Arlington, Va. — Gov. James B. Hunt, former Governor of North Carolina and chairman of the  of the James B. Hunt, Jr., Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, has been named the Policy Leader of the Year by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). The honor is annually given to a national or state policymaker in recognition of their contributions to education.
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“Gov. Hunt’s dedication to improving public education is renowned in North Carolina and nationwide,” said NASBE Executive Director Kristen Amundson. “As governor, education was a primary focus. With the Hunt Institute and other boards he has chaired, the governor has led national efforts to improve public education via the common core, improved and greater access to early childhood education and family support services, and improved teacher preparation and licensure. For these efforts now and across the breadth of his career, we are proud to honor James Hunt as our Policy Leader of the Year. ”

From 1977-85 and 1993-2001, Hunt served a record four terms as North Carolina’s governor. In that time, studies showed that student test scores improved there more than in any other state during the 1990s. He has particularly focused on early childhood development and improving the quality of teaching in America. His Smart Start program is a nonprofit, public-private partnership rooted in each of the state’s counties providing quality child care, health care, and family support for each child. He chaired the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for 10 years, developing standards for what accomplished teachers in America need to know and be able to do, and he founded and chaired the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.

“I can think of no one more deserving of this award than Governor Hunt,” said National Board President and CEO Ronald Thorpe. “As the Founding Chair of the National Board, he made history by enabling the profession to set its own standards of accomplished practice and to certify teachers against those standards. Twenty-five years later,more than 102,000 teachers have achieved National Board Certification.”
“Jim Hunt richly deserves recognition by NASBE as its 2013 National Education Policy Leader of the Year,” added Jim Kelly, founding president and senior advisor to the National Board. “For more than 30 years he has championed effective public education for all students. Embracing both high standards for student achievement and for excellent teaching, he passionately and persuasively advanced education reforms to strengthen and improve public schools.”

Previous winners of NASBE’s Policy Leader of the Year Award include Gen. Colin Powell, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, South Carolina Gov. and Education Secretary Richard Riley, New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, former First Lady Barbara Bush, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson.

The award is being presented July 29 at NASBE’s national conference in Arlington, VA.