Andrés Alonso (born June 14, 1957) was the chief executive officer of the Baltimore City Public School System in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

, United States. Alonso came to Baltimore from the New York City Public School system in July 2007. He had been deputy chancellor in New York for the year prior to his appointment in Baltimore.

Education

Alonso graduated from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' and

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

, obtained a J.D. from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

and then an Ed.M. in 1999 and Ed.D. in 2006 from the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...

Career

Prior to his arrival in 2007, the

Baltimore City Public Schools Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), also referred to as Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) or City Schools, is a public school district in the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, United States. It serves the youth of Baltimore Ci ...

system was in a state of decay and decline with several of its schools performing so poorly that the state of Maryland was poised to intervene and take over much of the system. Fewer than half of students entering Baltimore's high schools graduated and proficiency levels in reading and math were far below both the state and national averages. By 2010 both state elected and local elected officials were touting the job done by Alonso in turning the failing school system around. Under Alonso's leadership millions of education dollars were diverted from the systems administrative offices to the schools themselves, failing schools were closed and principals were given more fiscal autonomy. A December 2010 article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' characterizes the school system as having improved under the leadership of Dr. Alonso. It was announced on May 6, 2013, that Alonso would be resigning his position as CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools on June 30, 2013. Tisha Edwards, previously Chief of Staff to Alonso, assumed the position of Interim CEO on July 1, 2013. Alsonso is currently a director of

Scholastic Corporation Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

, and the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alonso, Andres 1957 births Living people Educators from Maryland Columbia University alumni Cuban emigrants to the United States Harvard Law School alumni Educators from Baltimore Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni American chief executives of education-related organizations