Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue
Appointed to Governing Board

WASHINGTON (May 13, 2009)—Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has been appointed as the newest member of the National Assessment Governing Board by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Board Chairman Darv Winick announced today.

Governor since 2002, Perdue will serve in the category of "Governor-Republican" on the Board, which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the Nation's Report Card.

"As governor of Georgia, Mr. Perdue has made improving education a top priority and we are looking forward to having that same dedication on the Board," said Winick.

Gov. Perdue was appointed to a four-year Board term ending in 2012. Perdue was first elected governor of Georgia in 2002, and during his first term, Georgia created over 200,000 new jobs and posted the highest graduation rate and SAT scores in state history. Perdue won re-election in 2006 and under his leadership, Georgia was named in 2008 as one of the best managed states in the nation, receiving a B+, the highest grade in the southeast, from the Pew Center on the States and Governing magazine. Before holding Georgia's highest office, Perdue was a state senator and small business owner.

Read the U.S. Education Department's official announcement at: http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/05/05122009.html

Visit the Governing Board's Web site at: http://www.nagb.org

The Nation's Report Card is the only nationally representative, continuing evaluation of the condition of education in the United States and has served as a national yardstick of student achievement since 1969. Through the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), The Nation's Report Card informs the public about what America's students know and can do in various subject areas, and compares achievement data between states and various student demographic groups.

The National Assessment Governing Board is an independent, bipartisan board whose members include governors, state legislators, local and state school officials, educators, business representatives, and members of the general public. Congress created the 26-member Governing Board in 1988.