Anthony Alvarado, brought in by Superintendent Alan Bersin to lead a curriculum overhaul in San Diego, will leave the district by September. Bersin called his departure a mutual decision. The reforms that Alvarado designed and put into place, which have included controversial new curricula, lots of professional development and "teaching coaches," have had their critics, but they seem to have gained a lot of traction in the elementary schools, where academic performance is looking up. (San Diego's high school challenge remains ahead.) Alvarado has served as "chancellor of instruction," the # 2 position in the 141,000-student district, since 1998. The combination of this veteran educator with attorney Bersin has been one of the more innovative leadership arrangements in U.S. public education.
"Chief S.D. school reformer to leave," by Chris Moran, San Diego Union-Tribune, February 5, 2003