The Stanford Daily January 17, 2007

HEADLINE: Departing Fraga named to PEN Board

Focus on education in low-income areas fits with Fraga's interests

By Christian L. Tom

Political Science Associate Prof. Luis Fraga was recently named to the Board of Directors of Public Education Network (PEN), an organization based in Washington D.C. that promotes quality public education in low-income communities across the nation.

Fraga, who has a courtesy professorship in the School of Education, will leave Stanford on July 1 after 15 years here to take an offer from the University of Washington. There, he will teach and serve in an administrative position that promotes faculty diversity. He is one of only a handful of public education experts to sit on the PEN Board of Directors.

"The organization has as its primary goal community-based participation to promote systemic school reform," Fraga said.

He added this objective fits nicely with his academic interests, such as educational politics and voting rights policy. His latest co-authored book, "Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform," specifically discusses education reform in cities.

His appointment with PEN officially started Jan. 1 and will last for three years. Though not a full-time job, Fraga will be an active participant in the several meetings the Board holds annually, along with five other new Board members.

Fraga said he sees the position as another opportunity to constructively contribute to public education. He added that he values PEN's devotion to exploring the link between research and implementation of policy.

"One recent effort of this organization and its executive director Wendy Puriefoy is to make sure there is more engaged linkage between academic research and scholars and community based efforts," Fraga told The Daily.

He added that his appointment should not affect his teaching either here at Stanford or at University of Washington at Seattle when he moves there this summer.

In a news release, PEN cited Fraga's extensive research experience and appointments both within and outside Stanford as his outstanding credentials.

Fraga's departure for the University of Washington has sparked significant student and alumni outcry that Stanford had not made a sincere or concerted effort to retain him and other minority faculty. His son, Bernard, is a junior at Stanford.