Denise Juneau

Denise Juneau
Incumbent
Assumed office January 5, 2009
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Helena, Montana
Alma mater	Montana State University (B.A) Harvard Graduate School of Education (M.Ed)University of Montana (J.D.)
Profession	Teacher and Attorney
Website	http://juneauforkids.com

Denise Juneau (April 5, 1967-) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana elected as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.^[1] The State Superintendent of Public Instruction heads the Montana Office of Public Instruction. A member of the Democratic Party, Juneau is the first American Indian woman to be elected to statewide executive office in Montana.^[2][3][4] She is a member of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes.^[5][6]

Juneau also serves on the Executive Board of Directors for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The organization is an accrediting body for schools, colleges, and departments of education recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education Accreditation.^[7]

Early life and education

Juneau was born in Oakland, California.^{[citation needed]} She attended Montana’s public education system from elementary school through higher education and worked in Montana public schools through most of her professional career. Juneau attended Head Start and first grade in Billings, Montana while her parents completed their undergraduate degrees–both in education. The family then moved to Juneau's father’s hometown of Browning, Montana, where her parents were teachers, and she graduated from Browning High School.^[8] At Montana State University – Bozeman, Juneau received a Bachelor’s Degree in English. She went on to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she completed her Master of Education Degree.^[9] Juneau then attended the University of Montana Law School, completing her J.D. in 2004.^[9]

Early career

Denise Juneau's teaching career began in New Town, North Dakota on the Fort Berthold Reservation. Juneau's mother, Montana state Senator Carol Juneau,^[10] grew up in that area, and Juneau is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Juneau's first teaching job included teaching English to every 9th and 10th grader in the school, as well as coaching the speech and debate team.

Prior to running for public office, Juneau worked at the Montana Office of Public Instruction as the Director of Indian Education where she oversaw the implementation of Montana's constitutionally-mandated Indian Education For All program to deliver education in the public schools on Montana's American Indian heritage.^[11][12] Following law school, she was a law clerk for Montana Supreme Court Justices Jim Regnier and Brian Morris, then went on to work as an attorney for a national law firm that specialized in Federal Indian law.^[9]

Political career

In 2008, Juneau ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction. She first won a four-way Democratic primary in June.^[13] In the November general election, the final vote tally was 234,483 for Juneau (51%), 201,091 (43.7%) for her GOP opponent, Elaine Sollie Herman, and 24,236 (5.3%) for Libertarian candidate Donald Eisenmenger.^[14] At her swearing-in, she acknowledged the value of her Native American heritage.^[15][16]

Accomplishments

Since Juneau took office, she has promoted projects to lower the rate of tobacco use among Montana teens, and to increase student test scores. Statistics from her first year in office indicate that these efforts are correlated to a drop in tobacco use amongst teens and preliminary data shows a rise in test scores.^[17][18] Montana students currently test above the national average in math, and reading scores have improved.^[19][20] She has also promoted funding to allow schools to provide more fresh fruits and vegetables to students,^[21] in conjunction with promoting local agriculture,^[22] and advancing agriculture education in Montana.^[23]

In 2009, Montana's leadership in Indian Education was recognized when Juneau was named educator of the year by the National Indian Education Association.^{[5][24][25][26]}

External links

• Denise Juneau, Montana Office of Public Instruction Official Website Official Montana Office of Public Instruction website
• Denise Juneau for Superintendent of Public Instruction Campaign Juneau for Kids official campaign website

References

1. ^ Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction
2. ^ Montana under new management
3. ^ Denise Juneau, Joe Medicine Crow named educator, elder of the year
4. ^ Denise Juneau, NIEA member is Montana's new Superintendent of Public Instruction
5. ^ ^{a b} www.Nativetimes.com
6. ^ "Denise Juneau". 125 Montana Newsmakers. http://www.greatfallstribune.com/multimedia/125newsmakers5/juneau.html. Retrieved August 11, 2011. 
7. ^ National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
8. ^ Denise Juneau's official bio
9. ^ ^{a b c} Superintendent Denise Juneau's Biography, Montana Office of Public Instruction
10. ^ Carol Juneau bio, MEA-MFT Website
11. ^ The Billings Gazette
12. ^ The Billings Gazette
13. ^ The Billings Gazette
14. ^ 2008 Statewide General Election Canvass. Montana Secretary of State
15. ^ The Billings Gazette
16. ^ Juneau for Kids Campaign Blog
17. ^ [1]
18. ^ [2]
19. ^ [3]
20. ^ [4]
21. ^ [5]
22. ^ [6]
23. ^ [7]
24. ^ [8]
25. ^ Juneau named Educator of the year by NIEA
26. ^ [9]

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Name	Juneau, Denise
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