Marshall Tuck

{{short description|American educator, venture capitalist, and politician}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox politician

|name = Marshall Tuck

|image = Marshall Tuck (cropped).jpg

|caption = Tuck in 2017

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|7|28}}

|birth_place = Burlingame, California, U.S.

|occupation = {{hlist|Educator|political advisor|public official}}

|party =

|education = University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Harvard University (MBA)

|spouse = Mae

|children = 1

}}

Marshall Tuck (born July 28, 1973) is an American educator and politician. He was CEO of Antonio Villaraigosa's Partnership for Los Angeles Schools{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Jerry |title=Charter School Crusader Fights Unions in Bid for California Schools Superintendent |url=https://www.independent.com/news/2018/aug/30/charter-school-crusader-fights-unions-bid-californ/ |publisher=Santa Barbara Independent |date=August 30, 2018}} and president of Green Dot Public Schools.{{Cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-essential-education-updates-southern-marshall-tuck-is-running-for-california-1489428196-htmlstory.html|title=Essential Education: L.A. schools Supt. Michelle King reiterates push for 100% graduation|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}} Tuck was a candidate for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014 and 2018, placing second in the general election in both races.Gammon, Robert. "[https://m.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2018/11/16/tony-thurmond-wins-state-superintendent-of-schools-race Tony Thurmond Wins State Superintendent of Schools Race]", East Bay Express. November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.

Early life and education

Tuck was born in Burlingame, California, and grew up in Hillsborough. He attended parochial elementary school and public middle and high schools, graduating from San Mateo High School.{{Cite news|url=http://speakupparents.org/electionwatch/2018/5/17/state-superintendent-candidate-marshall-tuck-says-ca-has-accepted-mediocrity-and-failure-for-too-long|title=State Superintendent Candidate Marshall Tuck Says CA Has 'Accepted Mediocrity And Failure' For Too Long|work=Speak Up|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}} His father was a lawyer and his mother was a teacher.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/dan-morain/article3502381.html|title=When Will School Reform Become a Wedge Issue for Democrats?|work=Sacramento Bee}} Tuck is one of four children.

Tuck graduated from UCLA and Harvard Business School.{{Cite news|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Marshall_Tuck|title=Marshall Tuck - Ballotpedia|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en}}{{better source needed|date=October 2018}} After school, he worked for two years at Wall Street Bank Salomon Brothers{{Cite news|url= http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/election/california-elections/article2620708.html|title=State Schools Chief Challenger Marshall Tuck Wants to Change Sacramento, If He Can Get There}} before spending a year teaching and doing service work internationally.{{Cite news|url=https://marshalltuck.com/about-marshall/|title=Marshall Tuck for State Superintendent|work=Marshall Tuck|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en-US}} He then became a senior leader at Model N, a revenue management software company{{Cite news|url=https://capitalandmain.com/a-great-divide-the-election-fight-for-californias-schools/|title=A Great Divide: The Election Fight for California's Schools|work=Capital & Main}} based in the Silicon Valley, before switching careers to work full-time in education.

Education career

In 2007, after working as an education advisor to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Tuck became the founding CEO of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District, which began by operating 10 public schools.{{Cite news|url=https://partnershipla.org/who-we-are/#our-story|title=Who We Are {{!}} The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools|work=The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools|access-date=April 14, 2018|language=en-US}}

