Governor Rendell Thanks Policy Secretary Cooper for Her Commitment to Education and the People of Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa., Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today thanked Donna Cooper, his top policy adviser, for her commitment to the people of Pennsylvania over the past eight years and especially for her relentless drive to improve education for all children. Cooper resigned today to work for the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.

Cooper, of the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, has been the Governor's secretary of Policy and Planning since the first day of his administration in January 2003. She is known throughout the nation as an education expert and worked closely with the Governor on a wide range of programs, most notably his successful education initiatives.

"Whether it was the PACE expansion, Growing Greener II or our Cover All Kids program, Donna Cooper worked tirelessly to construct and develop this administration's initiatives," Governor Rendell said. "But Donna is best known for her commitment to and role in improving Pennsylvania schools."

Since 2003, Cooper has been involved in initiatives that increased state funding for K-12 education and implemented a much-needed, coherent funding formula for Pennsylvania's schools. She worked on developing and funding a high-quality pre-K system, which is considered the key to successful student performance.

"Our push for more funding and a commitment to improved learning resulted in a drastic improvement in student achievement. Pennsylvania's kids have done better in both math and reading at all tested grade levels and for all ethnic, racial and economic subgroups of students since 2002. We've had eight straight years of student performance gains -- and that wasn't just a coincidence," Governor Rendell said.

"Donna Cooper was tenacious and because of her energy, passion and never-ending advocacy of the programs she believed in, the lives of Pennsylvanians will be permanently improved. She worked harder than anyone and the results showed it. She leaves the Capitol knowing that she never wavered in her support for education and the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and she made a real difference for them."

Before coming to Harrisburg, Cooper was a deputy mayor when Governor Rendell was the mayor of Philadelphia, was the director of Good Schools of PA, and vice president at the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corp.

"I remain grateful to Governor Rendell for giving me the privilege to make a contribution to improving quality of life for all Pennsylvanians," Cooper said.

Media contact: Gary Tuma, 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor