Hidalgo superintendent named to NCLB commission

The successes of the Hidalgo school district have caught the eye of national education experts and garnered a spot for its superintendent on a commission working to revamp No Child Left Behind.

Eduardo Cancino, who has been the Hidalgo school district’s superintendent since 2007, has been named to the Commission on No Child Left Behind. The bipartisan group is responsible for holding public hearings on what programs are working and which ones aren’t, then presenting a list of recommendations on how to improve the federal law to Congress.

Specifically, Cancino will be the chairman of the commission’s high school reform committee. Part of his responsibilities could include hosting a public hearing, if the Rio Grande Valley is selected as one of the sites, according to the commission.

Cancino said he was contacted by Gary Huggins, the commission’s director, and asked if he could join the panel.

"I asked, ‘Why Hidalgo?’" Cancino said. "(Huggins) said, ‘We’ve been following the progress of the district for years now.’ It’s humbling to hear that."

Particular attention has been paid to the district’s Hidalgo Early College High School. The school won the College Board’s Inspiration Award earlier this year and has garnered national recognition for its program that has students taking college-level courses while still in high school. It was the first school in the nation to offer that program to all of its students.

Being a part of the commission and having the possibility of hosting a public hearing in the Valley allows Hidalgo to showcase not only its schools but all successful schools in the area, Cancino said.

"It’s just incredible to have that much exposure to the Rio Grande Valley," he said.

The superintendent said he only agreed to the post because he was promised he would not spend too much time away from his school district.

The commission is expected to submit its recommendations to Congress in early 2010.