#Torlakson to Face #Tuck in Schools Chief Forum

San Francisco -- Educate Our State and the Santa Clara County Office of Education are hosting a public Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidate Forum. The race is shaping up to be one of the closest on ballot after a recent Field Poll found that Tuck is leading incumbent Torlakson by three points. The event is the only Bay Area forum currently scheduled where both candidates are scheduled to appear, as Torlakson has dodged repeated requests for debates. John Fensterwald of Ed source will moderate. Who: The candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction What: Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidate Forum Where: Marriott Waterfront Hotel- Near SFO 1800 Old Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, California 94010 When: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM , Saturday September 27, 2014 Details: The forum is the second of only two public forums with both candidates and the only in the Bay Area. The first, held 9/17 in LA can be viewed here. The forum is part of a larger conference hosted by Educate Our State, if you’d like to attend you can register here. **Free admission, RSVP for the forum here , additional media availability on request** About Marshall Tuck Marshall Tuck is the only candidate for State Superintendent with a proven record of increasing graduation rates, improving student achievement, and turning around failing schools. Tuck served most recently as founding CEO of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s groundbreaking collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District to operate 17 struggling public elementary, middle, and high schools, serving 15,000 students. Under Tuck’s leadership, the Partnership schools increased four-year graduation rates by over 60%, improved school safety and student attendance, and launched the innovative Parent College, which became a national model for getting parents more involved in their kids’ education. Over the last 5 years, the Partnership schools ranked #1 in academic improvement among school systems with more than 10,000 students. Prior to launching the Partnership, Tuck was President of Green Dot Public Schools, a leading charter school operator based in Los Angeles. Tuck joined Green Dot in 2002, when it had one school, and helped them expand to 10 charter high schools by 2006. With a student-centered approach that empowered principals, teachers, and parents, Green Dot schools substantially outperformed comparable schools’ graduation rates and overall academic achievement. Before devoting his career to helping students, Tuck was an executive at Model N, a successful enterprise software company based in the Bay Area. Prior to that, he worked in finance, and spent a year teaching and doing service work internationally, primarily in Zimbabwe and Thailand. The son of a teacher, Tuck was born in Burlingame, CA and attended parochial elementary school and public middle and high schools. He graduated from UCLA and Harvard Business School. Tuck currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Mae, and their son Mason.