The contract between Villaraigosa's office and the Los Angeles Unified School District eventually included 17 struggling elementary, middle, and high schools serving about 15,000 students.{{Cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/interview-marshall-tuck-ceo-of-the-partnership-for-la-schools/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221114304/http://www.zdnet.com/article/interview-marshall-tuck-ceo-of-the-partnership-for-la-schools/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 21, 2014|title=Interview: Marshall Tuck, CEO of the Partnership for LA Schools|last=Dawson|first=Christopher|work=ZDNet|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en}} Tuck claimed these schools raised four-year graduation rates by more than 60%, had the highest academic improvement among California’s school systems with more than 10,000 students,{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melanie-lundquist/the-education-of-marshall_b_4676822.html|title=The Education of Marshall Tuck and the Making of a Run for California's Chief Education Office|last=Lundquist|first=Melanie|date=January 28, 2014|website=Huffington Post|language=en-US|access-date=August 10, 2017}} and boasted the Parent College, a parent engagement program.{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/la-schools-use-parent-college-to-boost-student-acheivement|title=LA schools use 'Parent College' as tool to boost student achievement|work=PBS NewsHour|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en-US}} A report by a third-party research institute included the Partnership as a new governance model for public education that was being used as an alternative to charter schools in communities that were resistant to new charter schools.{{Cite web|url=https://www.crpe.org/sites/default/files/crpe-partnership-schools.pdf|title=Partnership Schools: New Governance Models for Creating Quality School Options in Districts {{!}} Center on Reinventing Public Education|website=crpe.org|language=en-US|access-date=October 24, 2018}} News coverage of the Partnership's 10-year history noted it as a "unique turnaround model is driving big gains at struggling campuses".{{Cite web|url=http://laschoolreport.com/as-the-partnership-for-los-angeles-schools-turns-10-a-new-report-shows-this-unique-turnaround-model-is-driving-big-gains-at-struggling-campuses/|title=As the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools turns 10, a new report shows this unique turnaround model is driving big gains at struggling campuses {{!}} LA School Report|website=laschoolreport.com|language=en-US|access-date=May 15, 2018}} Tuck continues as a member of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools' Board of Directors.{{Cite news|url=https://partnershipla.org/who-we-are/#our-board|title=Who We Are {{!}} The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools|work=The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}}

The Partnership for Los Angeles Schools faced controversy during Tuck's tenure. Teachers at 8 of 10 schools gave Tuck landslide votes of "no confidence" after his first year.{{cite news |last1=Lopez |first1=Steve |title=L.A's mayor getting schooled |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-24-me-lopez24-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 24, 2009}} Parents at Ritter Elementary School, together with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, filed a complaint in 2009 after Tuck cut dual language immersion programs.{{cite news |last1=Jones |first1=Erika |title=Teachers at 8 of 10 schools Tuck oversaw rejected his leadership |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Marshall-Tuck-candidate-for-California-schools-13269350.php |publisher=San Francisco Chronicle |date=October 1, 2018}} After three years of Tuck's leadership, the Los Angeles Times reported that while academic performance had improved at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, improvements were greater at Los Angeles Unified schools with similar demographics.{{cite news |last1=Blume |first1=Howard |last2=Poindexter |first2=Sarah |title=L.A. Unified bests reform groups in most cases, data show |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2011-aug-18-la-me-lausd-20110818-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 18, 2011}}

Prior to that, Tuck was President of the Charter Management Organization (CMO) Green Dot Public Schools, where he helped to create 10 new public charter high schools in some of Los Angeles' poorest neighborhoods. Of the 10 schools that Tuck helped to open, 8 were recognized by the U.S. News & World Report as among the best high schools in the country.{{Cite news|url=http://blog.greendot.org/nine-green-dot-high-schools-rank-in-u-s-news-world-reports-best/|title=Nine Green Dot High Schools Rank in U.S. News & World Report's Best - Green Dot Public Schools Blog|date=April 26, 2017|work=Green Dot Public Schools Blog|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}}

Tuck is a board member of the nonprofit Parent Revolution,{{Cite web|url=https://www.parentrevolution.org/board/|title=Board|website=Parent Revolution|language=en-US|access-date=August 15, 2018}} an organization with the mission to "ensure families, especially those from historically underserved communities, can use their power to secure an excellent public education for their children, children in their community, and all children in California".{{Cite web|url=https://www.parentrevolution.org/|title=Home|website=Parent Revolution|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-15}}"

Tuck was an educator-in-residence at the New Teacher Center, a nonprofit organization working with school districts to help develop and retain effective teachers and principals.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kerncitizens.org/index.php/events/fundraiser/an-evening-for-kern-county|title=2015 An Evening for Kern County|last=Agbalog|first=Romeo|website=www.kerncitizens.org|language=en-gb|access-date=August 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811005532/http://www.kerncitizens.org/index.php/events/fundraiser/an-evening-for-kern-county|archive-date=August 11, 2017|url-status=dead}}

In 2022, Tuck was a finalist for the position of Superintendent of the Orleans Parish School Board in New Orleans.{{Cite web |last=Jewson |first=Marta |date=March 23, 2022 |title=School Board selects three finalists for superintendent |url=http://thelensnola.org/2022/03/22/school-board-meets-to-select-finalists-for-superintendent/ |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=The Lens |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2022 |title=New Orleans schools chief finalists from all 3 U.S. coasts |url=https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/New-Orleans-schools-chief-finalists-from-all-3-17024002.php |access-date=March 24, 2022 |website=Times Union |language=en-US}}

