The Education Commission of the States Honors Kati Haycock with 2009 Conant Award

The Education Commission of the States Honors Kati Haycock with 2009 Conant
Award

DENVER, Colo., June 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kati Haycock, founder of The
Education Trust, will be awarded this year's Education Commission of the
States (ECS) James Bryant Conant Award for her exceptional contribution to
childhood advocacy and classroom achievement. ECS and Minnesota Governor Tim
Pawlenty will present the award at the ECS National Forum on Education Policy
this summer in Nashville, Tenn.July 8-10.

Named for Harvard University president and co-founder of ECS, the Conant Award
has been labeled one of the most prestigious in the national education
community. The honor recognizes individuals of outstanding influence in the
classroom, remembering the careers of award winners such as Ron Wolk, Sharon
Lynn Kagan, Thurgood Marshall, Marian Wright Edelman along with former
Governors Gaston Caperton, Roy Romer, Richard Riley and James Hunt Jr. ECS is
proud to augment this list with the lifelong achievements of Kati Haycock.

"Kati Haycock's leadership and work using student achievement data has raised
awareness and expectations for educators and policymakers. ECS is delighted to
recognize the tremendous positive impact she has made on the American
education system," explained ECS President Roger Sampson.

Haycock founded The Education Trust, a national organization dedicated to "the
high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten
through college." Acknowledged as a true authority in the world of education
reform, Ed Trust advances its mission along several fronts, from raising its
voice in national and state policy debates to helping teachers improve
instruction in their classrooms. Regardless of where it occurs, their work
maintains a relentless focus on improving the education of all students, and
particularly those whom the system has traditionally left behind: low-income
students and students of color.

Of additional significance was Haycock's leadership at the Children's Defense
Fund, the nation's largest child advocacy organization. Haycock's influence
also touched The Achievement Council, a California statewide organization that
assists teachers and principals in improving student achievement in
predominantly minority schools, as well as Outreach and Student Affirmative
Action programs for the University of California system.

Currently Haycock serves on the boards of the Hunt Institute for Education
Leadership and Policy, The New Teacher Project and The Carnegie Foundation for
the Advancement of Teaching. Educated in the Los Angeles city schools, Haycock
received her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of
California, Santa Barbara and her master's degree in education policy from the
University of California, Berkeley.

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is the only nationwide,
nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education. ECS helps governors,
legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and
implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A
nonprofit organization, ECS (www.ecs.org) was formed in 1965 and is located in
Denver, Colorado.

SOURCE Education Commission of the States

Mary Ann Strombitski, +1-303-299 3609, mstrombitski@ecs.org, Ashley Zaleski,
+1-303-299-3698, azaleski@ecs.org, both of the Education Commission of the
States