Nivea Torres, a leading Latina educator, has been appointed interim head of the Connecticut Technical High School System by the Connecticut Technical High School System’s Governing Board and Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor. Her appointment was unanimously approved by the Connecticut State Board of Education.
Torres, who has served as the technical system’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction since August of 2010, assumes her new role on January 1, 2013.
Previous to becoming assistant superintendent, Torres was principal of the Windham Center School, served as Bilingual Coordinator and Curriculum Specialist for Windham Public Schools, and was a Language Arts and English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher within the district.
Torres has also served as Adjunct Professor of Curriculum at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service and International Politics, a master’s degree in English as a Second Language, and a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction.
State Board of Education Chairman Allan Taylor said, “The State Board’s unanimous vote shows our confidence that Dr. Torres will continue and build upon the progress that has been made in the Technical School System. We … look forward to working with her and the Board of the Technical High School System to improve student outcomes and strengthen the role of the technical high schools in our State’s economic progress.”
Commissioner Pryor said, “Dr. Torres is an outstanding educational leader and excellent choice to direct our technical high schools during this period of transition to a new governing board. Dr. Torres’s appointment will provide stability, as she brings a working knowledge of the system and is well-versed in the district and school improvement process, curriculum development, and school supervision.”
Connecticut’s technical high school system currently operates 16 degree-granting technical high schools, one technical education center, and two aviation maintenance programs located throughout the state. The system serves approximately 11,200 full-time high school and adult day students, with comprehensive education and training in 36 occupational areas and 2,000 apprenticeship students.