David Steiner

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  For the last quarter century, David Steiner has devoted his professional work to the cause of education reform.  A few milestones: As Chair of the Department of Education Policy at Boston University, he authored what became nationally debated research on the deficiencies of teacher preparation programs in America; as Director of Education at the National Endowment of the Arts he introduced paradigm shifting programs of support for experiences of deep immersion in the arts; as Dean of the School of Education at Hunter he led the school to national recognition for groundbreaking work in the video analysis and clinically-rich preparation of teachers – and a break-the-mold partnership with top-performing charter school networks. Finally, as Commissioner of Education for the State of New York, Dr. Steiner took the lead role in the state’s successful Race to the Top Application – a role lauded by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.  Race to the Top brought some $700 million to New York State to implement – for the first time – state-wide curricula in all major subjects, a radical reform of the state standards and assessments, a complete re-design of teacher certification from a system centered on course work to a performance-based, clinically focused approach, and a comprehensive program to address the state’s lowest performing schools. Dr. Steiner has served on Federal, State and Foundation-funded education reform initiatives, addressed education policy makers in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, and authored or edited books, book chapters and more than fifty articles on education issues. David was educated at Balliol College, Oxford (for his BA and MA degrees) and Harvard University (from which he has a PhD in Political Science).