= 2014 election for State Superintendent =

In 2014, Tuck ran a campaign against the incumbent State Superintendent of Public Instruction in California. Tuck won the endorsement of every major newspaper in the state, including the Los Angeles Times,{{Cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/opinion/endorsements/la-ed-end-superintendent-of-public-instruction-20140917-story.html|title=Marshall Tuck for state superintendent of public instruction|last=Board|first=The Times Editorial|website=Los Angeles Times|date=September 17, 2014 |access-date=August 15, 2018}} the San Francisco Chronicle,{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Marshall-Tuck-for-state-schools-chief-12795145.php|title=Editorial: Marshall Tuck for state schools chief|date=April 2, 2018|work=SFChronicle.com|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}} the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the Sacramento Bee.{{Cite news|url=https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/election-endorsements/article3404563.html|title=Endorsements: The Bee's 2014 election recommendations|date=October 27, 2014|work=The Sacramento Bee|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0890-5738}} the Fresno Bee,{{Cite news|url=https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/election-recommendations/article19526697.html|title=The Fresno Bee recommends|work=fresnobee|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en}} the San Jose Mercury News,{{Cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2014/07/31/mercury-news-editorial-tuck-for-california-schools-superintendent/|title=Mercury News editorial: Tuck for California schools superintendent|date=July 31, 2014|work=The Mercury News|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US}}

The race received national attention,{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/political-diary-school-yard-brawl-1410380773|title=School Yard Brawl|last=Finley|first=Allysia|date=September 10, 2014|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 15, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}} and money raised and spent on the campaigns exceeded that spent in that year's gubernatorial election between Governor Jerry Brown, and challenger Neel Kashkari.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/california-playbook/2018/08/09/nunes-at-closed-fundraiser-gop-house-only-ones-to-protect-trump-handicapping-tuck-vs-thurmond-race-trump-administration-moves-to-open-ca-to-fracking-drilling-the-next-big-debate-campus-abortion-access-296629|title=NUNES taped at closed fundraiser -- Handicapping TUCK vs. THURMOND -- ODDSMAKERS favoring KAMALA -- HOLLYWOOD bets big on GAVIN|website=POLITICO|date=August 9, 2018 |language=en|access-date=August 15, 2018}} A recurring issue in the campaign was an ongoing legal challenge to the state's laws granting teacher permanent status ("tenure") after two years.{{Cite web|url=https://edsource.org/2014/tuck-torlakson-debate-union-power-lawsuit/67916|title=Tuck, Torlakson debate union power, lawsuit|website=EdSource|language=en|access-date=August 15, 2018}} Tuck said he supported the students who brought the lawsuit, and wanted to see California law change to extend the amount of time before a teacher had to earn tenure or be let go.

Tuck was among the top two vote-getters in the primary.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/statewide-direct-primary-election-june-3-2014/statement-vote/|title=Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of Vote, June 3, 2014 {{!}} California Secretary of State|website=www.sos.ca.gov|access-date=February 20, 2018}}

= 2018 election for State Superintendent =

In March 2017, Tuck announced that he would run again for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2018.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article138221628.html|title=Marshall Tuck running again for California schools chief: 'We've settled for mediocrity'|work=sacbee|access-date=August 10, 2017|language=en}} Tuck finished in first place in the June 2018 primary, with 2,223,784.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/prior-elections/statewide-election-results/statewide-direct-primary-june-5-2018/statement-vote/|title=Statewide Direct Primary Election - Statement of the Vote, June 5, 2018 {{!}} California Secretary of State|website=www.sos.ca.gov|access-date=August 16, 2018}} The general election campaign for State Superintendent received national attention. President Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan penned an OpEd for the San Jose Mercury News, supporting Tuck and urging voters to "forget the lies in the state schools' superintendent race".{{Cite news|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08/03/opinion-forget-the-lies-in-the-state-school-superintendents-race/|title=Opinion: Forget the lies in the state schools superintendent's race|date=August 3, 2018|work=The Mercury News|access-date=August 16, 2018|language=en-US}}

Personal life

Tuck has spent most of his adult life in Los Angeles. He lives in the city with his wife, Mae, a first generation Chinese-American. They have a son.

References