FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 25, 1999
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Kathleen Carpenter, Director of Promotions
Teachers.Net http://teachers.net/
SAN DIEGO, CA -- Teachers.Net will host a live chat session with NAASP Director Gerald N. Tirozzi Tuesday, September 14 at 6pm Eastern time (3pm Pacific), in the Teachers.Net Chatroom http://teachers.net/chatroom/ . Dr. Tirozzi is the Executive Director of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). The NAASP represents principals and assistant principals in public, private, and parochial secondary schools, central office administrators, professors of secondary education, teachers and department heads, and retired educators. Total NAASP membership today exceeds 46,000, and includes representatives from over 50 nations.
President Clinton appointed Dr. Tirozzi Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education in January, 1996. As Assistant Secretary, Tirozzi oversaw the administration of 42 federal education programs representing an $11 billion budget. A native of Connecticut, Tirozzi is a nationally recognized leader in education reform. He has dedicated the last 37 years to improving teaching and learning for all students by promoting high academic standards and initiating major teaching reforms. From 1993-1995, Tirozzi was a tenured professor at the University of Connecticut's Department of Educational Leadership, where his concentration was on urban education issues, educational policy, and the preparation of school superintendents. From 1991-1993, he served as President of Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Tirozzi served as Connecticut's Commissioner of Education from 1983-1991, where he played a major leadership role in developing and implementing the Connecticut Mastery Test. The test received national recognition as an assessment model to promote high academic standards and expectations. In addition, he initiated major teaching reforms, promoting both higher salaries and standards. These reforms were a model for the nation and were at the core of an unprecedented $300 million Education Improvement Act passed by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1986.
From 1977-1983, Tirozzi served as Superintendent in the New Haven, Connecticut, Public Schools, where he had previously worked as principal, guidance counselor, and teacher. Tirozzi began his education career in 1959 as a science teacher at Notre Dame High School in West Haven, Connecticut.
Tirozzi has served on a number of boards and professional organizations, including the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the Education Commission of States, Jobs for the Future, and the Educational Testing Service. He is an honorary lifetime member of the National Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). Tirozzi has written numerous articles on educational topics that have been published in educational and scholarly journals.
Tirozzi's public service and leadership has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan State University (the Distinguished Alumni Award), and the National Coalition of Title 1/Chapter 1 Parents. He has won numerous awards from his home state which include recognition from the Connecticut Legislature, the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP, the Southwestern Connecticut Urban League, and the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce. In 1997, Tirozzi was awarded an honorary Doctor of Pedagogy from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Quinnipiac College in Connecticut.
Tirozzi holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Higher Education from Michigan State University. He earned an M.A. in Guidance and Counseling and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Southern Connecticut State University. He holds a Six-Year Certificate in Educational Administration from Fairfield University in Connecticut.