Manuel Rivera '74 will lead Boston's public schools
Manuel Rivera ’74 grew up in circumstances resembling those of many of the children he now serves as superintendent of the Rochester (N.Y.) City School District. Beginning in July ('07) he will lead the Boston public school system, after being named to the post by Mayor Thomas Menino.
"Superintendents can no longer limit their concern for students to the school day or to demands placed upon them by state and federal mandates," he says. "To have a sustained impact on our children’s education, we must be part of a community network that supports children and families around the clock."
To advance that vision, Rivera launched the Rochester Children’s Zone, an effort to integrate education, health, social services, safety and employment programs in the city’s most needy section.
For his efforts, Rivera was named 2006 National Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators. A national panel of educators and business and government leaders selected Rivera for his creativity in meeting student needs, effective communication skills, active community involvement, and for providing professional development opportunities and motivation to those on his education team.
"Manny Rivera represents high-quality leadership in our nation’s public schools," said Paul Houston, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators. "Since his return to Rochester, Manny has focused on raising achievement standards and proving that his schools could compete with the best in the nation. He rallied his district and community, business and government leaders to systemically improve pre K-12 instruction and achievement and build a local social infrastructure to support the learning process. The results clearly prove that his leadership has been successful."
The national honor comes a year after he was chosen New York State School Superintendent of the Year by the New York State Council of School Superintendents. Rivera has initiated and overseen a number of innovative programs that have advanced the Rochester City School District’s progress in academic achievement, fiscal and organizational management, and quality, service and accountability. Under his leadership, the district has made dramatic improvements in student achievement and the number of students passing statewide exams.
An NCAA All-American in track and field and a student in the Education Program while at Brandeis, Rivera received his master’s and PhD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
He recently returned to Brandeis to receive the Harry S. Levitan Remedial Reading and Education Prize during the annual Brandeis Reunion reception. The prize is named for the late brother of Dr. Joseph J. Levitan, a Boston optometrist who established the Harry S. Levitan Chair in Teacher Education at Brandeis. Harry S. Levitan taught students with reading and learning disabilities in the Boston public school system.
"Manny Rivera is an outstanding educational leader whose passion, dedication, and success in educating urban children are inspiring," said Professor Marya R. Levenson, the Harry S. Levitan Director of Teacher Education at Brandeis. "He is a great role model for Brandeis students, especially those who are studying to become teachers or policy-makers in the field of education."
Rivera began his career in education with the Rochester City School District in 1975 as a teacher, and later served as both a school and district administrator. He was named Administrator of the Year in 1988 and was honored for his leadership in bilingual education by the New York State Association of Bilingual Education in 1992.
He was first named Rochester City Superintendent of Schools in 1991, a position he held until entering the private sector in 1994, when he joined Edison Schools Inc., the country’s leading private manager of public schools. Rivera served on Edison’s management team, supervising all Edison partnership principals, overseeing school finances and budgets, and designing and implementing the company’s professional and leadership development team. In 1998 he was named executive vice president for development, responsible for developing partnership and management agreements with new clients.
Rivera returned to Rochester in 2002 to accept the position of interim superintendent for the 2002-2003 school year. After a national search, the Rochester Board of Education named him permanent superintendent of schools.
As superintendent of the Rochester City School District, Rivera leads an urban school system serving more than 35,000 students in pre-K through grade 12 and 11,000 adult students. He is responsible for a $455.9 million budget and oversees a professional and support staff of more than 5,000 employees.