CCSSO chief begins 3-day visit to Rota, Tinian, Saipan public schools

The Public School System will celebrate on Wednesday its 36th anniversary as an autonomous education system with the enactment of Public Law 6-10 in 1988, and ahead of its celebration is the arrival of the chief executive officer of the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Education Commissioner Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho said that Dr. Carissa Moffat Miller began her three-day visit to Rota, Tinian, and Saipan public elementary, middle, and high schools yesterday and will culminate on Wednesday’s district-wide Education Day Celebration. One of the highlights is she will present several district-level awards, including the coveted 2025 Teacher of the Year, alongside Camacho and members of the Board of Education.

The CCSSO runs the National Teacher of the Year Program.

It was upon Camacho’s invitation for the CCSSO chief to visit the Northern Mariana Islands. Miller’s visit will also be the first by any head of CCSSO in its 90-year history.

CCSSO is the only national education nonprofit that represents all 58 leaders of K-12 education systems in every state, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, and five U.S. jurisdictions.

Collectively, the CCSSO helps impact the educational needs of about 50 million students, 3.8 million teachers, 98,200 schools, and 13,600 school districts.

“Our PSS family, our Board of Education policymakers, and all of our stakeholders are celebrating this milestone together. On this historic first visit to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, we welcome Dr. Miller to our community of learners as we commemorate 36 years since our school system was established as an independent body under the commonwealth government,” said Camacho.

“As we are all aware, PSS has benefited greatly from CCSSO’s leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on a number of our initiatives that support our direction as a school district for many years. She will be able to observe and feel the advancements and expansion we have made over the years during her visit,” Camacho said.

As the chief executive officer of the Council of Chief State School Officers, Miller works with state education chiefs to ensure all students have the opportunity to graduate from high school prepared for college, careers, and life.

Miller, a first-generation college graduate, was named head of CCSSO in 2018, becoming the first woman to lead in its 90-year history.

With a deep understanding of education policy at the state and national levels, she leads CCSSO’s efforts to help states deliver equitable education opportunities to every student.

Prior to joining CCSSO, she served as a deputy superintendent for the Idaho State Department of Education and led the implementation of statewide online testing for the Idaho State Board of Education. She holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Wyoming, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (PR)

Lawrence F. Camacho