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Mr. Cortines has been a school teacher and an administrator since l956. He has taught at the elementary, middle, and senior high school level. He has held numerous positions in public schools -- that of assistant superintendent, principal, administrative director, etc.
He has served in four school districts starting in l956 as a teacher in Aptos, California; then as teacher and administrator in Covina, California; as an administrator for four years and as Superintendent of Schools for eleven years in Pasadena, California; as Superintendent in San Jose, California for two years; and as Superintendent in San Francisco for six years.
Mr. Cortines has served on numerous task forces and committees with the California State Department of Education; United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare; United States Department of Human Services; and the United States Department of Education. He has worked with numerous state departments of education, school districts and individual schools throughout the nation. He has acted as a consultant and a contributor to Stanford University, the University of California, the State College System and the Community College System.
He has a bachelors degree in speech and education, and two masters degrees, one in school administration and the other in adult learning from Pasadena College (now Point Loma Nazarene College).
He received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from San Francisco State University and Point Loma Nazarene College and an honorary doctorate of laws from San Francisco Golden Gate University.
He is appointed Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor of Education by the Trustees of Teachers College, Columbia University and also holds an appointment as Associate in Education, Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
He was the Associate Director, Pew Forum on Education Reform at Stanford University where he was a Consulting Professor of Education.
In December l992, he chaired a Department of Education transition team for then President-elect Clinton, and from February 1 through August 30, l993, served as Assistant Secretary(designate) for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs and for Human Resources, United States Department of Education.
On September 1, l993, he was appointed Chancellor of the New York City Public School System, which post he retained until October l995.
On October 15, l995, he was appointed Visiting Scholar at the School of Education, Stanford University to serve through August 31, l996. He was appointed a Special Adviser to the Secretary, United States Department of Education, beginning November 13, l995. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Scholastic, Inc., New York City, and a Trustee of the J. Paul Getty Trust, Santa Monica, California.
He is Chairman of the Executive Board, Consortium for Policy, Research and Education (University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan and University of Wisconsin/Madison). He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Education of the National Research Council and is Chair of the Visiting Committee for the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey.