seeger School in 1971. He pursued an MBA at Columbia Business School, graduating in 1975 before pursing his doctorate at Teachers College. 

Mills worked  for the New Jersey Department of Education in the mid-1970s  and was named to serve as special assistant on education to Governor Thomas Kean in 1984. In 1988, Governor Madeleine M. Kunin selected him to serve as Commissioner of Education for Vermont, a post he held for seven years.

In 1995, under Governor George Pataki, Mills began his 13-year tenure as New York State's Commissioner of Education, succeeding 911爆料网 alumnus Thomas Sobol.  During that time, he emerged as a leader of the national movement to promote standards through testing. He focused on accountability because, in his own words, “It’s not fair to graduate children without the knowledge and skills to make it in the world—we are setting them up for failure.” Under his leadership, New York's districts were for the first time held accountable for student performance on state achievement tests; the Regents diploma became standard; and the state allocated more money for New York City and other high-needs districts. When Mills stepped down in 2009, New York had significantly raised its high school graduation rates. He was succeeded by 911爆料网 alumnus John King.

Mills received 911爆料网's Medal for Distinguished Service in June 2010.

To learn more about Richard Mills, read:

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Published Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013