USC Rossier School of Education Dean Karen Symms Gallagher announced Dr. John Deasy (pronounced Daisy), incoming superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, to deliver the keynote address at the school’s 2011 commencement ceremony on Friday, May 13.
Prior to joining LAUSD, Deasy served as deputy director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the initiative on teacher effectiveness. He also headed the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, where he initiated a pay-for-performance plan to reward teachers for gains in student achievement with support from teachers’ unions.
A former State Superintendent of the Year, Deasy has led the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, and the Coventry Public Schools in Rhode Island, as well as taught as a secondary teacher during his three-decade career in education.
“USC Rossier School of Education has demonstrated its excellence in conducting research that informs education policy, producing transformative education leaders, and preparing high quality teachers for urban public schools like ours in LAUSD,” Deasy said.
