By John Fensterwald
Educated Guess

Gov. Jerry Brown and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson have made high-profile appointments to a troubled state agency, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. 

Torlakson has assigned his Chief Deputy Superintendent, Richard Zeiger, as his designee to keep a close eye on the commission. Brown this week nominated Stanford University School of Education Professor Linda Darling-Hammond as one of a half-dozen of his Commission appointees That Darling-Hammond, an expert on teacher development whose services are in constant demand nationwide, agreed to the potentially time-consuming, non-salaried position signals that Brown wants new directions and big policy changes to the autonomous state board.

The Commission accredits college and university teacher preparation programs, oversees teacher induction programs, and licenses as well as investigates and disciplines teachers facing misconduct and criminal charges. Darling-Hammond’s particular interest is in teacher preparation. But it was deficiencies in handling the policing function, by the Division of Professional Practices, that led to scathing findings in April by State Auditor Elaine Howle. She told the Sacramento Bee  the Commission was one of the “worst run” agencies she had encountered in a long time. In June, a month after coming under fire during a Senate hearing, its long-time executive director and its general counsel resigned.

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