WASHINGTON, D.C. — Former Gov. Jane Swift will join the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the country's only ongoing, nationally representative assessment of student achievement. 

 

Swift was appointed on Friday by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

 

The Governing Board is a nonpartisan body established by Congress in 1988 to oversee and set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as The Nation's Report Card. NAEP provides objective information on student performance in various subjects and reports on student achievement across the nation, in states, and in select large urban districts.

 

The 26-member Governing Board is responsible for deciding that subjects NAEP assesses, determining assessment content, setting achievement levels that describe student performance, and pursuing new ways to make NAEP results useful and meaningful to the public.  

 

"It is humbling to be able to continue to advocate for excellence in education in a policy position over twenty years (!!) after leaving office," Swift wrote on her LinkedIn page. "So many people have helped me to make an impact and to use my voice on behalf of public school students."

 

She thanked some of the people who inspired or supported, including her family, ending with "If you are sick of hearing me talk about the sorry state of literacy in America, you better get some earplugs."

 

Swift, at 25, was the youngest woman elected to the state Senate when she represented the Berkshires in 1990. She was elected lieutenant governor with Gov. Paul Cellucci and became governor in 2001 when he stepped down to become ambassador to Canada.

 

As a senator, she was instrumental in the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1993 and remained involved in education after leaving the governor's office in 2002. She has taught or lectured at a number of colleges and universities and was CEO of education company Middlebury (Vt.) Interactive Languages for six years. 

 

She has been most recently president and executive director of education nonprofit LearnLaunch Inc., a senior adviser at Whiteboard Advisors in Washington, D.C., and operating partner for private investment firm Vistria Group.

 

She founded Cobble Hill Farm Education & Rescue Center last year at her farm in Williamstown 

 

During her tenure as governor, she won praise for her response to the Sept. 11 attacks and her handling of the state's subsequent fiscal crisis. 

 

"We are thrilled to welcome Gov. Swift to the Governing Board," said Lesley Muldoon, the board's executive director. "As governor, she helped catalyze Massachusetts' rise to one of the highest achieving states in the nation, and since then she has helped advance education innovation and opportunity. Her leadership will be instrumental in ensuring the Nation's Report Card provides relevant, actionable information for policymakers, education leaders, and the public. Never before has this been more important, as our nation recovers from the COVID pandemic."

 

Swift is serving in the Governing Board's governor - Republican position. She is joined by 10 other appointees whose terms officially began on Oct. 1. The new members will be sworn in at the board's quarterly meeting in November.